The weather hasn’t been that encouraging for allotment holders so far this year.  When things haven’t been covered in snow, the ground has generally been too wet to do very much.

After putting the allotment to bed last November, all we’ve really been doing is the odd bit of harvesting (leeks and brassicas) and a bit of work to prepare the greenhouse for the new year.  We’ve gone for a new approach in the greenhouse this year, having covered the floor with weed supressant membrane and then covered this with white stone chippings.  We’re hoping that the extra reflected light will aid faster ripening, however the trade off is that more reflection means less absorption so things will warm up a bit more slowly.  We’ll keep you posted on whether or not this works.

The re-jigged greenhouse

A little bit of warmer and dryer weather has allowed us to prepare some of the empty beds (weeding, rough forking and raking) and we’ve given the stawberry bed a thorough tidying.  The strawberries will be enjoying their second summer and are now quite sturdy plants, so we’re very hopeful of a good harvest from them this summer.

Getting ready for Spring

 The picture above shows the strawberries in the distance and in the foreground is the bed that will have our peas and beans this year.  We will be growing Borlotti beans again, as drying them and storing them has worked very well and we still have 2 or 3 meals left in last summer’s harvest.

Last year’s new fruit bushes should start to give a modest harvest this year and we’re keenly awaiting the first Jostaberries to see what they taste like.

Gooseberry and Jostaberry

Doubtless there is more wet and cold weather to come, but for the last few days at least, there has been a hint of promise in the air.