A muddy day on the Allotment

A muddy and damp stint on Thursday but heart-warming to see the early daffodils in full flower. We started on coppicing the hazels which were planted on the east side of the plot to provide some shelter and now need cut back each year. The coppiced branches are used for stakes and mending the windbreaks. The hazels with catkins were left for the moment in the hope we may get hazelnuts later in the year. We did a digging of Jerusalem artichokes – a vegetable with its difficulties but always a reliable winter cropper.

Cutting back the hazels

Jobs for next week

• Start on pruning the willow
• Finish the winter pruning of the fruit