Spring is my favourite time down at the allotment as we get over the cold and grey of winter and start with the long, light days. It’s fantastic and the plants are really appreciating it too!
The big issue down at the allotment is weeds. Because the area was left in such a bad condition for so long the soil is riddled with weed seeds and I’m actually shocked how fast the weeds are growing! I just need to keep at it with the hoe and get as many gone as I can. the trouble is when you plant seeds it can be hard to determine which is a seed germinating and which is a weed!
The major weed problem comes from Mares Tail. This is a horribly invasive weed out of prehistoric times that is literally indestructible. Tell anyone you have this weed and they will sigh and say you are stuck with it for life. I’m pulling it out and removing as much as I can but I know it will be a constant fight now.
In fact the weed problem is so bad that I have now built another compost heap in the corner of my plot as the other two were full!
I decided to replant the square foot garden too. Using the glass over the bed just made the soil grow algae so I’ve left it exposed this time. I will cover the bed soon as the seedlings come up though.
I have discovered through talking to my neighbouring plot owner that the big issue appears to be with wood pigeons. I think I may be getting myself a fake owl or two to scare them off but until then I am covering my seedlings with polytunnels, cloches or horticultural fleece in an attempt to protect them and it seems to be working. Slug and snail damage, so far, has been minimal so I think I’ve found the culprits!
The onions and garlic are doing fantastically as they are loving the wet then warm weather. The bulbs are swelling up nicely though they did start to flower. The flower heads have been removed so they can concentrate on the bulb instead.
Talking of flower heads, I’ve also removed the flower heads from the rhubarb which is, incidentally, delicious!
All the other plants are doing fantastically well, I’m really pleased with them and I have a lot more at home to plant out. I’ve still got two pots of leeks to put in the ground and I hadn’t realised just how many I had until I started planting them. I have planted some carrots in between the leeks as that will discourage carrot fly. I will do more in a later video about companion planting as I’ve learnt some interesting things about it!
Let me know how you are getting on with your plot and how well your plants are doing!
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