The Allotment says goodbye to Asparagus.

A chilly, sunny morning so it was good to have some energetic projects to keep warm. The current compost heap was piled high so the top layers were moved into the empty bin to speed up decomposition, leaving the bottom layers ready for use next season.

The asparagus bed has been disappointing for several years now. Despite having a windbreak round it and layers of fleece during the winter, the crop has been poor. The variety chosen was for cool wet summers but the cold winters and a cold and exposed site have been too much for it. Time to move on and use the ground for something else but it was hard work getting the roots out.

Autumn planted onions do well giving a crop a few weeks earlier than a spring planting. This week the variety Troy was plantedm – so we shall see how that does. The garlic is still to go in but that will be planted in November when the weather is colder.

There are several varieties of apples on the plot. They need checked each week for ripeness and there was another bucketful this week. Still picking autumn raspberries and a few Tayberries and the runner beans are still producing.

There was no crop of Jerusalem artichokes last year and we thought we had lost them but there is now a forest of stems in the bed. The tubers are already a good size so a useful addition to the winter veg.