New season starts here...

Just before Christmas, I received a package of live plants in the post.  They were my gooseberry bushes.  This was really bad timing as the whole of the country was in the tight grip of winter with deep snow and freezing temperatures. 

Between Christmas and new year winter seemed to loosen its grip and this brought on a spell of hope for the coming year.  The days were already getting longer, the birds where beginning to flirt and the new yellow flowers of the broom were beginning to emerge.

I made a list of things to do, donned my new Christmas wellingtons and set off for the allotment.

GOOSEBERRIES - I dug three holes as deep as I could but hit clay and rock quite quickly so don’t know if they will grow or not but my philosophy is to shove them in and see what happens.  I put a bit of well rotted manure in the bottom of each hole and placed each of the plants in and filled and firmed the soil around them.  I have planted three varieties, a green one, a yellow one and a red one.

Gooseberry bush 1

Gooseberry bush 2

Gooseberry bush 3

MUSHROOMS – Again the delivery of the mushrooms was bad timing as winter was just starting but didn’t really like the idea of them festering in the back of the fridge so again decided to plant them and see what happens.  I filled a large tub with the well rotted horse manure then sprinkled the spawn covered wheat kernels over the top.  Put over another covering of manure and firmed down to compact the manure.  The instructions stated that you should use sterile manure or the creatures will eat all the mushrooms.  I think I am going to have some happy little creatures living in my shed for the next 12 moths.  I finally placed a sheet of corrugated cardboard over the top and slid into a dark corner of the shed.  Wait to see if anything happens when weather gets warmer.

BROAD BEANS -  I have decided to start off some broad beans early this year.  Me and my allotment neighbour did not grow then as we normally do in the autumn as last year they got severely damaged in the winter weather of last spring.  I dug over and weeded the sticky mud where they will eventually be planted and placed a cloche over to dry and warm the soil as much as possible.  Back at home I now sown some beans in a tray of modules and placed of the kitchen window sill.

While at the allotment I also pulled up all the brussel sprout plants.  Ended up buying them from the shop anyway as they were no good.  I don’t like them so won’t bother with these next year.

I also covered the rhubarb with a box so it can be forced.  Personally I hate rhubarb.

Another job I must do up there on my next visit and didn’t have time for, is to cover my kale with netting as the pigeons have stripped the little plants bare.