The gloom lifted for a while on Sunday, so wrapped in several layers of clothing we headed for the allotment.
We had wondered whether we would be faced with any damage as we hadn't managed to make a plot visit since before the period of stormy weather. Happily the worst casualty was one of the sweet pea frames which had developed a lean.
Clearing the dead sweet peas will be a job for another day.
Our cache of vegetables had run out so our first priority was to make sure we gathered plenty of vegetables to take home.
Martyn set to digging parsnips and carrots whilst I dug leeks, picked sprouts and managed to find a small amount of pak choy.
Some of the parsnips were huge but many were afflicted with canker. We grow Gladiator, reputed to be a canker resistant variety but this doesn't make them immune. Fortunately there is usually plenty of unaffected parsnip flesh but it does mean that our parsnips, just like the carrots, will never win any beauty competitions.
Our pak choy is always well nibbled but I managed to find enough to add to an egg fried rice dish for Monday.
Another job that was in urgent need of completion was spraying the fruit trees with a winter wash. We went through a period when plum tree aphids devastated our plum trees causing all the leaves to shrivel. The trees looked as though they were dying and produced no fruit. Later in the year a new set of leaves grew but the damage to any potential crop was already done. Every year since we have treated the trees to a winter wash.
This can't be left too late as spraying has to be completed before any buds burst. Ideally the trees should be sprayed twice but more often than not they have to make do with just one dose.
A quick look round the plot shows that some fruit bushes are already primed for action.
I decided to try and tidy up some of the clumps of rhubarb. One of the largest clumps had formed a sort of fairy ring.
I guess this is a hint that it needs splitting.
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I have yet to find a variety of Parsnip that lives up to the seed-merchants' claim of canker-freedom! Some Parsnips suffer less than others, that's all we can say.
ReplyDeleteI dread to think what ones susceptible to canker would look like, Mark
DeleteMany of my winter veggies won't win any beauty contests either, but I'm sure yours were as welcome as mine are! Still too cold here to see any signs of growth except on the garlic.
ReplyDeleteThey are welcome, Dave and just as tasty as their prettier cousins. In fact in some cases more so.
DeleteHow exciting to see signs that spring is just around the corner. I don't have problems with canker on my parsnips, at least when I can get them growing, which didn't happen last year. I wish my sprouts looked as good as yours, yet another disappointment in my winter garden this year. I shouldn't complain though, there's plenty of other good stuff in my garden at the moment.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly have plenty of other lonely crops, Michelle
DeleteFairy ring, huh... are you suuure there isn't a pesky allotment neighbor down under there ;)
ReplyDeleteGreat harvest for so late/early in the season - never sure what to call this time of year. That pea trellis definitely has a bit a slouch, but as you say, a problem for another day. I found the one I built wasn't quite as sturdy as I'd hoped either. We had some strong wind a few weeks back, and now instead of a trellis it's more like a lean-to. Oh well, the peas still taste fine! (even if it takes some contortions to get at them now.)
Don't tempt me, Day - their is a candidate! Our site does suffer from battering winds. Our fruit trees lean in one direction and the shed is screwed to posts hammered well into the ground
DeleteOh, how lovely the parsnips and leeks look to me. If I can find them in the stores, parsnips are a US dollar apiece, long and skinny old ones, nothing fat like yours, and leeks are USD2.50 each and woody in the center.
ReplyDeleteBecause I live in a Chinese community, we have many types of choys available at reasonable prices. The best is one called choy sum.
We have real difficulty growing the choys, Jane. When they do manage to grow somethings always nibbles holes in them. The main problem with the leeks at the moment is removing the mud from them especially the big clump on the roots.
DeleteAt least another two months before we see rhubarb again. Fun to be reminded it's under there still.
ReplyDeleteWhat is in the winter wash?
I guess the rhubarb will be another two months or so before we have any to pick, tpals. The wash is made up of plant based oils.
DeleteAh... just the merest hint of unfurling of rhubarb leaves sends my heart aflutter! I have never used a winter wash, although I have been pondering it since you mentioned it in your comment on a post last month. Good luck with the leaning trellis - I am blessed with a couple of leaning wigwams. Must be de rigueur this winter!
ReplyDeleteIf you are going to use a winter wash you need to do it quickly, Sarah. Really we needed to spray for the first time in January but we often have to make do with one spray in February,
DeleteUnbelievable to me Sue seeing your harvest in February. Lovely veggies, sure Martin and you had a nice dinner. The buds on blackcurrant started to grow, wow. Looks like spring is over a corner.
ReplyDeleteWinter hasn't quite given up on us yet, Nadezda. It's still cold with the chance of snow.
DeleteTaste is always more important than beauty Sue when it comes to carrots and parsnips. i'm sure that yours didn't disappoint. I've not forgotten the potpourri ingredients list by the way. Will be on to it very soon :)
ReplyDeleteThey didn’t disappoint, Anna
DeleteHi again, Sue! Our plot is terribly windy too and keeping structures upright when they are covered with plants is a real challenge. I am envious of your parsnips, because ours were excavated by rodents and eaten. Rats seem the most likely culprits. We brought home the undamaged ones but have eaten them all now. Trying chilli powder as a deterrent next time.
DeleteThere’s always something out to thwart our harvests isn’t there, Kathy?
DeleteI'm glad there wasn't more damage! I can't believe you still have veggies to harvest, my carrots are very similar. I just love that rhubarb fairy ring, how enchanting!xxx
ReplyDeleteSo are we, Dina. We still have plenty more vegetables to harvest if they survive the weather.
DeleteYour veg may not win a beauty contest I am sure they will on taste.
ReplyDeleteThat after all is the main thing, Brian
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