Allotment Tales 24th October

It was a fine, calm day after Storm Ashley’s visit, the previous weekend.  The first job was to mend the netting around the sprouts and cabbages, also to gather the extra large drop of windfalls, following the gales.   Our wee shed is groaning, and it feels like we could supply Edinburgh’s Apple Dooking activities single-handed this Halloween!

No-ones as told the strawberries that its time to quieten down, so there was more flower picking to keep energy for the roots. We also gave the gooseberry a light prune.

Lots of weeding as usual – today amongst the red cabbages, beetroot, strawberry and raspberry beds, also a focus on removing Alkanet, a pernicious, deep-rooting weed with tiny sky-blue flowers – pretty, but a plant prone to getting itself “into the wrong place”.

More welcome are the pockets of colour provided by asters, fever-few and early flowering primulas, beautiful in today’s autumnal sunshine. We sowed Field Beans, though have been so pro-active in our green manuring that we’re in danger of double sowing some beds!
Beetroot hasn’t been great this year. Especially disappointing has been the Heritage variety – White Devoy. Most haven’t done anything and the ones that have look quite alien-like (see photo)

Beetroot? You are kidding me!

Bolt Hardy’s been a bit better. We’re leaving the remaining ones in the ground, in the hope that they’ll increase a little from marble size.

The Pak Choi is doing well with the help of beer traps – and today we found a flatworm, which was quickly dispatched!
There’s still Harvest to be had – Lord Derby cookers and fulsome red cabbages (Tantour) being today’s stars.

Jobs for next week: wrestle the  Enviromesh over the plum and damson trees; plant garlic and onion sets for an early harvest; check the raised beds in preparation for annual repairs