Pruning logan berries in warm winter sunshine today, I was struck by the realisation that chasing perfection in gardening is futile. This time last year, I did the job on a bitterly cold day, pruning out the fruited canes and tying back the new growth onto the wires. So, logic would suggest that this year, the job would be easier working from the order already established. It was even possible that this year the canes would be cleaner and straighter than last. Not a bit of it! The plants seemed just as tangled as ever, although to be fair they looked stronger and more healthy. After an hour’s prickly work, there was even an illusion of perfection. But it won’t last.
No perfection in the broad bean cloches though. A couple of weedy looking shoots in the whole batch. I guess that the cold wet weather has been too much for them and the rest have rotted. I’ll have to replant in spring. Still it was worth trying for the sake of an early crop. So, the production from the allotment is reduced to cabbages, sprouts, leeks and turnips. There are still some sprouting broccoli shoots and the chinese mustard greens are resisting the frost, but from now we’ll rely on the freezer.
We had the first of the pumpkins last week. Roasted with allspice and cinnamon, cubes of the fruit were very tasty alongside a boiled ham and the greens. I still haven’t worked out how to grow them consistently. Too many of the flowers rot off early. I know the problem is caused by irregular watering, so will have to try something new next year. Raised beds and leaf mold to create a richer soil may be the answer.
One bit of good news though this month, when the council withdrew their plan to massively increase rents on allotment sites. A coordinated campaign from all the societies seems to have worked this time. But it feels like the start of a process. Councils are under such pressure to claw in every extra penny that it seems inevitable that the campaign will continue. We found the National Association very helpful and supportive with information and legal advice. I hope you won’t need it.
growingandreflecting 