The Allotment in February - A Catch-up
With the notable exception of snow, our allotment here in Wiltshire has seen pretty much every type of weather imaginable this February. We’ve had a few frosts, some gorgeous, spring-like sunny days with blue skies and temperatures in the mid teens and some blustery winds. Today though, it has rained almost non-stop so I thought I’d take the opportunity to have a bit of a catch-up on the blog.
The wind has been the worst thing to deal with. I helped my neighbour on the cut flower patch to erect a polytunnel at the beginning of January. A few days later we went to the plot after a stormy night to find it billowing across the car park like a parachute, restrained by its one remaining guy rope. Luckily there was no real damage done and a couple of hours later it was back up, this time with its base buried under the soil for greater stability. It’s survived a few winds since so fingers crossed that I’ve done a good enough job this time.
A rainbow over the allotment in February
February has thrown us all kinds of weather to deal with.
One windy Sunday I made a quick trip to the plot to pick Brussels sprouts and dig some parsnips for lunch. Mission accomplished, I was standing next to the shed taking off my wellies and putting my shoes back on when a sudden gust caught the shed door, at the crucial moment I was bent over and standing on one leg and the door slammed right onto the top of my head, knocking me off my feet and onto my bottom on the wet, muddy grass. Very undignified. I was glad that I was wearing a woolly hat though, had my bald bonce been bare the damage could have been worse I suppose.
The aforementioned Brussels and parsnips are some cabbages are all I have left to harvest in the allotment now. We’re not the biggest Brussels fans so I usually only grow enough for Christmas but a few cauliflower plants I was given turned out to have been miss-labelled hence the glut. I’m not complaining though, they’re really tasty and their long season makes them so useful.
I would usually be harvesting cavolo nero at this time of the year too but I failed to cover it and the pigeons have scoffed the lot!
At home I have started to sow a few seeds. I have broad beans and peas which I sowed mid-January in the unheated greenhouse, these are just beginning to show signs of life. In my heated propagator I started aubergines and chillies last week and today I added some celeriac and leeks.
Next month is the first month of spring and we’ll be getting much busier on the sowing front, until then stay warm, dry and safe and enjoy your allotment when you are able to.
Useful links
Jobs for the allotment in February