Author: Tony Lewis

…in 2021

In April I wondered if we would get some rain to help the spuds along; in May I wondered if it would stop raining and warm up a bit – well a lot warmer was what I wanted. Early June was flaming alright and it was back to watering but at least the first summer crops were appearing, now it’s back to the cool and rain.

Eventually our crops got going, in fits and starts in mid-May, probably 3 weeks later than normal, and eventually the mangetout and my early lettuce plants gave up sulking and produced usable crops at last. But do you know what? – my expectation is that it will all pan out in the end. Most crops will catch up and the year in both the garden and allotment will be the usual blend of success and failure, just different candidates from last year.

I will still moan, of course, but that is expected of every gardener, we have our standards to maintain! Other than that, I just fall back on blind optimism – it normally works. I am still sticking to my ‘minimum dig’ approach, which may be a little more time consuming but, having mulched most of the plot with manure or compost last autumn, I do seem to see far more worms and the weeds are much reduced. I shall stick with it.

August and September are the traditional harvest months, a time to put your excess away for winter. Of course, now we have the freedom to visit the supermarket and have fruit and vegetables from around the world but, if you have the space, there is much to be said for storing your own crops for winter, accepting some seasonality and cutting food miles at the same time. We could try to become a little more self-reliant and less wasteful. That’s the sermon finished for this month.

Happy gardening
Tony Lewis

It is a truism that no matter what the situation, life goes on. Nature and our wildlife carry on oblivious of our problems. As I go out to top up the bird feeders in the early morning and look up at blue skies (still a novelty after winter rain and cloud) there are no vapour trails and the birds say thank you by putting their efforts into the dawn chorus unchallenged by traffic noise. I know things will return to some sort of new normal but there is something nice about the absence of the din of industry for now. As we are forced to slow down I sense nature breathing a sigh of relief.

The garden and allotment form a large part of our therapy and after the chaotic shopping situation at the start of the lockdown we aim to get as much produce as we can from our plots. I don’t think we are alone, I have never seen the allotments so busy and seed sales have gone through the roof with many suppliers being overwhelmed by demand. So, if members have spare plants or seeds, let us know and we will endeavour to pass them on to those who may need them.

On an uplifting note, for me at least, Father Christmas has delivered – his little helper dumped 2 loads of manure (the social distancing wasn’t difficult) on Linda’s allotment and she has, grudgingly, granted me permission to wheelbarrow some to mine. My no-dig philosophy has not progressed well after so much winter rain which compacted the soil surface into a hard pan. I have had to content myself with surface cultivation to get the weeds out. It’s taken ages but, hey, I’ve got the time!

The soil is really warming up and the first indication is that the weeds are growing – after all weeds are just successful plants we haven’t found a use for yet. As usual we sowed some seeds to early, fooled by the warm daytime temperature, but the cold nights caused some to rot; a second sowing solved this (it’s always a good idea to stagger sowings). Tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and cucumbers are growing strongly and by mid-May will be in the greenhouse with the promise of crops to come. Hooray, come on summer!

Happy gardening
Tony Lewis