December on the Allotment

December on the Allotment

At last, after an apparently endless wet and flooded summer and autumn, we are having some frosty, sunny weather. There are only a few hours each day when it is possible to do any work on the plot. By the time it has warmed up enough [and the warmth is relative!] to do something – about 11.00am, the sun seems to switch off about 2.30pm and the freezing cold sets in again for the evening. That said, I don’t think the ice melted in many places at all today.

Still, it is cheerful and many plot holders are out there doing what they can to clear up for spring. I am lucky in that I am close to the top of the hill so my ground is not as wet as those plots at the bottom of the hill and being surrounded by trees and hedges [on the western side, so they don’t block the sun], I am also fairly sheltered. In spite of the wonderfully fresh, dry air and the pleasure of being out there doing something after so long, the ground is still sodden. It is possible to walk on it only because it is frozen. I still have a patch – quite a large patch really - which should have been dug. Perhaps it will now have to wait until I’m planting potatoes.

A neighbour was telling me this morning, with some pride, that he has dug over his whole plot since September. And it does look good! He said he just carried on digging through the mud. To my shame, I still have a small patch of potatoes which must still be dug, and yes, I know that if I leave them any longer, they will start growing. I have had little incentive to dig them as the ground has been so muddy and the potatoes themselves have not been so good that each time I have gone to my plot, digging potatoes has been pushed to the bottom of my list of priorities.

Yesterday, I had my much needed bonfire – pieces of rotten wood which have been used as walkways but are now just harbouring woodlice and slugs, prunings from blackcurrant bushes, redcurrant bushes and fruit trees, also the tops of raspberry canes. I have also burnt the cut back asparagus fronds, as well as any litter on the ground around the crowns - hoping to reduce the numbers of asparagus beetle next year.

There is a huge heap of wood chip from cut back hedgerows and trees around the field which I am now using to replenish and tidy the surfaces of paths and free areas around my plot. This year it is beside me so, I am taking the opportunity to make as much use of it as possible. Saying that, there is a lot of it so, if you have a plot near mine, do use it while it is there. And, it looks like the potato digging has been pushed back yet again!

Talking of asparagus, don’t forget to cut back the old fronds and clear all litter from the ground around the crowns to remove as many as possible of the hibernating asparagus beetles. A good dressing of well rotted manure on top of them will help next year’s harvest.

As the winter weather starts to bite, our birds are struggling for survival. It has been a dismal year for them in any case and now that the ground is frozen, it is particularly difficult for them to find food. If you are birdie minded it would be useful to give them something extra to ‘tide them over’. Pete, our vice chair of committee and a bird lover was telling me that he has been putting out the remains of his 2010 Christmas cake. I’m sure the birds just loved it. He says that blackbirds have also invaded his poly tunnel and have been eating his grapes. Of course, many birds, in bitterly cold weather, don’t die from lack of food as much as from lack of water. It is important to ensure, if possible, that there is a source of unfrozen water for them to drink. Last winter, which was so very cold, I would take water each day to my plot and put it in suitable containers for the birds but, I found it would be frozen again in a very short time. Proper bird food is obviously best and I do provide it as often as I can afford it, especially during brood raising season but, I guess our stale household bread is better than nothing during the winter when the birds are starving. Obviously, I don’t put it out every day – well I don’t have a loaf of stale bread every day but, I hope that once a week will keep them ticking over during the winter.

At the moment, each Sunday on our fields, we have a dedicated group of members re-laying part of our boundary hedge along Donkey Lane [ also known as Dead Man’s Lane or Gastons Lane]. It is believed that the lane and the hedges that border it are, at least, 500 years old. How awesome is that! If you are interested in taking part, do check on the details on the linked website.

In case I don’t write again before Christmas, do have a fantastic Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Feliz Navidad y Feliz Año Nuevo

Frohe Weihnachten und Happy New Year

Glædelig jul og Godt Nytår

Prettige Kerstdagen en Gelukkig Nieuwjaar

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année

Feliz Natal e Feliz Ano Novo

圣诞之际，祝你心中有首快乐的圣诞和新年快乐

मेरी क्रिसमस और नया साल मुबारक हो

Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo

Nollaig Shona agus Athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh

Wesołych Świąt i Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku

Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda

મેરી ક્રિસમસ અને નવા વર્ષની શુભેચ્છાઓ

Selamat Natal dan Tahun Baru

Linksmų Kalėdų ir Naujųjų Metų

Счастливого Рождества и Нового Года

God Jul och Gott Nytt År