Tales from the Plot May
May is one of the busiest months of the year. My potatoes are now in – hurrah! It’s a month I really enjoy – towards the end of May you can hopefully believe that the frosts are gone, although I must say it’s never a certainty, and as the old saying goes ‘beware of the last full moon in May’.
Parsnips are an absolute pain. Never save seeds from a previous year. I’ve done it times – I’ve been too tight to throw them away and always believe they’ll be alright, they never are. Fresh seed must be sown in abundance – just put the whole packet in and that way you may end up with a row of parsnips, you can always thin them out if by some miracle they all come up!
May is also bean month: this year I’ll be growing a variety of runner beans called white lady – the reason is that they have white flowers instead of red. I’m told this keeps the blackfly away as it’s the red flowers that attract them, last year it seemed to work a treat. I shall also be growing some bush French beans called Annabel for no other reason than it’s my granddaughter’s name. I also grow French climbing beans called Cobra, they’re very reliable and grow profusely. Don’t forget the word ‘Bingo’ when planting beans plant them eyes down. Whether it makes any difference or not is debatable.
I normally plant a few marigolds around the bottom of the runner beans, this helps deter the black fly, also a couple of sunflowers amongst them not only for the looks but they attract the bees and help pollination. As with all the bean crops try and pick them while they’re young and tender. Towards the end of the month I will also plant sweetcorn, I start them off in trays covered in clingfilm. Once I see them pushing at the clingfilm I rip it off and allow them to grow on. I grow a variety called Incredible and I have to say they are.
It’s a comforting feeling that we have hopefully a warm summer ahead of us, the allotments supply us not only with wonderful vegetables and fruit but also a refuge of peace and quiet, I’m sure without doubt that it extends the life of those that tend the allotments – there are 120+ plots so there’s over 120 families that benefit from the allotments. I’ve heard them described as a jewel in Syston‘s crown and over the years they have won many awards and have been judged as being one of the best allotment sites in England.
We are in the centre of the town so there is always a concern that one day we will have to fight off a builder or developer, the allotments are always in great demand. This actually happened in April, when an agent was seen on a plot and challenged as to what they were doing. Members of the Allotments attended the Amenities meeting and gave their views, fortunately, the council voted against it, so thank you for protecting these very important part of Syston.
If you fancy growing your own and having an allotment it’s totally free to put your name on the waiting list at the council office – plots do become available every year with most waiting around three years for their own plot and once you’ve got it, providing you make use of it and keep it tidy, it’s yours.
Richard Thorpe
15 B Syston Allotments.
