Wet Winter Woes

It’s all a bit soggy and claggy

Well, it hasn’t been much of a winter so far – I have now probably guaranteed 6ft of snow until April by writing this ‘out loud’!

Here in East Anglia, I have rarely had to de-ice the car to get to work and it has all been rather mild, but wet.

Many people will be pleased to avoid a freezing cold winter. However, I confess that I prefer it if we get defined seasons and I think that deep frosts do the allotment no end of good, as they kill the bugs and break up the soil for spring.

But despite the rain, work has continued and below are some of the things I have been up to:

As the main sowing and planting season approaches, I must confess I am already a bit behind in getting my onions and garlic sets planted. However, I am not too worried, as they may well have rotted in the ground by now.

Last year I didn’t plant them until February and had an excellent harvest! How is everyone in Veg Planting Land faring with their onion and garlic planting?

I have finished my planting plan and found a good source of manure to put on the beds that need it.

We have had enough dry days for me to have been working hard on the plot - digging up finished crops, preparing the beds for the growing season and doing some general tidying up.

In these conditions it is especially important to keep your tools clean and oiled and it is also a good time to get your pots and plant labels cleaned.

I am still harvesting swede, Brussels sprouts (not just for Christmas), celeriac and rocket – I sow a wild rocket, which carries on growing through the seasons.

I have also just put my seed potatoes in egg boxes on the window sill to chit.

Well the rain is lashing against the window today, so think I will make some warming leek and potato soup – using home grown veg which always seem to taste so much better than any you buy!