ALLOTMENT 2012 MONTH BY
MONTH
(Weather means more when you have a garden. There is nothing like listening to a shower and thinking how it`s soaking in around your green beans.)
Welcome to 2012. This month has started off with much needed rain, especially for filling up our depleted reservoirs. Very soggy on
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the allotments though with gale force winds as you can see with this shed that was blown over.
12TH JAN
Crazy weather at the moment it`s been very mild and sunny and we have had just a couple of frosts since Christmas, unlike last year when we were knee deep in snow.
22nd JAN Time to buy your seed potatoes and look forward to those first delicious meals in June.
lay them out somewhere cool and indoors in the light in shallow cardboard boxes or egg boxes. They should be well sprouted by mid March and ready for planting.
26TH JAN Still very mild and a lot wetter now, I can`t remember it being so mild for the whole of the month.
1st Feb Crikey saying that it looks like we are in for a freezing snap, oh well it will get rid of the garden pests. Now snowing with a vengeance Feb 5th.
16TH FEB The freezing temperatures last week really damaged a lot of the broad beans normally they are very hardy. It looks like they might have to be resown. Someone planted their potatoes today Feb 17th. This is a month too early in my opinion, but you never know they might be lucky.
This is the weed that is creeping over our allotments. It is called `Creeping Sorrel` and it can take hold and infest from one allotment to another. Remove it it as soon as you see it, as the seeds can shoot 6 feet from the pods, and infest your neighbour`s plot.
March 4th Much needed rain today the time of the month when the activity starts in earnest in the garden. I always risk putting some spuds in around the middle of this month, but as Ron always wisely says `better to leave them sprout in the warm than bury them in very cold ground`.
March 19th Rain over the week end but the forecast is still dry for the coming week. Water restrictions are bound to come soon.
March 24th We are having summer weather in March, don`t be in too much of a hurry though, our british weather can change very quickly and it could turn colder. Not much sign of rain in the coming week. March 31st Our glorious weather looks like ending this week-end. It`s been great although we are now in desperate need of rain.
April 8th Complete hosepipe ban now ironically it has rained after weeks of dry weather, but the ground is breathing a sigh of relief.
April 14th A few frosts this weekending I just hope that they don`t damage all of the fruit blossom. This particular plum tree is looking great at the moment plot 51.
April 23rd Raining every day now, good for the reservoirs but getting a bit soggy in the garden. I always think it`s better to have too much rain than a prolonged drought.
May 6th Still raining every day very disappointing for the Bank holiday, we want to get on with sowing etc, but it`s cold and wet.
Lovely quote by Lillian Rogers
Whether the weather be cold, or whether the weather be hot, We must weather the weather whatever the weather Whether we like it or not.
MAY 23RD
Salvatore has always grown mainly beans on his plot, in fact we call it the `bean factory` and these beans were thriving until a couple of weeks ago until they succombed to a very bad case of BLACK SPOT OR CHOCOLATE SPOT
Possibly because he grows them in the same place every year, or maybe it`s `cos he uses his old beans year after year, or they have been grown too close together.
June 3rd Rain again after a long dry spell inevitable as it`s the Queens`s Jubilee celebrations, nevertheless our allotments need it.
June 12th rain rain rain ever since the hosepipe ban. Strawberries are getting spoilt and other things are swimming in water. What mad weather !!!
June 21st Longest day weather not too good my potatoes are not up to scratch, my plums are all pitted, the cabbages look to be falling to club root. It`s being so cheerful that keeps me going.
July 7th Here we are in July but nothing has improved much growing wise. What we need is a lot more sun and not rain every day. I have a pumkin that I`m trying to grow but it`s not moving at all. Runner beans are well behind as well.
July 14th In the wettest summer for many many years our tomatoes and potatoes are falling to the dreaded BLIGHT
July 22nd Whats this strange thing that`s appeared in our sky. well blow me down it`s the sun and for the rest of the week it seems.
August 8th Going to be hard to find suitable vegetables for our competition on Sunday 12th but the sun is on it`s way again so that`s a consolation.
Aug 14th Picnic went well with some good exhibits, helped along by a nice sunny day.
Aug 22nd Good sunny weather at the moment, making the produce grow at last.
Sept 4th It`s official, it`s been the wettest summer since 1912, no wonder everyone has been disappointed with their gardening this year.
Sept 24th. After a very long dry spell we now have much welcome rain for the garden. Probably we will get too much now.
Hopefully though it looks like we may get an Indian summer.
OCT 14TH Not much improvement in the weather a few nice days mixed with lots of rain. Time to sow some over wintering broad beans and garlic.
NOV 4TH My winter onions seem to be drowning with all of this wet weather, they haven`t sprouted at all. I`m hoping that the winter sown broad beans will not suffer as well. Nov 6th The first hard frost of the year.
Nov 26th. Don't think I can remember it being so wet and soggy over here for a very long time (squelch squelch) planted some more onion sets as the others are missing believed dead.
Nov 30th. Hard frosts leeks are doing quite well as are the parsnips at least we are getting a few results after our wet and soggy time.
Dec 3rd. 2012 will go down as one of the worst growing seasons. It started off with a drought with everyone praying for rain. Then we got our way it rained for days and weeks on end
Even in a bad year though we get successes it wasn't all doom and gloom.
Tom Newnham's lovely dahlias.P
Not much to say for this month it's been a funny year for gardening, I have noticed my leeks are a lot smaller than some I have seen on other plots. Could be down to the amount of manure put on the plot. Anyway
HAPPY CHRISTMAS
LETS HOPE WE HAVE A BETTER GARDENING YEAR IN 2013
