Tales From The Plot

Time seems to pass so fast, this year seems to have flown by!
It’s the last chance to clear any weeds from this year’s growing season. I try my hardest to start with a clean slate, keeping the current year’s weeds under control is enough of a job without having to deal with last year’s as well. It’s also the shortest day at the end of this month. 
Now is the time to take a bit of time to reflect on your successes and to consider what went wrong with any disappointments, always remember that there are no failures in gardening it is almost always down to the weather! I suppose one of the saving graces is we haven’t had to water much this year, it seems to have been quite a wet year. 
I had quite a disappointment this year, I’m normally able to supply all the vegetables necessary for the table at Christmas and the fact that only the turkey I haven’t produced myself always feels quite an achievement – sadly this year has not been the best. The leeks have done remarkably well and it’s also been a good year for potatoes, but my brussels have been slow to fill out and I have quite a few that have burst open before making size, and I only have  a couple of swedes worth taking home. I have a few parsnips but none of which you’d want to enter into a show LOL! I have some carrots left in but sadly most of those have been attacked by the carrot fly. I do have a few winter cabbage but that’s about it for Christmas, not the abundance I usually have ….. the sad thing is I don’t really know where I’ve gone wrong. 
Luckily we have plenty put by in the freezer, looking back at the year it’s not been the best however I had the biggest crop of broad beans I’ve ever had ….. magnificent and they’re all in the freezer to be enjoyed throughout the year. I had a good crop of onions also and as usual to keep us going till just after Christmas. My French beans were good, runners not quite so good, and sadly I only managed about half the sweetcorn crop that I’m used to. Peas this year unfortunately were a total disaster between pigeons and flea beetle they didn’t stand a chance. Lots of lessons for next year.
There isn’t anything to sow in the garden this month, however I normally set my onion seeds off between Christmas and New Year in a tray on my spare room windowsill. Clingfilm over the top of the tray helps to aid germination. 
Check over all your garden tools in the shed to make sure that they are safe and fit to use next season. Clean and wipe down all wooden handles with linseed oil, it not only preserves the wood but makes the wood easier on the hands. Check for pests and diseases on any produce in store especially for rat and mouse damage ….. set traps to catch them if you have to.
And of course the most important thing is to have a great Christmas, and I wish you all the best for the New Year.
Richard Thorpe plot 15 B