22nd January

Went up to the plot in the afternoon for a change - blowing a gale!

Got some parsnips, leeks and salad plus some baby carrots and fought with some brambles that were trying to take over the manure pile on the top allotment.

Put some more garden and kitchen rubbish in the bean trench - it's filling up nicely!

Onto the bottom allotment where I cleared one of the beds that had originally had early potatoes last year followed by some salad and the baby carrots.

I covered another bed with panes of glass to warm up the soil ready for the early potatoes which will go in end Feb/early March this year.

Back at home I have cleaned some trays with Jeyes Fluid and sowed some leeks, cauliflower and sweet peas. These are now in the conservatory before they go into the greenhouse later.

I've also got the 100 potatoes chitting on some shelving in the garage.

I will have to get some more seeds going soon!

On a previous visit to the plot this month I got some more salad and some beetroot, still got a few left, the rest have been pickled.

December 22nd

Made the most of the mild weather and went to the plot on my bike this morning.
Emptied out the last of my well rotted manure from pallet bin on bottom allotment and barrowed it up to top allotment to put on bed where main crop potatoes were.

Just about the right amount to cover the bed with a decent layer - let the worms do their stuff over the winter!

Transferred all the compost from second pallet bin into the now empty manure bin - first time I've done it in 3 years! Put the lovely compost at the bottom on some of the raised beds. I then covered the remaining compost in the bin with some blue plastic to try and keep some heat in. Might empty in less than 3 years time!

December 4th

Got to the plot for 09:30 and it was a bit cool - thought my hands were going to drop off after first 10 minutes! Amazingly even though we've had our first frost the Rudbeckia were still flowering

Picked a load of different salad leaves from bottom allotment for my sandwiches at work and then a bit of weeding and tidying up on top allotment - picked a few radish too.
Warmed up a bit by this time and the sun came out too.

Then it was time for a bit of digging, dug a trench for the beans. I haven't done this before to this extent but the experienced allotmenteers all do it.

I will fill this with annual weeds and general kitchen and other allotment waste.

I need to spread some well rotted manure on some of the beds soon - will have to borrow a wheelbarrow from one of the other plot holders - spotted one further up the site on my way out.

Didn't see anyone else this morning but I did enjoy the peace and quiet and the exercise.

November 20th

Had a couple of hours at the plot this morning - -it was pretty foggy and it bit cold on the hands while riding there on my bike - soon warmed up though!
Top allotment tidied - harvested some leeks and a couple of parsnips:

Did a bit of tidying up on bottom allotment too - got some pak choi, some lettuce and the first cavolfiore (Italian cauli).

Still got some Rudbeckia flowering!

Out of my 8 raised beds I'm down to 4 with produce now

October 16th

Had 2 and a bit hours on the plot this morning.
I dug up the last of the Cara and desiree and cut the pumpkins and butternut squash off.
Got a load more radish and probably the last of the Cobra beans (these have been really good!).
Picked some more Chioggia beetroot and took 3 punnets of tomatoes off the outdoor plants.

I seem to have way too many salad leaves (got another bag full) but I suppose it'll be a good green manure if I don't crop it all!
The Hungarian grazing rye is growing well - I will dig this in next spring.

Remaining crops:
Parsnips
Beetroot
Salad - various types
Pak Choi
Carrots
Leeks
Cavolfiore
Cabbage
Purple Sprouting Broccoli

It's been a pretty good crop this year!

October 8th

Had a couple of hours on the allotment this morning, drizzled before we set off then rain threatening all the time.
Dug up another 5 potato roots - really hard work, the ground was so hard.
Got another decent crop - 2 big bags - Cara and Desiree, only 10 more to go!
Here's a photo from the rubbish camera on my phone:

Got another load of radish - some really big ones:

Cleared the last of the sweetcorn - got 6 decent cobs and a few smaller ones.
Still some cobra beans left and got some more Chioggia Pink Beetroot - pickled some of it along with some shallots - first time I've tried pickling:

Got a few parsnips, a big bag of salad and pak choi and took one of the smaller pumpkins - about 10 inches long. Saving the two other bigger ones for Halloween.

Got another handful of ripe strawberries - can't remember getting them in October before!

October 1st

What a great start to October, loveley and sunny and HOT!
Got to allotment for 07:20, started cropping potatoes in ex-car park bed.
Took ages, speared quite a few but got loads - I weighed the largest hessian bag of the 4 when I got back 27Kgs - excellent!

Got a load of sweetcorn, some more Chioggia Pink Beetroot, radish, cut and come again salad, some plums, apples and cobra beans.

The biggest surprise was strawberries in October - lovely and sweet