January Plotting
Allotment

January Plotting

Allotment Haven

The deep freeze weather has gone and temperatures are more tolerable for working outside. I went to the allotment yesterday to do a spot of tidying, weeding and cutting back. I stayed for around an hour and it felt good to get outside. I would have liked to stay longer but my dog Rosie feels the cold, even with a coat on.

I was a bit lazy last year and decided it was a great idea to have a dumping corner. Tut tut. I got on with tidying up my laziness, I won’t bore you with the details but let’s just say it looks much better than it did! I also got on with cutting back the asparagus bed which was overdue for a haircut, now that it is done I can mulch this bed using the compost from the bins which will give the crowns a good feed ready for spring.

Asparagus bed needing a good chop!
Now doesn’t that look better?!

I planted my garlic quite late last year, usually I do it early November but I’m pretty sure it was 29th December when I finally remembered! Oh well, better planted than not. I had a quick look at the beds just in case the hard frosts had pushed the cloves up and out of the ground, pleased to say everything seemed as it should be. Happy days!

Of course I had to make a cup of tea while I was there and soak in the peace and quiet. I do love tea!

Mandrakes, also known as celeriac. If you’re a Harry Potter fan you will understand!

Before leaving for home I pulled up one of the last remaining celeriac (no screams thankfully!) and cut and trimmed a cabbage for dinner.

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Published by Allotment Haven

Step inside the world of allotments, where people grow vegetables on rented parcels of land and drink tea in their characterful sheds. From times of hardship during wartime famine to present day, allotments are great places to connect with the land and each one has its own identity and gardening style. I’ve had an allotment since 2011 and grow food using the ‘no dig’ approach to gardening. I'm passionate about the fascinating wildlife I share my allotment with and strive to garden with them in mind, creating habitats and encouraging natural predators to help keep my allotment productive. The aim of this blog is to document the growing year on my allotments, share the ups and downs of allotment life and hopefully inspire others to get an allotment too!

8 thoughts on “January Plotting”

  1. Good to see that you managed to do some plotting. It’s more than I’ve done as the grass paths are still slippery and the ground rather claggy.

    I like tea as well, but go home for mine as it’s only a few minutes walk. xx

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    1. Best tip I can give is to start the seeds as early as possible, they take a long time to germinate and need at least 6 months to mature once you plant them out. They taste stronger after a frost too, a bit like parsnip. They love plenty of water in summer too. I have grown them from seed before and did well but I will be honest….I bought young plants last year to make the process quicker!

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    1. I seem to be able to grow celeriac quite easily. Not so great at growing celery! It’s very cold again now so I won’t go back to the allotment again until it warms up a bit!

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