A New Hope...

Finally managed a quick visit to check on things today.

Although in the main it is a scene of death and rotting destruction, already signs of new life appearing with blackcurrants and blueberries budding well.

Seedlings (Cabbage & Oriental Mustards) coped with cold drought (in plastic box)to varying degrees and still plenty of them alive.

Garlic looking a bit sorry for themselves, but the cold should spark them into cloving well. Scattered a bit more sand over - partly to catch a bit more warmth if the sun comes out and partly for drainage as ground still saturated. Last year's leeks still doing well, if a little small.

Put bin over a rhubarb crown to start off this year's forced chosen one. No sign of life yet.

The deep snow seems to have rotted a lot of the anticipated spring cabbages, but few surviving well. Still a few reds coping ok and cropped a load of sprouts today.

End of Year...

Not a lot of action going on past couple of months, bit of tidying up, plenty of cropping brassicas and garlic has sprouted.
Seedlings not checked for a while but were still alive and hopefully dormant not dead!

Garlic

Finally, managed to get some garlic bulbs and get them planted before Xmas! (17th Oct) Just have to hope they grow ok now, this years did ok - but small - from a late sowing so looking forward to a bumper crop next summer.

Tried to prevent them from rotting overwinter by using a bulb planter to make some 4-5" holes, filled with mix of compost and sharp sand. Garlic cloves are about 1-2" below soil.


Also last week, managed a sunny day tidying up and planting some mixed oriental mustards and two varieties of Spring Cabbage (a little late). One tray of cabbage and mustards already germinated by the weekend.

Pulled a few wind sown salsify seeding and moved out of leek bed - although not too much difference between them.

Slowly cropping away still... sweetcorn, beetroot, swedes, red cabbage, white cabbage, few early brussels, last of the broad beans. And a couple of blackberries.

September Sunshine

We always seem to get a week or two of settled weather in September, so took advantage and cropped rest of onions last weekend, which should see us through to spring.

Allotment is a rainbow of colour with gladioli, nasturtiums, sunflowers (highest now over 7 foot!) leading the way, backed by a blaze of orange things I can never remember the name of.

The sweetcorn is progressing well - if a little late as it was last year - and rivaling the sunflowers for height.