Another wet and windy week gone by, with a short window of opportunity on Sunday to get down to the plot and pick up a few veggies. This week, I picked a few more smallish leeks, cut down our one half-decent stem of (nevertheless still a bit small and manky) sprouts, and then grabbed a […]
Category: Plot #59
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Plot #59 Update: January 2016
There hasn’t been an awful lot of activity on Plot #59 this month. Rain has stopped play most days. Admittedly we haven’t been anywhere near as badly-hit as some folks have and my sympathies and best wishes really do go out to anyone whose plot has been water-logged or flooded. But still, apart from a […]
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New Seeds: Heritage Seed Library 2016
My first ever seed selection from Garden Organic‘s Heritage Seed Library has arrived! I’m delighted to say that I’ve received five out of my six first-choice varieties, and one of my second-choice (more about the request process in my earlier post on joining the HSL), as well as a lucky dip packet (one that isn’t […]
Having spotted the Harvest Monday sharing meme on Mark’s Veg Plot recently, I thought it might be fun to join in. Here’s a quick shot of some root veg – parsnips and salsify – that I lifted on Saturday, along with a few small leeks. I honey-baked the roots yesterday afternoon, along with a few […]
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Allotment Planning Notes: 2016 Edition
With the recent weather continuing in distinctly inclement mode and not a great deal of digging done, I’ve turned my attention to a spot of plot planning instead. Last year – our second full year on the plot – we managed to achieve the majority of what we set out to do, despite the disruption […]
At -1°C, last night was the coldest we’ve had so far this winter, and temperatures are set to dip below zero for the next couple of nights as well. And not before time, either. I might seem strange to be glad to see a frost – after all, now the allotment isn’t only waterlogged, it’s […]
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Heritage Seed Library – All Signed Up
I’ve been thinking about joining Garden Organic‘s Heritage Seed Library (@HeritageSeedsUK) since I found out about it a couple of years ago. This year, settled in to the allotment and with no major disturbances on the horizon (such as last year’s house move), I decided to take the plunge. The HSL is a scheme that’s […]
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When is a Courgette not a Courgette?
Courgettes are one of my very favourite allotment crops. When the weather conditions are right they grow like crazy and they’re very versatile in the kitchen, too. I’m sure everyone who’s grown courgettes will be familiar with the phenomenon of turning your back on a not-quite-ready fruit or two for a couple of days, only […]
Here in North Manchester the rain has been falling, on and off, for most of the past fortnight. Where we are the after-effects haven’t been anywhere near as bad as the horrendous conditions that have caused flooding up in Cumbria, or down the road in Salford, but still: weather has stopped play and not much […]
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‘Tis the Season to be… Digging
Ohhhh, the weather outside is… well, actually it hasn’t been too bad of late here in North Manchester. We’ve had our share of rain, but with enough dry-ish patches in between to mean that the ground at our plot has been sticky, but workable. Although one of my near plot-neighbours, three along and down in […]