Welcome to our plot!

I'm Hazel, and in Nov 2006 my friend Jane and I took on a half plot at Hill Allotments, Sutton Coldfield - we want the satisfaction of growing and eating our own fruit and veg, and to improve our diet (and fitness!).

This is the story of what happened next...........

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Parsnips & Potatoes

The weather yesterday not being (a) raining or (b) Siberian freezing cold, I went to the Hill to see how the plot was getting on, & to dig a couple of parsnips for tea.

A mooch round revealed that the early rhubarb crown is showing pink buds, & the garlic just beginning to sprout, but despite the temperature being 4 or 5 degrees, the ground was still frozen down a few inches.

It took a bit of brute strength with the fork to expose a couple of lovely parsnip which I whipped out in short order.

As you’d expect, there were very few people trying to dig their plots – if the frost doesn’t defeat the digger, the wet soil sticking to the spade will – however, Potager Chrissie was back & forth to the muck skip with a wheelbarrow taking manure up to her beds.

It was lovely to see her & we wished each other a happy New Year & chatted for a while. We talked about potato varieties, & I offered to get her some potato seed from Ryton next week when I go for the Potato Day.

Chrissie went off with a couple of parsnips too, & after I dug over one of the small fruit beds (into which I will plant the ordered asparagus crowns), I decided that I was doing more harm than good, & called it a day.

The days are getting the tiniest bit longer, now, & just to show that Spring is round the corner, the onions & a lonely leek have sprouted in their pots at home.

4 comments:

  1. You might not have been able to do a great deal, but I bet it was nice being down there.

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  2. Popped in to my allotment this morning - too wet and muddy to go on the soil but it was lovely to see that someone (I think it was Charlie from 2 plots along!) had tipped a couple of barrow loads of muck on my plot. I gave him some Alderman peas for seed last year - what goes around comes around!

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  3. Yes, it was, Bilbo - and the parsnips tasted lovely!

    I've yet to meet a nicer bunch than gardeners for helping each other out, Flum.

    ReplyDelete

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