December is a super busy month and getting to the allotment can be a challenge. Our key to progress is little and often. These are our most pressing tasks:
Litter picking!
Unfortunately, a plastic sheet that we used to recover the greenhouse has fared remarkably poorly which has caused it to break down and rip apart. We will need to recover the greenhouse again but first is a litter pick. I’m ashamed to say there are broken pieces of plastic on the floor that need gathering up before they pollute the soil.
Cutting down
We have lots of vegetation that needs a good winter cutback. This includes the grapevine, the raspberry canes and all the cosmos that has ‘gone over’ I will also cut down to the ground.
Keeping an eye on the veg growing in the polytunnel.
We have salad, flowers, onions, and garlic growing in the tunnel, most of it in pots. In past years I have overwatered in the winter and rotted countless seedlings and onion sets. I have learnt over the years to only give little water when needed and not leave the pots sat with ‘wet feet’.
Sow salad
I’ve never been great at succession sowing; it comes in fits and starts if I’m honest but it’s never too late to try again. We will be sowing fresh batches of winter leaves every few weeks in the polytunnel.
Christmas Dinner!
Popping to the plot to fetch some veg for Christmas dinner has to be one of the most satisfying jobs of the year! This year we are looking forward to kale, cabbage, sprouts, onions, and lots of herbs from the allotment.