In the allotment, Feb 2022

This week the son, daughter and I have time off and already I've been to the allotment twice.  Just for quick visits:  it's been windy and rainy for a few weeks now, and not pleasant for working (especially with a toddler);  regardless, stuff has been done.

Yesterday we quickly dropped off kitchen scraps for the compost and transplanted a rooted year-old redcurrant cutting.  We have a sort of Perennials section at our allotment: a long strip at one edge that comprises the raspberry patch, a couple of rhubarbs and the newly moved gooseberry.  It now also contains my yellow (autumn-fruiting) raspberry bush too, transplanted today.  (Maybe I should move the artichokes there too.)

Today I sowed around 60 pre-sprouted broad beans in two rows and the son picked a good portion of Brussels sprouts for our dinner.  We've picked pretty much all of the big ones now, so are working through the smaller ones;  I think there are only one or two meals left to harvest.

I have a good sized sack of peas soaking too, some of which have begun to sprout so they will be sown hopefully before the week is over;  if not, I'll have time to go up with the daughter before work/childcare as my reduced hours start next week.  And I plan to empty and relocate the large planters from my patio;  I'll refill them with fresh compost and probably put in some more strawberry plants.  Along with this, I'll transplant a rooted fig cutting I took last year.

There's plenty to do, and if I want to have a productive harvest I'd better get things done.

Little and often (I hope)

This past weekend, before it started raining (again) I managed to get outside and harvest a few overwintered carrots, cabbage greens and chard.  I also sowed two seed trays for the kitchen windowsill and even took four cuttings from my yellow raspberry.  I spent 10 min max out back, and did not visit the allotment;  I haven't been there for several weeks now, though the husband has dropped off kitchen scraps for the compost a couple times.  He also took up some old carpet from a neighbor, for long term weed-smothering.  I'm hoping to score some more pieces to cover the front quarter;  if I can find some I'll probably leave them in place for a full year.  We already managed to cover most of our path with some hallway carpets from another neighbor, to be in place long term.

I may have a little more time for gardening in the very near future, after agreeing with my work to reduce my hours by about a third.  Next week is half term (no school for the son and me) and after that my new hours will begin.  I hope to take the daughter up to the allotment for a daily walk before work/childcare starting then, instead of our early mad rush to get to our respective places on time.  I can't see us being extremely productive (she's not quite 2) but little and often is a good mantra for gardening!

Not quite spring

Though it's now noticeably lighter in the mornings and evenings (finally!) spring isn't quite ready here.  I don't think that winter has been a particularly cold one, but my spring flowers aren't blooming yet, not even the snowdrops--of which there are about ten now.  Maybe one year I'll go out back and see a whole carpet of them.

One chicken has decided it must be spring, despite her and the flock still being locked indoors against bird flu;  she is laying an egg daily.  None of the other five, or the three ducks, have it in them yet.  We think the dedicated layer is the remaining rescue hen, as we can sort of tell whose egg is whose.  She's nearly five years old!  All the others from her cadre have died of old age by now.

I really ought to be sowing some early seed trays for my kitchen windowsill.  Currently it has a couple of leek bubils from a fellow allotmenter (there are another dozen or so on the patio table outside) and plenty of dust...

I did manage to start my peas and broad beans soaking/sprouting in bags in the garage.  I sprout them with a handful of wet compost and then sow them directly.  Although they would sprout quicker indoors I would then have to acclimatize them to the outdoors before sowing--I think it's actually quicker (and certainly less work) to just sprout them in the same temperature they will grow up in.  These are cold hardy so it doesn't matter that the garage door is always open.  I hung the bags from the beams just in case of rats, though thankfully we haven't had any sign of them for several months now.

We've had several storms pass us in the last few weeks with very strong winds and rain, keeping me indoors more than I'd like.  There's been some good sunshine too, usually when I get home from work ready to collapse in a heap.  I'll get it done, I promise!  Just give me a little more time.

Cuttings

Every year around this time I go out and have a good prune of my soft fruit bushes, as well as some other things (because I usually get a little carried away and keep seeing more things to chop).  This weekend I lightly pruned my blackcurrants and redcurrant to allow for easier harvest and room to maneuver.  I took about ten 12-inch tips from the redcurrant and stuck them in the ground in a sheltered bed near the house, in hopes they'll root;  this is also a yearly task.

Last year's redcurrant cuttings almost all disappeared, though they initially seemed promising in spring:  there is only one remaining which I will transplant to the allotment.  In previous years I've had no success, but also good success (I gave away about six once);  one recipient of cuttings got a lovely big harvest of redcurrants last summer and gave me some to add to my redcurrant wine.  

I basically take the freshly cut sticks, poke them into holes in the ground, and try to remember to water them once in a while.  I leave them in place until it's time to take the next lot of cuttings, a year later.  Couldn't be simpler!  Actually now that I think of it, I want to take some gooseberry cuttings as well.  I wonder if my yellow raspberry would root too?  Better get on it, before the leaves start to emerge.