Allotments 4 All

I've still got a few Alaska savoys to go, the sprouts are cropping at a matching rate to the one at which my close friends are declining, and I still have a couple of PSB plants which are nearly sprouting. There's a little curly kale, but it's on the verge of bolting now.

There's also a few leeks - these are a bit of a lottery, they were neglected last year owing to bereavement*, and have had some kind of critter in them as there are little brown pupae about the size of mouse droppings in the outer layers. Those go in the council compost as that will get hot enough to kill 'em off, and the middle layers are fine.

Adrian

*of me, not them

That's allium leaf miner in your leeks. You'll need to grow your leeks and onions in a different area next season and put fleece over them at the critical times.

This was the first year I've had a real attack and I've been lucky because they did little damage before pupating and the leeks have grown on since, but I can see that things could have been much worse.

They had that on our site but luckily it didn't reach my plot.

Still picking sprouts (they are getting big!) I have 2 swedes, a cabbage, some kale, purple sprouting broccoli and leeks.

Made some soup today with a bunch of leeks, parsnips and a load of hungry gap. Too wet underfoot to go to far tramping the ground down so all picked alongside the path this frosty morning.

Trip to the allotment this morning before the permafrost sets in!

I wish I still had some carrots - down to the last two parsnips so all that is left is kale, chard, spouts and psb.  With a slow start to spring there could be a long hungry gap!

Not much at the allotment, some parsnips, purple  sprouter and some flower sprouts. Better at home really, at the back of the garage still got some onions, shallots, elephant garlic and several squashes.

My real worry is the Dahlias. They are under a thick mulch but I'm pessimistic they will survive a week of temperatures down to minus 7C overnight. Hey ho, it will be fun thinking what to put in the space.