A chilly day on the Allotment
Thursday was a raw day but the midges were out still.
Maintenance work started with replacing some of the rotting wooden edges on the raised beds. The currant bed was weeded and the yellowing leaves removed from the winter brassicas which also had the enviromesh cover removed and standard netting put over them. Last year there was a bad infestation of aphids and whitefly so perhaps making them more open to the wind and cold will help prevent that or reduce it.
Weighing down the environmesh on the plum tree
The enviromesh cover on the plum tree had been blown askew by the recent storm and it was pulled back over the top. This will push the new upright growth down into a dome shape and allow the fruit to be in easy picking reach and also give the tree some winter protection. Pulling the branches into a more horizontal shape will also encourage the development of fruiting buds along the stems.
Removing the flowers on the pak choi
The recently planted pak choi had burst into bloom. We do not want it to move to setting seed so the flowers were removed as were the flowers on the strawberry plants.
We are helping out with clearing a communal area on the site and a start was made today with clearing a neglected bed. Once cleared of annual and permanent weeds and grasses, the aim is to plant it with autumn raspberries.
We are still getting a small picking of autumn rasps and the last of the carrots were pulled up since they won’t be growing any more now.
Jobs for next week
- Continue cutting back the grass edges
- Weeding round the beds and paths near the honey bushes
- Check the netting and apples/potatoes
