Feeding time on the Allotment

On Thursday, the allotment thankfully had only a dusting of snow and the ground was not frozen so we carried on with the programme of preparing the onion bed with a light forking over and compost spread over it, and weeding other areas ready for the spring sowing and planting. The two hazels, which were dug up to allow the honeyberries to be moved, were planted in the communal area. And the wiring of the soft fruit was finally finished.

Older leaves on the kale were removed and added to the compost bins to encourage the compost worms with fresh greenery, and already there are plenty of young shoots appearing at the base of the leaf stalks to keep the pickings going.

Feeding the apple tree

The fruit has its first feed of the season with a handful of chicken manure pellets – which are high in nitrogen –  round the roots to stimulate leaf growth. We feed every six weeks or so from now on with fish, blood and bone.

We had a picking of leeks and kale but the sprouting broccoli has hardly grown in the past week with such low temperatures

Jobs for next week

• Weather permitting – plant the onion sets
• Tidy shed and sharpen and oil tools
• Bonfire and saw up rotten wood
• Weeding