Mid-Winter Ramblings on my Allotment

Mid-Winter Ramblings on my Allotment

This has been a very dismal winter, so far, for many people whose homes and land have been devastated by serious floods. I am so sorry for those who have been affected but, personally feel so lucky as the worst I can complain of is very soggy ground.

We have had a few bright, sunny and unbelievably mild days over the last weeks. A trip to Slimbridge before the New Year was just magical and we were lucky enough to choose a superb day. Of course, winter time is the best time to see multitudes of wild birds who over-winter on the wetlands. This year, when the ground has been particularly wet, the numbers of birds have been breathtaking. If you get the chance to visit the wetlands before the wild birds leave for their summer  breeding sites in the spring, do take it.

It is well signposted off the A38 going north from Bristol or the M4 towards Gloucester. Do take the M5 northbound if you prefer. There is good parking available and excellent facilities.

www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/slimbridge 

I have been to my allotment several times, mostly to harvest vegetables and feed the wild birds although I also had to replace netting over tender vegetables and  my brassica beds that the storms had blown off. There has been little damage from the weather apart from the very wet ground.

My globe artichokes are looking very healthy [I didn’t cut them back but covered with net to protect from light frosts – I could yet regret that I didn’t give them more protection!]. I notice that one of the plants even has three artichokes – possibly late developers from last season.

My autumn sown broad beans are also looking very healthy. Like the artichokes, I have covered them with net. In previous years I have covered them with fleece but I found that in wet and snowy weather the fleece collapsed onto the young beans which then rotted and were eaten by slugs. I do prefer my broad beans sown in the autumn as they then give me an early crop, long before the spring sown beans and they are less likely to suffer from black fly infestation.

This sounds very promising but I was somewhat dismayed to see signs of more advanced spring which, in mid-January are probably not such a good idea. Bees and butterflies were searching for food and probably finding some in the form of dandelions in flower. I have noticed that I also have irises in flower in my garden.

More worrying – I notice that my bed of fairly early asparagus is already showing the points of this year’s new spears – I don’t expect to see it popping up until mid to late March. I had earthed them up a bit but a couple of days later I see they have emerged again.

This has been a wonderful year for birds in my garden. This year I can add a species I have not seen before – redwings. Very pretty birds with distinctive markings. A huge pyracantha bush has had an amazingly heavy crop this year which has attracted quite a variety of birds. The pigeons, for once, have not been the most frequent visitors. Last winter, a male blackcap spent much of his time around my birdfeeders and he and his mate must have been nesting close by over the summer as I saw them frequently. This month I have seen two males, close together on a bush. Perhaps they are related. I am hoping the local population is increasing.

A wonderful Christmas present from my daughters, a nesting box with a camera will, I hope attract blue-tits or great-tits to nest where I can watch them. Although, I may be too late for this season.

Well, in another month it will be time to set up my propagator again. I’m trying not to get too impatient.