Allotment Update week ending Sunday 3rd August
There is always maintenance work to do on the allotment even at the height of the picking season. The recent rain has been much needed but we still need to keep up with the watering.
Strawberries with their new leaves having been cut back
The strawberries have finished so we cut back all the old leaves. We don’t need any runners this year to replace older plants so they were all cut off and the plants given a feed. The new leaves soon appear.
The Comfrey bed was given a badly needed weed and we should get another cut off it next month for adding to the compost heap. The Jerusalem artichokes, which grow at the the end of this bed, have been spreading, as they do, into the rhubarb plants so they were cleared back to their allotted space.
Another spreading plant is the Inula which is planted along the entry path. Much loved by the bees and an impressive sight in full flower but it does take up space and more to the point, moisture and goodness which could be used by the adjacent vegetable beds, so another one to be cut back.
Potato shaws now showing signs of dying back
The potato shaws are showing signs of dying back so time to cut most of them back to 20cm and leave the potatoes in the ground for a couple of weeks to allow their skins to harden. The late varieties are still growing so we shall leave them for the moment.
Show onions side by side with normal onions
This year Tom is growing giant onions for showing and they are doing well.
Jobs for next week
Cut back potato shaws
Weeding round the hazels, fruit cage etc
Net Autumn raspberries
Reduce the size of the clumps of mint
See you on Thursday
Moira
