Still Empty. April 15th 2018

At last the weather seems to be changing but until a few days ago it has been cold and damp and nothing has been planted in the allotment. We have potatoes, broad beans and onions ready to go out but they would not have been happy with the conditions so they have stayed in the greenhouse.

At this time of year I order a veg box from Riverford, as apart from some perpetual cabbage and purple sprouting broccoli there is little to pick at the allotment. I always enjoy Guy’s news which arrives with the veg and he is suffering from empty fields and bulging greenhouses too. However his problem is much greater than ours as he and many others are growing for a living whereas we can go and buy in. It puts things into perspective.

What he did say was that brassicas (cabbage, cauliflower, kale etc) will still produce well even if some of the leaves are beginning to yellow and the roots brown. However lettuce grow too tall and beyond a certain point will never recover. On reading that I decided to plant out my lettuce which I had been growing inside a plastic ring but which were definitely getting a bit leggy. I braved the rain and planted them in the back garden then covered them with glass to keep them warm and dry. I’ve always found that delaying planting causes them to go to seed more quickly so I’m just hoping that I have rescued them in time.

My husband and I have been growing vegetables for over 45 years so you would think that we would be seasoned pros by now, but every growing year presents it’s own challenges so you can never be complacent. This year has certainly been trying.