Trying to get back in the habit!

9th February 2022, Trying to get back in the habit! 

They have been digging on the plot next door (beyond Desi in the 1st picture). Desi is clearing the ground around the Kale and the Brussel Sprouts. For the off season the weeds seem to do quite well. 

The Leeks which Desi is leaning over have suffered a bit of a setback. They have got infected by some fly or other that seems to like leeks, garlic and other onion-y type of things. The net effect is that they are pretty much going to have to be binned. We might leave a few of them to go to seed, but that is a real shame. We love leeks and the scent of them is very tantalising, but with no produce forthcoming it seems. We shall have to investigate some kind of netting for these in future, if we want success.

That is the main problem with allotments. If there is a disease that you could get, then on an allotment you will most likely get it. With such a bountiful supply of produce the wildlife loves it just as much as us humans.

In the second picture we test dug over (de-weeded) about ¼ of the plot. Took about 40 minutes. Bearing in mind the whole plot took probably 10 days to dig and sort out last year… it certainly pays to do the job right first time… That little plastic container shows the sum total of the weed harvest there.

In the last picture, Desi de-weeded all of this in a couple of hours, what was an elapsed three months last year has been dealt with in less than 2 days thus far… more time for the proper job, i.e. growing food!