February 2020 - Frozen Ground and Winter Chores

After a fairly mild January, February has been cold enough to freeze the ground and make many garden tasks impossible. You should never work frozen or really soggy soil, as this damages the soil structure and does far more harm than good. We are still harvesting some hardy crops, like sprouting broccoli, and catching up on winter jobs like cleaning labels, sorting seeds, and planning the growing year ahead.

Watch our February at the plot on YouTube: https://youtu.be/U5QaQfDkroM

Winter Harvests

As the colder weather closes in and we brace for snow and high winds, there are still hardy harvests from the allotment. Purple Kale, green Cavolo Nero, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, small but perfectly formed Romanesco Natalino, and the last of the turnips are all finding their way to our table.

Brian admiring the Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Tiny yet tasty Romanesco Natalino

Purple Kale is still going strong and is a lovely addition to stews and casseroles

Don't let the chill discourage you - with a little planning you can have tasty home grown produce for your table all year round!

Seed Share Project Launched

We all want to save the planet, but actually doing it seems an insurmountably large task. The truth is that there isn't some giant sweeping policy or gesture that can instantly sort it all out. What it is going to take are millions of tiny tiny actions and changes that we all make every day. The biggest ocean started with a single drop of water.

Our allotment is lucky to have a really supportive and forward-thinking owner, who is always eager to explore ways to make our local environment better for us, our local wildlife, and our environment. With his permission, today was the first day of a new seed sharing project that we have spearheaded at our Allotment. The idea is that everyone with unused or unwanted seeds will put them in the box, and anyone who wants them will take them and sow them.

We know that this is a really small thing and it's hardly going to save the planet alone, but every tiny step we can make to reduce waste is a step in the right direction. We also hope it will help grow the sense of community and comradery at our Allotment. We are already a really friendly and open group of people, but little projects like this help to knit us even closer together. Happy Growing Everyone!