I haven’t written here for a while. I’m not sure why. It seems like a good time to start again.
I may have stopped writing but I haven’t stopped gardening. I’ve got broad beans that were sown in November, pushing up and looking good. I have also got garlic girding it’s loins, planted last year. The hope is a whole year’s supply, and we eat a lot! The old saying is “Plant on the shortest day, harvest on the longest.” I planted mine before that, on November 5th, and I sowed the broad beans on November 4th.
The other thing I did last year was sow onions on Boxing Day. This is another old gardener’s tale, to sow onions on Boxing Day. I think it was probably unnecessarily early, but it’s nice to do things like that. I planted 250 little onion plants last week, and they are looking happy. Again the plan is to grow a year’s supply. We think we might eat an onion a day on average, so I will plant a few more next week. I will have many left over, and the plan is to put them on a table outside for passers-by to experiment with.
My other main, and quite exciting excitement is moving a greenhouse from my old house to the allotment. It is done now, and the tale of it’s moving was filled with drama and complication which lasted down to the final two panes of glass in the door. They would not go in because of the lip on either side. When the door arrived from Chichester the glass was fine, but during the winter the winds set about it, and by the time it came to put the door in place they were both broken. To get the new glass in I had to take the door off and take it apart! Anyway, it’s all done. Ready for tomatoes, sweet potatoes and other tender things. Thanks to Tom in particular for a number of visits to help put the frame together, when on each occasion the wind seemed to release all its power against us.
I’m starting to write again because growing food matters. Never more so. And I will talk about what I do, but also I am very happy to offer advice, if anyone wants to ask. As you know if you read any post last year, I’m using a no dig, no weed method. It’s experimental, and some of it worked well last year and some of it not so well. But I’m learning fast, and becoming more confident. I am a gardener, always have been, and I’m loving these new challenges.
a small forest garden 