14 Dec - Dormant Fruit

November to February is a good time to sort through the fruit on the plot. Last month I planted a short row of autumn fruiting 'All Gold' raspberries (11 Nov post) and this month I have been tending to other soft fruits too. This time last year I planted a Victoria plum tree and a few rows of bare rooted strawberries. While the plum has taken its time to get established, the strawberries have really grown over the summer helped by a few doses of fertilizer, so I've thinned the rows out this month. I've pulled off the dead leaves, tidying up the plants for the winter.

I didn't encourage 'runners' to form on the new strawberries this autumn, as I wanted them to put their energy into growing larger plants but, needless to say, I missed cutting out some and a few runners formed. I didn't want to waste these so I've added them to the allotment this month forming another row of strawberry plants. On the plot I have 'Cambridge Favourite', 'Honeye', 'Hapil', 'Sonata' and 'Malling Opal' - mainly mid to late season, fruiting from June to August.

There are also five small gooseberry bushes in the fruit bed that I mainly use for wine making though their berries often make it into the odd jar of jam or a Sunday crumble. As they are dormant now I was able to move two so all five are located together. I've had some Bindweed issues around one of them so it was an opportunity to comb the soil at the base of the gooseberry bush while it was dug up to remove all the offending Bindweed roots so it doesn't sprout again next season.

I really pruned back the blackcurrants last year so I have decided to leave them alone apart from any dead branches. I've debated about adding more summer raspberries over the winter but have held off so far as I have three 'sparse' rows which I'm certain will spread over the next season so perhaps I'll just wait before buying more. The summer fruiting raspberry canes are 'Glen Ample'. As with all summer fruiting raspberry canes, they fruit on wood that grew the previous season so, I've cut out the canes that fruited this year and have left this seasons' new growth so the fruit can grow on it during the summer of 2014.

There's a fair number of rhubarb crowns in the plot too, three in the fruit bed, two in the side strip by the cold frame and a couple by my compost bins on the edge of the plot. Most of the rhubarb was moved last winter so I picked very little this season, again hoping that the energy of the plants went into bulking them up ready for this year. I have no idea what variety the rhubarb is as it was on my plot when I took over in 2007. I have at least seven crowns now, all from that original clump. It's a mid-season variety, cropping between May to July.

03 Dec - Seeds - Taking Stock

It's that time of year to take stock of my seeds. I had a quick look last month and made up my list for the coming season (see post on 12 Nov). I was surprised how my packets had dwindled so I had a scout around the internet for a good deal. I had a look at the main seed suppliers (links to the right) and they were a little expensive so I decided to try a small supplier listed on ebay (after all, I want fresh food on the cheap!). They had virtually all the varieties I was looking for at reasonable prices with free postage for a bulk order. Ebay isn't always the best value for money these days but I've bought some really great seed and bare rooted fruit plants from there in the past and haven't been disappointed so far.

I find that some of major seed suppliers either put too few or too many seeds in a packet. How can you have too many you ask? Well, seed goes off and germination decreases with age and I can end up throwing it out because even on an allotment it's hard to use all of it. Something like lettuce and some brassicas will germinate okay after two years, even three though germination can be as little as fifty percent or less. Parsnip can be a real problem, it's slow to germinate anyway and though I've managed to get plants from seed two seasons old, it was hard going and it's recommended fresh parsnip seed is bought annually. The company I used this time put sensible amounts of seed in their little packets, except for their swede packet which apparently has 1500! What would I do with that many swedes?! I'm not a big fan of swede anyway but it works really well in our warming winter stews so I'm grateful for it when the frosts appear.

Well, my new packets have arrived now and, along with some seed from last year that should be okay, I'm almost fully stocked. I did have to shop around for my cucamelon seeds which I got from DT Browns - they also kindly sent me a packet of Mazur lettuce to try. The only thing I haven't bought yet are my onion sets and potatoes - they will be in the local shops after Christmas.

01 Dec - Sprouts!

It's December and the Advent period leading to Christmas. How can any plot holder mention the festive period without mentioning Brussels Sprouts? Like a lot of children I was never a fan of sprouts but I adore them now with a lovely cooked lunch on a Sunday. As non-meat eaters, varied vegetables and flavours are important to my family.

Of course, I always want a few sprouts ready for Christmas on the plot so, back in March, I sowed some Brigitte F1 sprouts. Unfortunately I lost my seedlings to a snail in the greenhouse - the little blighter chomped every stem! I was ready to sow a second batch but I was offered a number of Bosworth F1 sprouts. I'd never grown these before but, as they had the Award of Garden Merit from the RHS, I thought they shouldn't be too bad. Sure enough, they have developed well with very few 'blown' sprouts. Bosworth F1 are classed as an 'early' variety and I've been picking a handful most weekends since the end of October.

Some of the plants have grown to a decent height but this can be a disadvantage for sprouts in high winds as the plants can suffer from 'wind rock'. Literally the movement of the plants in the wind loosens the roots, snapping the underground micro-roots which serve to feed the plant - this is a major cause of the spouts 'blowing' (opening up). Earthing up around the base of the stem and staking can help matters.

If you really like Brussels Sprouts then take a look at issue 195 (Dec 2013 edition, pp77-79) of Kitchen Garden magazine which has a very bizarre article on how to make a Christmas Brussels Sprout wreath for your door! No, really! (Cover pictured below). Personally I prefer to keep the sprouts on my plate but if you 're lucky enough to have a surplus on your plot you now know what to do with them!

www.kitchengarden.co.uk