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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