Review of 2012

Well, it's the last day of 2012. Like my blog, it feels as though this year never really got started. For a variety of reasons it's been a difficult year, none more so than at the allotment. It certainly started brightly but 2012 will go down as the wettest and probably dullest year on record and the crops suffered as a result. It has definitely been the worst year I have experienced in terms of growing conditions and poor harvests. As the year progressed it simply became a case of making the best of a bad situation and harvesting what I could.

In terms of yield and crop quality I have really struggled. The only saving grace is that I have still managed to produce some edible crops throughout the year and have generally faired better than other plotholders on my site. This isn't meant to be a case of one-upmanship but a statement of fact . What became apparent is that, as conditions remained poor, those poeple with a bit more knowledge and experience could still make things happen whereas many other people lost crops and simply gave up. I have never seen so many bare or weedy plots so early in the year and I trust these plotholders will put it down to experience and return for another go in 2013. I'm certain that this year will have put some people off but not me. Optimism prevails and I can already feel that 'something' in the air as I look forward to the first sowings of the new growing season.

I thought it would be interesting to look back on 2012 and chart my progress (or lack of) across the year.

January
A very quiet month. Not much happened at the plot to note other than the odd visit, some pruning and tidying and preparation for the growing season ahead. Bought seed potatoes at local potato day towards month end.

February
Started with quite a cold period and a heavy fall of snow. The site always looks beautiful in a blanket of white. This soon melted and the month became much milder, heralding a very early start to spring.


Allotment in snow - Feb 2012

March
An exceptionally warm and sunny month. Spring arrived early and the soil was bone dry after several months with below average rainfall. Talk on the site was that the warm weather had come too soon and we were all worried that nature would provide a backlash. Not daft these allotment folk!

April
Generally cold and very wet. The blossom got battered, seedlings sulked, the soil turned wet and cold and nothing wanted to grow. Things already in the ground or transplants did ok in the wet weather but direct sown seeds failed to germinate en masse.


Potatoes planted - note the very dry soil April 2012

Onions and garlic making their move - April 2012

Pear Beth in full blossom - later to be damaged by frost April 2012

Bee doing its thing on a rare sunny day April 2012

May
Apart from one very hot week it was also a cool and wet month. Things obviously progressed but, with poor light levels, many of the summer crops were really starting to struggle and becoming etiolated. Still very few seeds germinating in the cold wet ground and huge numbers of slugs and snails to hoover up whatever tried to grow.

Baby gooseberries make nice jam! May 2012

Potatoes pushing on - May 2012

Onions and garlic growing strong - May 2012

June
The wettest June on record and the poor growing conditions were a real setback to progress on the plot. June is usually a transition month - it can start off cool but by month end it is definitely summer. This year it remained cool and wet with very low light levels. Plants did not flourish and there was no spurt of growth. A wasted month at a very important time in the allotment calendar.


A sea of spuds! June 2012

July
Still not much improvement, although nowhere near as wet as June. By month end the dreaded blight had struck and all my tomatoes were wiped out in a weekend. It also spread to the potatoes but these were salvaged by cutting off the foliage and leaving the tubers in the ground for a couple of weeks. Some soft fruits were ready but the taste was bland with all the rain and lack of sunshine. The first apples were ready at the very end of the month - Beauty of Bath - but again these did not have a great flavour. I was succeeding in my quest to grow a melon. It was relatively sheltered from the poor conditions in my cold frame and things were looking promising. I was struggling to get enough male flowers to pollinate the few females but it was still early.

Total potato coverage July 2012

A meagre harvest July 2012

Beauty of Bath apples looking good July 2012

August
Things were miles behind by this stage and it was obvious that there would be a very poor return on my investment in my summer crops. By now I should have been harvesting buckets of beans, tomatoes and courgettes. In reality I was cropping some beans and the odd courgette and no tomatoes. I did have a good crop of onions which were lifted and dried in the shed. These lasted well into November and at the time of writing I still have shallots and garlic in store. The potato harvest was ok but they were riddled with slug holes. I still have some roosters and picasso in storage and they are ok but a lot is lost when preparing them to removing holes and black tunnels caused by slugs. Blackcurrant harvest was moderate but produced enough for a stunning batch of jam. Gooseberries suffered from mildew and there was no harvest as a result. Mr blackbird got my redcurrants but I wasn't that bothered as I still have some frozen from last year's bumper crop. The melon was starting to produce more flowers and it looked like I'd managed to pollinate a few. I had never progressed beyond this stage with a melon so it was somewhat ironic that I was managing to succeed during possibly the worst year to try and grow this tropical fruit!

September
Not actually a bad month with some warm sunshine to start helping the harvest of courgettes and beans along. In did turn a bit cooler at night though and it was noticeably the start of autumn as leaves started to colour early. The apple harvest from some trees was good - lord lambourne and rev wilkes - but others gave me nothing and I had one pear from three trees. I also ended up with no greengages and one lone denniston's superb plum. A range of winter and spring brassicas followed the potato crop with high hopes for healthy greens to fill next year's hungry gap. The sprouts were also progressing well and the desire to at least grow something for my Christmas dinner was to be accomplished.

A melon next to a blackberry! September 2012

In reality it tasted bland - September 2012

Courgette doing its thing 2 months too late - September 2012



A lonesome pear - September 2012

My new pride and joy - September 2012

2012 had been the worst year I have experienced for certain crops and by this month the optimism had gone. In calculating my harvest I managed only one squash, no sweetcorn, no beetroot, no totmatoes, only a few cucumbers after the third sowing in July, no peppers or chillies, no carrots, parsnips, salsify or swede and no celery.

October
Putting the plot to bed now. It was obvious that the grapes would not ripen. A few apples continued with the bramley offering an ok return. They were in poor condition though with scab, bitter pit and general markings both outside and in. They did not keep or store well so the last few were turned into chutney. The ashmead's kernel carried one gnarled fruit and the laxton superb had a fallow year. The first frosts of the year killed off the courgette, bean and squash plants. Because the ground was saturated I started off my winter onions and garlic in modules under cover. There is some green showing already and I'll nurture them indoors until February or March depending on conditions at the time.

November
A very quiet time on the plot. Some general tidying and clearing for the annual burn-up on November 5th. Brassicas continued to grow well and the leeks were healthy if still a bit small to harvest. I acquired a greenhouse frame which will be my winter project. Much of the glass was damaged and so I removed this and transported the frame to my plot. Unfortunatey a greenhouse derives most of its strength from the glass. With this missing it collapsed in a heap after a gale and will need rebuiling in the New Year. A cool, wet month generally.

A frosty morning November 2012

Still standing November 2012

Icewine anyone? November 2012

December
The last month of 2012 started cold and frosty but soon became milder and wetter again. The garden is in stasis now - nothing grows, nothing rots, as if the plot is in suspended animation. The water butts are full and overflowing and the ground is too wet to work. I have some mushroom compost to spread but I'm glad I haven't found the time to do it yet as much of the goodness would have been leached away by the incessant rain. A good job for early 2013. Sprouts picked for Christmas, still some spuds and shallots in store, some summer crops preserved as jams and chutneys to see me through the winter. I have seed catalogues in hand and I'm trying my best to squeeze in a few more fruit trees. I'm thinking another row of cordons for Christmas Pippin, Scrumptious and Pitmasten Pineapple apples and a Concorde pear. I have also rescued an Eggremont Russet apple which I think will make a great step-over with a bit of careful pruning.


Oops! December 2012

Happy Christmas December 2012

It may be deep winter outside but my sap is rising and I'm looking forward to the challenge of 2013. I'll eat my hat if next year is worse than this and I'm already thinking where I can plant my celery, which chilli pepper to grow and whether I should try tomatillos again...

Best wishes for 2013!

Mid summer update

It's about time for an update given that my last post was towards the end of May. At that stage I was just about looking forward to our first seriously nice period of warm and dry weather since March. It was a stunning week or so, during which we took advantage with a quick weekend trip to Cardigan Bay, but since early June the weather has been atrocious.

It was the wettest June on record, the wettest April-June period ever, and July hasn't fared much better with cool, grey wet days and also some cool nights. Now this is supposed to be a blog about my allotment and not a grumble about the weather, but the poor weather over the last three and a bit months has had a serious impact on the productivity of the plot.

In terms of the winners, my fruit trees have loved the extra moisture and those that set fruit after the late frosts are carrying a very heavy crop. Some apples are already enormous and there has been a minimal June drop as the trees probably feel they can carry more fruit than normal thanks to the constant rain. I will do some manual thinning of these fruits to ensure higher quality - I also don't want the trees to exhaust themselves this year and produce nothing next year.

The salads and legumes have appreciated the cooler conditions with a good crop of peas and broad beans and some really good little gem lettuce. Often the lettuces bolt - or run to seed - at this time of year due to heat and drought stress. No signs of bolting thus far and really good, solid hearts make for tasty teatime salads.

The brassicas have also done really well with strong plants of calabrese, mini caulis and my sprouts all progressing nicely with the cool and damp conditions. Netted against pigeon attack they should start providing a crop soon.

The downsides have been numerous. I've lost two cucumbers due to rotting off so it will be a while before I get anything from the third attempt. The courgettes have sat and sulked and the squash is growing lush foliage but no signs of flowers. The tomatoes in the polytunnel are finally moving now but they are about three weeks behind in terms of cropping potential - I do not expect to harvest a ripe tomato until well into August. The sweetcorn has been bashed by the wind and rain and is half the size it should be, although I do anticipate a crop of sorts, which is better than some of my fellow gardeners who have lost the lot.

One of the biggest problems has been getting seeds to germinate and flourish. I've tried with parsnips, carrots, swede and beetroot on numerous occasions and have failed miserably. I think it's been a combination of poor germination weather and then a huge number of slugs to munch anything that has raised its head above soil level. There is still time - and therefore hope - for a late sowing of carrots and beetroot but it's been a dreadfully poor year so far for the roots.

The final moan is the disappointing taste to the raspberries and strawberries. They are now ripening in profusion but taste bland and almost sour. They are good tasting varieties as I selected them to be so... I can only assume the lack of sunshine means fruit is colouring up but not actually ripening with any sweetness. The grape crop may suffer the same fate unless the end of July, August and September improve markedly in sunlight and temperature.

Moaning aside, here are a few pictures taken recently.

The first tomato flowers in the poly

Baby bunches of Pinot Noir - now add sunshine! 

Garlic crop drying in the shed - lifted early due to rust

Sweetcorn and squash (still protected)

Strange yellow ball in the sky!

Something strange has appeared in the sky. I think I recognise it but it's been so long... Yes, the sunshine has returned, and what a sight to behold! May has been generally cold and grey, so it was a surprise to see some semblance of a warm-up on Sunday followed by two really quite warm and sunny days. The forecast is set fair until at least Sunday - what a difference a week makes.

Looking at the plot it appears the weeds have grown in profusion but many of my seedlings have failed to germinate. It was wet in early May but it's been cool, dry and windy since (current weather excepted) and the soil has capped on the surface. This seems to have had an impact on the germination success of everything from salads to root crops to legumes by creating an impenetrable barrier. Parsnips and salsify are a no-show, there's not much to report from two rows of carrots and as yet I cannot see the emergence of any beetroot. There are a few peas trying hard to poke their heads through the surface cap of soil but that's about it.

The main vegetable interest comes from those seeds I had earlier sown undercover and then transplanted on the plot. Peas and broad beans are moving now, the little gem lettuce is starting to heart up and the giant (I hope) onions are starting to kick on. I also have a few plants of calabrese and cauliflower - these I sow little and often so I can transplant a few at a time throughout the growing season to avoid a glut. All the spuds are well through their ridges now and will soon need earthing up, although I'm certain there won't be a crop until July at the earliest.

In a couple of weeks the plot will green up further once the summer transplants are set. I have sweetcorn, various squashes, courgettes and assorted beans relishing the warm weather in my glasshouse but I'll wait until June before they go in. It's always tempting to get them in when it first gets warm but I think they'll be happier being protected for a few more weeks yet until the nights are consistently warmer. Outdoor tomatoes can also wait and the cucumber and melon won't go out until nearer the longest day.

Speaking of tomatoes, I'm really disappointed this year. I had been growing a large number of different varieties but it's been so cool and grey that they have become long, drawn and very spindly. I decided to try and pot-on and fatten-up the best (or should that be least worst?) of them and binned the rest. I always grow too many so it might not be such a bad thing. Again I expect the crop to be delayed as they're nowhere near ready, even for the polytunnel.

The soft fruit seems consistently good from a cursory glance amongst the foliage of the gooseberries and currants. The raspberries seem a couple of weeks behind where they were last year, when I was picking them from about mid June, but they have flower buds and they're progressing ok. They'll certainly be worth the wait and I think fresh raspberries are probably my favourite soft fruit, although don't tell my new strawberry plants :-)

A month to forget

No post for a month pretty much sums up April in a nutshell. Weather-wise it was a rotten month here in Nottingham - cold, wet and often windy and a real shock to the system. If March brought us June's weather a season too early, April took us straight back to February and the weather has really played havoc with the allotment.

It was a rubbish month for me as I spent most of it either getting ill, being very ill, before then recuperating very slowly. An unshakeable cold and cough at the end of March turned into pneumonia by Easter and thereafter followed a period of time feeling distinctly unwell and popping some pretty strong tablets to try and clear away the infection. It actually didn't take too long for them to have a positive effect but it did take an age for me to feel well again and I am only now getting my energy levels back. As a fit, healthy man in his mid thirties I can now see why it can be a very serious illness for anyone with underlying frailty.

Back to the plot, the cold weather has meant I've not fallen as far behind as I feared due to my enforced inactivity. Nothing has really moved on from where it was at the end of March. The apple blossom has opened but bee activity has been limited to the occasional sunny day and I will soon be able to assess the impact on the potential fruit crop this autumn - my fear being that it will not be great year for my apples and pears. The combination of cold wind and lashing rain does not promote a good fruit set and, if I were a bee, I'd have spent April firmly in my hive!

The other downside to the cold weather, and in particular the chilly nights, has been the lack of potential to harden off the tender crops. I have some healthy, if a little spindly, tomato and pepper plants that I dare not put into the cold greenhouse and so they sit on my windowsill longing for some sun and warmth. It is only this weekend that I have started my various beans, squashes, cucumbers and melons as I have no space for them indoors and it's just been too cold for them to germinate outside even with protection.

Grumbling aside, some crops are progressing ok and have benfitted from the high rainfall. The onions, garlic and shallots are now looking strong and sturdy and the early peas and bean transplants are healthy. It also looks like the soft fruit (gooseberries, redcurrants and blackcurrants) are carrying a good crop and they appear to enjoy the cooler and wetter conditions more than the top fruit. A few potato haulms are also poking through the ridges I created when they were first planted. Late frosts aside they should now grow apace and I hope to be harvesting the first crop some time towards the end of June.

So that was April in a nutshell, a month with very little input on the allotment due to ill health and poor weather. May has started cool and wet but the days are noticeably longer and I am hoping for better things as the month progresses. As an optimist I can see the benefits of the rainfall, with the ground now well charged and my four waterbutts full to overflowing. This bodes well for when the hotter weather eventually arrives. I am also a beliver that nature has a way of balancing things out. We really needed the rain, and it has come in bucketfuls. Fingers crossed the sun shines kindly when we want it in summer, with warm evenings, gentle breezes and occasional overnight rain to provide optimal growing conditions and prevent a return to drought conditions. We can but dream!

Too soon?

After some stunningly glorious March weather, with wall to wall sunshine and temperatures miles above average for the time of year, I'm getting a bit concerned about the possible April backlash. Nature has a way of evening things out and it is highly likely we'll be shivering rather than sunbathing over the Easter weekend. We could certainly do with some rain, but cold and frosty (and snowy?) weather could have a devastating impact on the allotment.

The problem is that the generally mild winter and recent very warm weather means the fruit trees and bushes are so far advanced to the point where the blossom is already about to burst. This will be a lovely sight but a couple of sharp frosts could do for the whole potential fruit harvest later in the year. It may also check the seedlings that are sprouting in the greenhouse and polytunnel. I'm less concerned about the seedlings as they could easily be replaced. The fruit, on the otherhand, has one chance to flower, be pollinated and set for the year. Fingers crossed the cooling trend means the flowers will stay tightly closed and not appear again until the risk of frost has passed. It may be too late for some of the early flowering plums but I hope the apples and pears hold on a few weeks more. If the blossom does appear and is not damaged by frost, there's still the risk of damp and cold weather impacting on bee activity and pollination may suffer. It will be a testing few weeks to come...

I sowed some tomatoes and peppers on Monday and was surprised to see action by Friday. It always amazes me how viable seed simply wants to grow given the right conditions. I have Sungold, Apero, San Marzano, Tigerella and Golden Sunrise all showing now with only San Pedro (bought from Lanzarote about three years ago) reluctant to germinate. If the weather does turn cold for a while I may start to struggle as they'll have to stay indoors for longer than I had hoped. These were supposed to be passed on to the polytunnel at the plot to make way for the second batch of tomatoes and other tender crops. As my wife tells me every year, I may have started them off too soon!

A busy weekend in the garden at home and on the allotment.

Seed Sowing
To be honest I'm probably a bit behind where I'd like to be at this stage in the year. Saturday saw me attempt to make amends by planting crimson flowered and 'Stereo' broad beans and purple podded and 'Kelvedon Wonder' peas. I hope the respective purple types do well as they are from seed I saved from heritage varieties grown last year. I made a conscious decision to try and save seed from them to help expand their stock and will pass some on to fellow allotment holders. Last year I also saved runner, French and Borlotti bean seeds from the most productive plants and also saved the seeds from a couple of salsify and scorzonera flowers. Time will tell if this is good practice or a false economy.

I made a start with some longer-term crops by sowing the first batch of Musselburgh leeks. My experience with leeks over the past couple of years is as follows: sown too late, transplanted too late = weedy leeks. This year I hope to do two batches: one now for planting out in June; and another later in spring for planting later in summer time. Hopefully that will spread the crop with some ready early winter and others standing in the ground until next spring.

The final seed was some lettuce 'Little Gem' sown indoors. They'll be pricked out when large enough, grown on singly and then planted in the cold frame for the earliest crop I can achieve. Later sowings will go direct into the ground once it has warmed sufficiently in April.

Potatoes are chitting nicely in the attic. This year I have Juliette, which I have grown for the past two years instead of the similar Charlotte. Juliette produces yellow, waxy, kidney shaped tubers in profusion and they are very tasty. I am also trying Rooster and Picasso maincrop potatoes to see if I can store enough to keep us going over the winter. Already in pots in the polytunnel I have Anya. These are really tasty as baby new potatoes and will be ready just before I start digging the Juliettes from the open ground.

Down at the plot
This weekend was one of hard graft and labour. The main job was to expand the growing space by shifting round some paving flags and relaying a path. I broke the back of the job on Saturday with the hard landscaping. Today I was required to dig the newly reclaimed area over, which was less straightforward than anticipated due to the heavy overnight rain. Eventually I got the job done and I transplanted two fruit trees (Denniston's Superb gage and Morello cherry) from large pots into the open ground. I had wanted to keep them in pots just in case I ever move on. However, when in full leaf they require daily watering and it's a job I can do without. They have gone into the open ground in very good soil and with a good mulch of well rotted manure. Any fruit this year will be a bonus but I hope they get well established and provide a crop for years to come. I've not yet decided if the remaining ground I've cleared will be the home for my Rooster potatoes or the courgette and pumpkin patch. The soil is good, the area large and it will suit either crop well. Decisions, decisions...

I'm back!

After a silence of over two years I have been inspired to start writing again. I'm not quite sure why I stopped updating the blog with progress down at the plot. I'm pretty sure a lack of time was an early factor as I changed jobs and found I was spending 2 hours + each day sat in a car travelling up and down the M1. I guess after a period of time it then became a bit tricky to work out how best to start writing again. What will be the route back in? How do I account for the gap? Does anyone actually care?

I think the answer to this last question has been a key factor in my desire to start posting again. Whilst I'm sure someone out there might occasionally stumble on this blog, equally my words may go unread forever. I can live with that, because I've realised that the major beneficiary of my writing is actually me!

I'll try and elaborate on that.

I would love the idea of many people following this blog, sharing my experiences of allotment gardening and becoming inspired to do the same. Being somewhat more realistic, the occasional visitor flicking through my posts and enjoying what they read is a more likely outcome.

However, re-reading my blog from start to finish has enabled me to relive many moments which may otherwise have been forgotten. Little events at the allotment which, at the time, did not seem overly significant but have been recorded forever in history and help to create fond memories of time and place. I guess the fact that I'm becoming ever more forgetful (probably age-related!) means the opportunity to record my thoughts and the feelings they create is not to be missed.

Through my posting I will give myself the chance to reflect on past experiences. I will look back with a rueful and knowing smile at my previous naivety, curse the pigeons and slugs, or cherish the feelings of the seasons' first harvest of new potatoes.

If someone is reading and my words make them smile or simply help cheer their otherwise disappointing day, I will be over the moon. If I am merely recording my thoughts for future personal review, I can live with that too!

So, my commitment is to post regularly and to record my plot's progress in both words and pictures. Over the past two years my allotment has been a constant whilst a myriad of personal and professional things have changed around me. The pleasure I derive from growing vegetables and fruit at Woodthorpe is something I feel privileged to share with whoever wants to listen :-)