Tales From The Plot
As the season rolls on there is still ongoing harvesting and tidying on Grizz/Richard’s plot. He likes to save and store some of his runner bean seeds that have dried in their pods in Autumn sunshine. These are for replanting next year and have now been brought into his shed to overwinter. I tackled the remaining tangle of twining bean stalks, whilst marvelling at the solidity of his metal bean structure. Richard uses a method of refreshing the nutrition with compost and soil below, creating a mound to plant into year on year, rather than rotating new positions each season. This clearly works extremely well for him. He always has many runner beans. His young grandson helped him make the structure a few years ago. They make a good team in their tasks. Their affable chatter drifts quietly on the air, indistinct but in companionable tones.
On my plot, I rotate bean positions each year and build new cane wigwams or A-frame canes in short lines. My canes are also stored off ground, on up turned U-bend ladder hooks attached to the side of my shed.
His Brussel Sprouts are now staked and nearly ready for winter winds and growing nicely for his family. I just need to tie them to their cane stakes, which I had found suspended in hanging loops, whilst clearing the bean frame. Richard has done successional planting, so there are varying sizes, which ensures a good long winter season. The family will be harvesting ping pong ball size brussels and leaving the smaller ones to grow on into next year.
The remaining Leeks are still looking superb. A few green tomatoes have been made into chutney. Much of his plot is now safely covered.
As ever, light maintenance weeding has been a doddle on his well kept plot, and his chickens are helpful in consuming any random handfuls of chickweed. They are being well cared for by another plot holder.
Autumn and winter can be an enjoyable time for me on the plot. The necessary surface clearance and die-back of crops and lush foliage makes way for bare ground and checking on the structural backbone of the plot, after a season’s wear and tear. This time is perfect for repairs, planning and redesign opportunities. Alternatively, it’s also a good time to have a rest.
The allotments become quieter of course, as not everyone enjoys the less favourable temperatures, or needs to redesign anything in the shorter windows of winter daylight hours. Much of any planning can be done in warmth and comfort indoors of course, but nothing beats some close observation, before drawing a plan of next years crop rotations, making lists, ordering new seeds or thinking of gift ideas you might need to put on a seasonal wish list..Or plots simply become quieter for general closing down and forgetting the plot for a few months.
I love a winter project. I’ve made high growing frames with straw bale seating below, for climbing crops like squashes.. and a resting spot. I’ve made raised beds with pallet collars. These don’t need to be deep, but I prefer less bending, so I built double depth beds. Another year I made cold frames, again using pallet collars and lightweight reused perspex. Many re-purposing tasks are easier to do when the winter months’ emptiness creates more open space to work, with all sorts of recycled materials.
I have got my Garlic in, which is meant to be in the ground before Winter Solstice (21st Dec) and harvested around Summer Solstice (21st June). I was a bit shocked that Elephant Garlic cost £2.99 per single bulb. I was then a bit ‘put out’ when I mislaid one. I planted what I had and resigned myself to the loss after extensive searching. I knew I’d put it near my bike, ready to go to my ‘Lotty’.. but it was mysteriously nowhere. It was days (and various bike rides) later when I suddenly spotted that it had safely nestled itself into a nook or a cranny of my bike frame. So a well travelled Garlic bulb went in a few days after the others.
Kate H, Syston Allotments
