Allotment Diary – 3rd June 2014 – Oca, Onion, Weeds, Weeds And More Weeds!

In this video I am starting to beat the weeds … I’ve had a revelation regarding clearing the weeds from the allotment.

I also talk to you about Oca, or New Zealand yam, a gift from another allotment owner which is a really interesting vegetable and I cannot wait to try them in the autumn when they are ready. Oca produces tubers which are ready in the autumn and it can be eaten like radishes if they are small or boiled like new potatoes. They have a delicious flavour with a hint of lemon and can be stored at room temperature for several months without going soft, unlike many other vegetables. They need spacing about 18″ to 24″ apart and the tubers can overwinter in the ground if there isn’t a deep frost otherwise lift them and store them in a frost free area over winter.

Space has finally been cleared for the onions and I now have four rows in place and plenty more to plant! Unfortunately as I am late some have gone “off” and are too soft to plant, but many more are perfectly okay to plant. I tend to plant them with the tips just showing above the soil which seems to produce a better quality of onion.

I’ve cleared another bed (mostly) and discovered some bulbs in there (which I will show you in the next video). I think they are an iris of some sort so they will be lifted and put somewhere else, though not sure where or even where they have come from! There is one rhubarb in this bed and I have three more in desperate need of planting in the same bed, giving me a total of five rhubarb plants (guess what I like!).

With well stung arms, muddy hands and aching muscles I leave it for now and you can see how the allotment is progressing … I’ve got some big plans for this allotment and I will continue to share with you some more interesting tips and advice which will help you get the most out of your plot!