As we move through Autumn there is less and less to do on the allotment.
The summer plants have all finished and been removed to the compost pile, the over wintering brassicas are all in and looking healthy.
The overwintering onions and garlic have been in for about six weeks. The onions are showing strongly, with about three to four inches of growth on the white onions and one to two on the red.
No sign of any life from the garlic as yet, neither the purpose bought stuff or the jumbo ones from the supermarket. That seems to be the same with everyone else on the allotment though, so I am not too worried at the moment.
The perpetual spinach is still performing strongly, as is the chard. I am hoping to be able to keep harvesting from these until Christmas.
I have had a first harvest of leaves from the purple kale which I planted out in early August, the plants are growing strongly and should have no problems in surviving the cold.
The Brussels planted at the same time are still causing me some worry - there are plenty of leaves and the plants themselves look strong, but there is no sign of any sprouts forming on most of the plants as yet. I hope that I can get something off them for Christmas day - that would be really nice.
The rhubarb is finally starting to die back - recent frosts overnight seem to have done the job - so once the rhubarb bed near to the pond is completed they can be transplanted once they have gone completely dormant.
I am still having major problems with the lack of drainage on the top half of my plot - most of it is very sodden with standing water and lots of mud on the surface.
It looks like the drainage channels that I dug have been partly successful as the neighbouring plots and communal areas that used to be waterlogged are now pretty dry, so the water from them has apparently drained into my plot. The solution appears to be just carry on with more of the same, and make the channels already dug deeper and a bit wider.
Another plot holder has arranged for a mini digger for the afternoon to help him to turn over his plot as it is completely full of tree roots, making hand digging almost impossible.
Once his plot has been done the digger is going to deepen the drain through the orchard area away from my plot, and will then dig channels through my plot to meet them.
The orchard drain will simply have a length of perforated drainage pipe laid at the bottom and then be back filled.
My drain will have a 3" layer of 3/4 stone under a drainage pipe, with the rest of the trench being filled with 3/4 stone. As the majority of the drains will be under flagged paths I am hoping that this won't cause me too many problems with my planting next year and that it sorts out my water logging problem.
If it doesn't, I really don't know what else to try.
On a more positive note, we spend most of yesterday afternoon digging over bed 7 which had been getting a bit swamped with grass, and mixing the soil well with manure from the larger of the two piles.
Once finished this will be where I plant my bare-rooted strawberries for them to over-winter as I couldn't put them where I intend them to live permanently as it is currently too wet.
I have eighteen plants - six each of Malwina, Mae and Elegance. They are supposed to crop at different times through the season, so I am hoping to have a succession of strawberries all summer long next year.
I have also got started on moving the first manure pile as I want to put a couple more raised beds where it is now - my son Will did a grand job in shifting loads of it for me, and with very little complaining about the smell (then again, it is now quite well rotted and lovely stuff) and there is now nearly enough space to drop frames for raised beds 10 and 11 down.
When I stop to look at what we have achieved so far, I am quite proud of my little plot. Once the water problem is sorted out there will be no stopping us!
Early November On the Allotment - Video Update
Not much happening down at the plot recently, so I took the opportunity to make a short video update last Sunday.
Hope you enjoy watching.
Hope you enjoy watching.
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