Such a perfect day

In an orchard with quite a view
Then later made jam for you
And then home

A few months ago a very nice couple bought some strawberry jam from my Auntie Allie stall and mentioned that they have some plums trees. They said they can never harvest all of them and would I like to have some when they ripened.

That would be a resounding “yes please”.

I got a call to say they were ready and so Dad and I headed out there with our full plum picking kit which, as it was a very sunny day, included hats, water, sticks with a hooked end to pull branches towards us without damaging them and crates for putting the plums in.

We turned up at the address, which turned out to be a lovely farmhouse where we met their very friendly Staffie dog.

These poor dogs have gained a terrible reputation, but from working at an animal rescue centre I just know them as very loving animals, who really struggle in the kennels because they crave human company. In fact, many people refer to them as ‘Nanny dogs’, as they are seen as being very suitable pets for families to have. Of course, as with all animals, it is nearly always about how they are raised and treated, but I digress from my perfect day!

It was then a short walk down a farmhouse track to the orchard – a bit more than just a few trees then. The orchard was created in the 1920s and included many varieties of plums including Blue Tsars, Victoria and Greengages.

We were there for the Blue Tsars, as the Victoria and Greengages aren't quite ready yet.

The trees were dripping with fruit. Blue Tsars are a variety I haven’t tried before and they are yummy. However, the key with fruit picking is to collect more than you eat!

There were quite a few wasps around, attracted by this fruity bounty, but I found that if I just kept calm and out of their way, they were happy enough to share.

Oh and this was the view from the orchard – not bad!

Once we had filled a couple of crates, Dad and I headed back to the farmhouse where we were treated to homemade scones, with homemade jam. Theirs is a kitchen that sits at the heart of the home, and they even have a Rayburn range cooker in the corner.

Although I could have moved in permanently, we did eventually leave with our haul. There was no cash payment made, instead I left them with a jar of homemade jam and chutney (not plum flavour) along with some salad and vegetables from the allotment.

I then decided to take full advantage of the sunny day, by heading up to the allotment.

They are also looking fabulous at this time of year and this was my afternoon view, which isn't bad either.

This is harvest time on the plot as well and my bounty included raspberries, lettuce, spring onions carrots, green beans and of course courgettes!

You can always tell someone who is new to veg growing, when they turn up at the allotments with ten little courgette plants for their plot. If you suffer with having too many courgettes, then here is a blog I wrote earlier http://auntieallieproduce.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/the-courgette-conundrum.html but again I digress...

The final part of my day was starting to make delicious stuff with the plums – there were so many, that I spent the next couple of days making various jams and chutneys for the Auntie Allie stall, oh and friends and family as well.

I have made a couple of batches of plum and cinnamon jam, some plum and apricot (also home grown) jam and finally a spicy plum chutney.

So this is the recipe for Auntie Allie’s perfect day - A farmhouse, a dog, an orchard, meeting nice people, working at my allotment, harvesting produce and making stuff from it.

This growing your own and making your own lifestyle is not an easy one, but it is one that soothes the soul, which is why I would love the opportunity to do it full time!

Feel free to contact me if you would like to help make the dream a reality – there will be a jar or two of homemade jam and chutney in it for you!

Step away from the rhubarb

That’s it, rhubarb harvesting season is over…

 … well, so my Mum says, but there are a few schools of thought on this issue.

The folklore is that you should stop pulling rhubarb on June 24^th, as this is the date the devil goes into it. This seems a very precise date, and with all the rhubarb growing, in the UK alone, he is going to be spread very thin!

However, like many of these stories, there may well be some sensible reasoning behind it. Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid, which is poisonous if consumed and an irritant if it is contact with your skin for an extended period of time. Over the course of the season this acid is said to start to travel down the stems, so it makes sense not to pull it too late. 

The general consensus is that the harvesting period is between May and July/August. However, I am not one to argue with my Mum, so no more rhubarb for me this year.

Thankfully, it has been a good year for this vegetable in my area, so I have plenty of yummy rhubarb chutney and rhubarb and ginger jam in stock. This is very fortunate as they are both very popular on the Auntie Allie market stall and in the Auntie Allie house.

If you don’t grow rhubarb already, then I can recommend it as an easy to grow, easy to maintain crop with lots of uses.

How I planted mine

I got mine from a fellow allotmenteer who was ready to divide his. Rhubarb crowns (the name for the plant which is over a year old) should be divided every 5 – 6 years and when the plant is lying dormant in the winter. You use a spade to cut it into three or four parts. It seems like a very destructive thing to do, but rhubarb is very, very tough – which anyone who has tried to get rid of it will know. 

You just need to make sure that each of the pieces has a large bud to provide the shoots for the following year.

I then dug a hole a bit bigger than the new crown, placed a load of alpaca poo in the bottom, then the rhubarb crown on top of that. I then firmed it in and watered well.

Harvesting

Now you need to show some patience, as your new rhubarb will thank you for leaving it be for a year to become established. In year two, it is worth showing a little restraint and then from year three you can harvest away, although don’t pull more than half of the plant at a time.

Pulling, is exactly the right term to describe how you should harvest your rhubarb. Reach down to the base of the stalk, give a slight twist and then gently pull, don’t cut it. Trim off the leaves, which are fine to go in your compost bin. I have also heard of some people using them as a weed suppressant, but I haven’t tried that yet to say whether it works or not.

Over winter care

The plant will start to die back naturally, but for the winter you should make sure the stalks are removed, as it is important to expose the crown to any winter frosts we hopefully get to experience. I also give the crown a good helping of more alpaca manure, which certainly seems to ensure a very good crop.

Cooking with Rhubarb

Rhubarb and ginger jam is very popular. Less well known, but very yummy is rhubarb chutney, which is definitely one I like to keep in my stores cupboard.

Rhubarb crumble is a firm favourite and is the pudding of choice for many a family roast dinner.

For the more exotic tastes you can try making a rhubarb and custard cocktail, rhubarb and ginger syllabub or you can always just stew it.

Au revoir rhubarb, until 2016...

I Have Just Enjoyed a Very Dirty Weekend…

...putting manure on the allotment

In the days when most families kept a milk cow or chickens, animal manure was commonly used as a garden fertilizer. But with changes in food production methods and the advent of artificial fertilizers, many gardeners stopped using it.

Fortunately, many organic growers have re-discovered the benefits of manure as a fertilizer, soil conditioner and compost ingredient.

The reason that manure is referred to as ‘black gold’ is that it is such a prime source of N-P-K which is the value given to fertilizers, whether they be man-made or organic. This doesn't stand for Nitrogen per Kilogram or Nice Plot Kisses, but refers to the content of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K), which are so beneficial to the health of plants. The N-P-K number is useful but, for example, chemical fertilizers will usually have a higher N-P-K rating, but don’t have the organic matter which natural manures contain.

Manure also contains a lot of humus, which is not a chickpea dip originating in the Middle East, but rather a bulky, fibrous material that comes from plant fibres and animal remains. Humus effectively supplies food for plants, preserves moisture in the soil in dry spells, gives good drainage in wet times and stores nitrogen in the soil.

So animal manure is a great way to improve the condition and nutrional value of the soil and as many organic gardeners say ‘Feed the soil, not the plant’

You can buy composted manure from garden centres and it can be used straight on your garden.  However, this is rather an expensive option, especially if you have an allotment or large vegetable patch.

My preference is to source fresh manure.But don't just go to your local farm or stables, get sack fulls of manure and put it straight onto your plot, or it could end up causing you a whole host of problems.

Things to consider include:

• Type of manure
• Time of year
• What crops you want to grow

The N-P-K numbers given below are given are just a guide as they are affected by type of bedding used, age and diet of the animal

Horse Manure: 0.7-0.3-0.6

This is a ‘hot manure’, which means that if you put it straight on your veg it will burn it.

It is not as rich as chicken manure, but obviously you get a lot more of it and it should be reasonably easy to get hold of from your local stables.

The best type of horse manure is from stables using straw bedding, but you can also use it if the animals have been on wood shavings.

Horse manure can contain a lot of weed seeds, which you can kill off by hot composting before putting it on your beds. You should also think about the stables you get it from; there are tales of allotments getting horse manure when the horses have been on a lot of medication, which has killed or damaged crops.

Cow (dairy) Manure: 0.6-0.2-0.5

It may be lower in nutrients, but is considered by many to be the best soil-builder option. It is an excellent source of humus. Some gardeners have said that it is a little wet for heavily clay based soils.

You will obviously need to contact your local farmer to see if they will spare you any of their cow manure.

Chicken Manure: 1.1-8.0-5.0

As you can see this is very rich in nutrients and is another ‘hot manure’. The quantities you get are likely to be a lot smaller, which makes it very useful as a compost activator.  The best source of chicken poo is your own flock, or a local free-range farm.

If you know any pigeon fanciers in your area, then you may want to speak to them about getting hold of some pigeon poo, which has been prized by gardeners since the middle ages, as it is also very rich in nutrients.

Sheep & Goat Manure: 0.7-0.3-0.9

This is another type of ‘hot manure' which will need to rot down before you can use it.  It has a higher nutrional value than horse or cow manure and is a little pleasanter to handle. The small pellets mean that it breaks down a lot quicker. As it is very dry, you may want to use the pellets in a liquid fertilizer.

You are likely to have to collect it yourself with the permission of the landowner. However, if they have sheep or goats inside for the winter or birthing, then you may be to get hold of bags of manure which will also contain urine soaked straw, which will give even higher nitrogen levels.

Pig Manure: 0.5-0.3-0.5

Is very stinky stuff, so your neighbours may not appreciate you using it!

It doesn't contain much organic matter, so either needs to be full of straw from the bedding, or just added in small quantities to your compost heap to rot down.

Rabbit Manure: 2.4-1.4-0.6

As you can see rabbit manure is high in nutrients, especially nitrogen, but again only available in small amounts, so best used as a compost activator.

Alpaca Manure: 1.5-0.2-1.1

The Auntie Allie manure of choice!

I am lucky enough to have a source of alpaca manure. It is not a ‘hot manure', so can be spread straight onto your plot without risk of ‘burning’ your crop and the alpacas 3 stomach digestive system means that it doesn't contain weed seeds. It is virtually odourless and alpacas tend to use one or two toilet spots, which makes it easy to collect.

It is lower in organic material than some other farm manures, but it is enough to still act as a soil improver and can even be made into a ‘tea’ which will really help your seedlings.

Manure not to use

Do not use the faeces of your dog, cat, or other meat-eating mammals as manure for your garden or in your compost heap, as it can contain harmful diseases.

As you can see from the above, most manure should be well-rotted before use. However, many gardeners still add 'hot manures' to empty beds in the autumn, as the elements will break it down over the winter months. Even then, I tend to use horse manure that has rotted down for a little while.

The question of which allotment crops need compost manure is very easy to answer –all of them! 

This is the manure that you have added to your main compost heap in balance with green and brown material. A compost needs to have been held at 130 degrees for at least 3 days to kill any pathogens and making it safe to use all year round. Or about 6 months to fully rot down.

In the Autumn I add rotted hot manure or alpaca droppings to the beds which are going to have the following crops the next year (there will be more, but these are the ones that I grow):

• Potatoes
• Beans
• Cabbages, brussels sprouts
• Squash and courgettes

I also make sure that my rhubarb, raspberries, gooseberry, and currant bushes have all had a feed of manure at the same time.

So that is the Auntie Allie Manual of Muck, which is based on a bit of research, combined with what I have found works over the last few years of being an allotment holder.

One final note, if you live near a zoo, then you can approach them to get hold of some very exotic manures and one elephant poo can probably do one whole bed…