Allotment No 21

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2007-01-02T12:25:00.000Z

31st December - The Last Day

2006-12-31T07:34:00.000Z

As of midnight tonight we will no longer have Allotment 21. Sister has been calling Spouse and I Tom & Barbara (and Mel & Steve Margo and Gerry) all year which is why I will sign off today with a group photo.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Thursday 28th December - Proverbs

2006-12-28T10:13:00.000Z

Curiosity Killed the Cat were an 1980's band that had me wearing a silly beret for about a week. Last night it was Tiggy the cat who was determined to muck up my seed planning for next year. I'm going to grow all the veg that survived in 2006 and will also try some;

Asparagus Pea
Rainbow Chard
Ailsa Craig Tomatoes
Feltham First peas
Autumn King Carrots
Blue Lake Beans

I will also plant a big nepeta bush to keep Tiggy out of the way.

Wednesday 27th December - Hurdles

2006-12-27T12:26:00.000Z

If the move goes to plan in January I am planning some raised beds for the veg plot. I'm not keen on sleepers etc which are coated in chemicals and am thinking of constructing some hurdles which will cost virtually nothing and blend in with the cottage garden. I have never seen them used for growing veg - has anyone tried it?

Spouse says if they were any good everyone would use them and that creosote in very old sleepers won't hurt anyone.

Tuesday 26th December - Christmas

2006-12-26T18:41:00.000Z

Our sprout crop didn't quite provide enough for Christmas dinner but M&S did. Sister, champagne glass in hand, managed to out-glamour Nigella Lawson as she microwaved a fabulous meal for twelve.

Merry Christmas!

Saturday 23rd December - Carrots

2006-12-23T17:02:00.000Z

Spouse, pictured here with a rather large hangover from last night, has gleefully pointed out that it is cheaper to buy carrots from the supermarket than to grow them.

How does that Tammy Wynette tune go?

Friday 22nd December - Frost

2006-12-22T17:06:00.000Z

Thank you Gordon M for the fridge tip. I was about to shake the woodlice out of the pots and stick them in when we finally get an overnight frost. No sign of fog in Hereford, just blue skies, sunshine and frost everywhere.

Clare and Sharon at work are trying to persuade me to do a 10k run in July. I am claiming that a sporting injury prevents me.

Saturday 16th December - Christmas Lunch

2006-12-16T17:34:00.000Z

It's going to be Christmas with Sister this year which is a choice between three ready meals. Will it be Sainsbury's Taste the Difference, Tesco's Finest or the M&S most irritating food adverts in the world? The suspense is unbearable.

Friday 15th December - Garlic

2006-12-15T19:26:00.000Z

Hooray! After waiting for weeks, my garlic has started to emerge. I think I will also order some more of the Solent Wight garlic which we planted in late January and which we are still eating now. The house move is scheduled to be approx 3 weeks into the New Year which means I should be able to get an onion bed prepared in time.

Friday 8th December - Sprout Alert

2006-12-08T06:33:00.000Z

No sooner do I tell Mel that I think we have a sprout thief on our site than someone sends me a link to this very odd but strangely satisfying game.

Thursday 7th December - Monty Don

2006-12-07T22:17:00.000Z

For the first time in living memory, Spouse sat through an entire garden related programme without complaint. Why? Because Monty Don is one of the few men on earth with a bigger guitar collection than him.

Monday 4th December - Global Warming in the Garden

2006-12-04T17:45:00.000Z

I've just taken this picture and counted five frogs in our garden pond at 5.30pm in December!

Bird-watching Spouse heard great-tits doing their pre-spring "teacher teacher" call today which he says you normally hear on nice days in late January into February.

At this rate I will soon be plugging in bird-box cam and chitting my potatoes.

Saturday 2nd December

2006-12-02T13:40:00.000Z

This morning we cleared out the contents of the shed and greenhouse and gave lots of stuff to the neighbouring plotholder who has been so helpful over the year.

Note to Self: Remember to dig up some comfrey and strawberries before the hand over.

Thursday 30th November - 2007

2006-11-30T17:53:00.000Z

Thanks for all these kind comments! We are handing Allotment 21 over to a new tenant on 1st January 2007 and today he has bought the greenhouse, shed etc. Spouse is thrilled as this gets him off the dismantling hook. Considering the time it took to build the thing I'm not surprised.

Spouse & I should be moving to a cottage in the countryside in January where I am going to start serial killing vegetables once more. This will be the start of a whole new blog...

Tuesday 28th November - For Sale

2006-11-28T10:24:00.000Z

A new bloke is going to take over Allotment 21 from January 1st but he didn't seem keen to have the greenhouse and shed. I don't think Spouse or Steve would be willing to dismantle and move it so I have put up some posters in the hope that another plotholder will. Fingers crossed...

Monday 27th November - Sprouts

2006-11-27T14:25:00.000Z

According to a survey in 2002 Brussels sprouts are Britain's most hated vegetable. Spouse refuses point blank to eat them.

I picked some of our rubine sprouts today and stir-fried them for lunch with bacon, thyme and pine nuts - delicious. I will try them out on Spouse this weekend and hope he doesn't realise what's on his plate until he has eaten them all.

Sunday 26th November - Edinburgh

2006-11-26T22:32:00.000Z

No posts for a few days due to a trip to Edinburgh. Spouse pointed out all the Ian Rankin murder spots while I sampled Highland Park, Bunnahabhain and The Macallan in a noble effort to immerse myself in Scottish culture. The weather was wet, windy and quite sunny so I'm not sure what I'll find on the allotment in the morning.

Sunday 19th November - Masterchef

2006-11-19T21:11:00.000Z

Sister held a 'Venetian themed Murder Mystery evening' last night which involved cooking an Italian meal for eight. Sister doesn't do cooking and was horified to find that our local M&S didn't have eight portions of the same dish. Her solution was to buy three different ones and give her guests the choice. Concerned that she might forget who wanted what when they were delivered from the microwave, Sister gave everyone the outer sleeve as a visual reminder.

And no, I didn't make that up.

Wednesday 15th November Catch 22

2006-11-14T17:55:00.000Z

Blue seeds or not, we are finally getting a decent crop of carrots. The problem is getting to the allotment when it is still daylight. I need the carrots to improve my night vision but I can't see them to pick them... A big torch is going on our weekend shopping list.

Sunday 12th November - Dark Evenings

2006-11-12T16:56:00.000Z

Spouse drove up to the allotment after work on Friday to pick some parsley. It was dark, he didn't take a torch and wasn't sure where the parsley was planted.

Thursday 9th November - Kale Nero di Toscano

2006-11-09T19:44:00.000Z

The Kale Nero di Toscano is growing really well and once all the whitefly are washed off, Spouse cooks it up with garlic.

In parts of north west Germany they have "Grünkohlfahrt" where folk will visit a country inn to consume large quantities of kale, sausage and schnapps. I like the sound of that.

Wednesday 8th November - Catnip

2006-11-08T07:51:00.000Z

While I was splitting and saving plants from the garden, Tiggy got into drugs again. As long as she steers clear of Lily Plants.

Tuesday 7th November - Potted Garlic

2006-11-07T07:30:00.000Z

As Allotment 21 will be no more after December, I have been quite envious of other allotment bloggers planting up their garlic.

Solution = pots.

Here is my June 2007 supply of Purple Wight garlic surrounded by other 'rescued' plants from the garden.

Monday 6th November - Only 8 weeks left

2006-11-06T07:56:00.000Z

Only 8 weeks until the New Year and (I hope), a new cottage in deepest, darkest Herefordshire with a garden large enough to grow veg.

I feel a whole new blog coming on...

Sunday 5th November - Baba ghanoush

2006-11-05T11:36:00.000Z

Baba ghanoush is off the menu after the frosts last week. I hadn't even noticed that the aubergine had fruited until this weekend when the shrivelled foliage revealed this rather sad specimen. Maybe next year...