I walked down to the allotment yesterday and was amazed at how tidy it all looked although I have not done anything on it for weeks because of the wet weather. We still have some leeks to use and although they are smaller than in previous years, they are very tasty. Unfortunately, when I put the fork into the ground to lift the latest batch for the kitchen, I was reminded once again that it will be a few weeks yet before I can dig any of the ground over ready for planting and sowing! Even the grass paths are very squelchy under foot and there is water lying in the ditch by the hedge.
I have already cast an eye over the varieties of seed potatoes available at my local garden centre, so will be returning soon to purchase my favourites before they sell out! I am not very adventurous and tend to stick to the same ones that grow well in my loam soil and usually give me a good yield – ‘Arran Pilot’ as a first early and ‘Estima’ and ‘International Kidney’ as second earlies. ‘International Kidney’ is the variety grown on Jersey as ‘Jersey Royals’ and they taste amazing when they are freshly dug with just some butter to accompany them! I have also been growing ‘Sarpo Mira’ which is a red skinned, blight resistant main crop variety, but I am in two minds whether to bother with a main crop this year in case I do not get around to digging enough ground in time to get them in. It really will be action stations on the digging front once the ground dries up and my back will be tested!
Onions are always a success on my plot and although I had to harvest them in wet weather last September, they have lasted well with very few going rotten over the winter. I managed to dry them off at the end of the garage on wire baker’s trays and although they are smaller than usual, they are just as tasty and so versatile in the kitchen. Many of my fellow allotment holders put onions and shallots in at the end of February or beginning of March, but I like to wait until the first week in April, when the soil has warmed up and they are not checked by cold weather which can make them ‘bolt’. Onions can bolt for a variety of reasons – this is when the bulb produces a flower instead of growing through the summer and swelling up to make an edible onion. Often it is because the crop has had a check due to cold weather or they have got too dry or wet at some time during the growing season. By planting a bit later, I have always had a good crop and very few problems with bolting.
For now there is little to do but plan the vegetable garden and save up our egg boxes to stand the seed potatoes in for chitting next month!
Happy Gardening!
Mr McGregor
