Category: Garden / Allotment

My Review of 2015

On By TontowilliamsIn Annual Review, Being Positive, books, Film, Garden / Allotment, Kindle, redundancy, Self-sufficient, Wildlife/Nature, writing2 Comments

As 2015 winds its way into 2016, I thought I would sit and review a few bits of my year.

Work

On the work front it’s been a significant year for me. About 12 months ago, I was working out numbers and calculating where I might end up if I accepted a voluntary redundancy offer. By the end of July I had gone from being an employee to being self-employed and my own boss. I wasn’t quite planning things that way, but so far my new business has been going well enough to keep me working and provide an income, as well as allow me to do some other development work, but there is still much more for me to do, and whilst I need to sit and do some planning for 2016 and how this is going to work for me, I don’t really know what next year will bring on the work front.

This change in my work, although probably one of the biggest steps I’ve taken in my life, and potentially very stressful, has given me a much better work / life balance than I had before and maybe have ever had. I don’t know how it’s going to work out in the longer term, but I feel like I’m generally moving in the right direction.

Allotment

This year has been one of my best years on the allotment. We’ve pretty much been self-sufficient for vegetables from late spring, all through the summer and into autumn, only have to buy things like mushrooms and peppers, which I didn’t grow. Next year, I’m planning on growing peppers, so that should change as well. I’ve also enjoyed my plot more than I ever have. I know that sounds a little odd, but I’ve really gotten engaged in what I’ve been doing and been keeping much better records than ever before in a pocket notebook, so that I can look back and see how things have been. As the winter has approached I’ve kept a few things going and we’ve had a supply of winter vegetables as well. I’m now looking forward to next year, with even bigger plans.

Books

Last year was a poor year for me, finding time to read, and at the start of this year, I set my sights relatively low, not anticipating reading many books. In the end I’ve ended up reading nearly 50 books (I might actually achieve 50 before the year is out), which has quite surprised me. You can see what I’ve been reading on GoodReads, here.

My book of the year has to be Common Ground by Rob Cowen it’s an incredible book, which I’ve now read twice, and still dip into again and again. It’s made me reconnect much more with urban wildlife, as Rob tells the story of his “edgelands” and the wildlife near Bilton in Harrogate. It’s full of vivid descriptions, and stories putting the reader in the place of the wildlife as well as being a really personal account. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

My other highlights are also all natural history books, including H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald, The Peregrine by J A Baker, Claxton by Mark Cocker,  and Notes From Walnut Tree Farm & Wildwood by the late Roger Deakin. I could name more, and probably I’ve enjoyed nearly everything I’ve read this year. I just hope that 2016 brings more of the same. We’ll see.

Films & TV

I can’t say that I there was anything really memorable to write about here. I enjoyed the final Hobbit movie, but otherwise I don’t really remember what else I’ve watched this year. On the TV side there have been a few things, but the one that I really want to mention is Bosch which has been available on Amazon Video. This has bought Michael Connelly’s character from over 20 books to the small screen – Harry Bosch. It’s been a great series and I’m pleased that there is going to be a second season, probably early next year.

2016?

As for next year, I don’t know what I want from the year yet. I need to sit and do some planning, both professionally and personally. Set myself some targets and goals. I might come back and share this in due course.

Answers to The Allotment Challenge

On By TontowilliamsIn Garden / Allotment, Video

I was tagged to answer the Allotment Challenge. Here are my answers to the ten questions:

1) How long have you had your plot.

2) How long did you have to wait for your allotment.

3) Where did you learn about gardening.

4) Do you plant a winter garden.

5) What has been your biggest success this year / ever.

6) What has been your biggest gardening disaster.

7) Do you have a tried and true crop variety that you always grow.

8) Are you planning on trying anything new next year.

9) How do you preserve your crops.

10) What is your favorite meal to cook with veg from the plot.

Allotment Update

On By TontowilliamsIn Fork To Fork, Garden / Allotment

The last couple of weeks have been pretty wet, so it’s been difficult to get much done on the plot. Fortunately I feel like I’m ahead of where I want to be and so when I went to the plot this last weekend I was able to concentrate on some of the smaller tasks like weeding. With the ground being so wet it was easy to get the weeds out, although if I’d been trying to dig I wouldn’t have gotten very far as the ground was far too wet for that.

Progress is always slower during the winter months, but there is still plenty to do. I have compost bins to sort out, and many of the edges of the beds aren’t as well defined as I would like so it’s difficult to know where the beds and paths, start / finish. Jobs for another weekend when it’s not actually raining.

I also dug the celeriac, which was a disappointment. I covered this in the video below, although we actually only ended up with two usable roots, as one of the three you’ll see in the video turned out to be rotten inside when I cut it open. I doubt that I’ll be growing this next year.

First Frost

On By TontowilliamsIn Fork To Fork, Garden / Allotment, Self-sufficient

2015-11-23 08.33.24

We had our first frost of the season last weekend. Both Saturday night and Sunday night the temperature dropped below zero, only by a few degrees but enough to make the plot look quite pretty under its white frosting.

Everything seems to be okay, I haven’t anything on the plot now that isn’t frost hardy, at least to a point, so what’s there should take us through the winter in terms of vegetables.

The rest of the week has been pretty wet, with rain most days at some point, so this hasn’t been conducive to getting much done on the plot, but then that’s fairly normal for this time of the year. I’m hoping to keep on top of the plot as much as possible, this last year has been a great one for me on the allotment, and I really want to build on that for going forward, trying to be much more self-sufficient and live a simpler life.

Lifting Dahlias 

On By TontowilliamsIn Garden / Allotment1 Comment

  
I’ve had one job on the allotment that’s been outstanding for a few weeks, and that’s to lift the dahlia tubers before the frost gets to them.

I sowed the dahlias from seed at the start of the season and they’ve been flowering well into October, but the forecast for the weekend is for frost and snow. Whilst the latter didn’t materialise, it was cold last night so I went off to th plot this morning specifically to get this task done.

The weather was pretty unpleasant, raining, windy and cold, but it only took a matter of minutes to lift the tubers, remove the remaining top growth and excess soil and they’re ready to store until next season. They’re too small to split at present but I have got 7 tubers from my packet of seed. A job well done.

  

Allotment Update 7th November 2015

On By TontowilliamsIn Garden / Allotment2 Comments

2015-11-07 08.13.52The weather this week has been pretty mild, but with it has come rain. Pretty much non-stop rain most of the week.

I was hoping it was going to clear up by the weekend, but alas it was still raining hard when I took the dogs out for their morning walk. I decided to walk down the plot to check everything was okay, but it didn’t look as though I was going to get much done there.

In a way I don’t mind. I’m ahead of where I want to be at the moment, particularly as I got the fruit bed weeded last weekend, so having a weekend off isn’t going to do me much harm or the plot.

IMG_20151107_081247198Both the broad beans and (finally) the sprouts look like their coming good. The latter might mean that we have some in time for Christmas! I’ve had my doubts that the sprouts were ever going to come good, but it looks like we might get some, although they are still looking rather small. I don’t recall them being a small variety although the description on the suppliers website says:

“The small, tight buttons are a lovely dark green with good flavour.”

So maybe they’re not going to get much bigger. I have a bit of a love / hate relationship with growing sprouts, as they are something that I can’t seem to grow consistently (either well or badly) and so don’t always bother.

I think a harvest might be in order to check out that flavour!

I do need to also check out the celeriac plants next to them too, to see if there is any improvement with them.

IMG_20151107_081129929The broad beans are an overwintering variety (Aquadulce Claudia), which I sowed several weeks ago. If the mild weather keeps up they will continue to grow, but ideally I’d like them to stop around about now. They big enough to get through the winter, but if they get too big, and then it gets very cold, they might suffer. We’ll see.

I note that something has had a peck or a nibble on some of the leaves though, so I’ll need to keep an eye on that, I’ve never had to cover them before, but maybe I might need to.

If the weather clears, I’ll be down on the plot later in the week. I have everything I need now to do the repairs / upgrade to the timber frame cloche, so I want to get cracking with that as the materials are taking up room and getting in the way a bit. I’m aiming to try and video that if I can.

Of Wonky Veg

On By TontowilliamsIn Fork To Fork, Garden / Allotment, Uncategorized

As I was peeling parsnips for dinner last night I was reminded of watching “Hugh’s War on Waste” that was on BBC TV earlier in the week.

CS9lF5jXIAAnYWtThe programme highlighted the statistic that as a nation on average we throw away the equivalent of a days food per week per household. Quite a shocking statistic, and one that I am determined won’t apply in this house. I feel that we are already pretty good in terms of making sure we don’t throw away anything that is still good to eat, but there is always room for improvement and I’ve therefore signed the pledge at http://wastenotuk.com, I encourage you to do the same.

I think what shocked me more though was the further statistic that supermarkets reject over 40% of produce grown by farmers each year for being the wrong shape or colour. Parsnips were the example used in the show, and the shocking story of one struggling farm that has 20 tonnes of parsnips rejected by Morrisons every week because they don’t fit the supermarkets exacting standards. (Here’s what Morrisons had to say)

Cosmetically, this is the supermodel of parsnips, but it has no flavour
Cosmetically, this is the supermodel of parsnips, but it has no flavour
Now I mostly grow my own veg, at the moment I have a gap in my parsnip supply due to poorly timed seed sowing on my part.

My first sowing have all be harvested and although I have plenty of parsnips growing, but they’re not yet ready to harvest, so I had to buy some this week.

They are cosmetically very pretty – unlike the ones I normally grow, which tend to be a bit misshapen and odd looking, however they have absolutely no taste to them. My first harvest of parsnips this year from the allotment were sweet and very tasty, despite their outward appearance, the ones that I bought from the supermarket to supplement the allotment supply are not.

Now I know that won’t come as a surprise to many other allotment holders or those that grow their own veg, and I’m sure that it is as much to do with the time from harvest to plate that is as important, as well as the growing conditions, than how the parsnip looks, but for heavens sake why does cosmetic appearance matter? It’s taste that counts.

I’m for wonky, tasty veg.

EDIT: Incorrect hyperlink updated

Back Ache but Happy

On By TontowilliamsIn Garden / Allotment2 Comments

 
I spent yesterday on the allotment, clearing the weeds from the fruit bed. It took a good few hours, and my back aches as a result but I’m pleased with how it looks now. I’ve still got some pruning to do, particularly the gooseberry bushes, and I want to mulch the whole bed with the remaining straw that I bought a while ago. If there’s anywood chips left at the allotment car park I might use some of those too.

With the rain that we’ve had this week, the weeds came out really easily, which is great. My plot really suffers from creeping buttercup, and particularly the fruit bed, as it doesn’t get dug over regularly like the rest of the beds do. I ended up taking seven bags of weeds to the tip.

Frosty Start – The First of the Season & Allotment Short Clips

On By TontowilliamsIn Garden / Allotment
Not This Mornings Weather!
Not This Mornings Weather!

I think last night / this morning was the first proper frost of the season. When I took the dogs for their morning walk, the grass was still crispy and white. I haven’t noticed any signs in the garden yet, but I’ll have another look later in the day and see if there are any plants that look damaged. A sign that winter isn’t very far away.

Video below from the allotment and garden, just a few short clips of things that are happening. At this time of year there isn’t a lot going on so it’s easier to do short clips rather than a long tour, which just shows dug over beds. I will do a longer video before the end of the year though, just to mark the end of 2015!