Page 13 - Simply Vegetables Autumn 2021

Jeff - The knowledge of where our food has come from, and knowing we grow without the use of chemicals is a great feeling.
What crops are you both growing in 2021?
Zoë - Ok, ready? I’ll go down the plot in my head then I won’t miss anything out...Sunflowers [an overhang from having small children, but I love them!], sweetcorn, courgette, leeks, Fennel, curly kale, Cavolo Nero, onions [red and spring], beetroot [purple and golden], raspberries, tomatoes, chilli’s, Padron peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, rhubarb, sweet peas, mange tout, peas, potato’s [1st and 2nd earlies, and main crop], plums, pears, apples, strawberries [although they are rubbish this
year!] redcurrants, blackcurrants, goji berries, kohl rabi, red cabbage, pointed cabbage, cauliflowers, broccoli....what have I missed?
Jeff - Hollyhocks, lupins, dahlias, lavender, carrots, radish, squash, chard, spinach...I think that’s it. We normally do cucamelons, but they failed this year.
What do the other plot-holders think about having soap stars on their site? Zoë - They couldn’t give two hoots,
we’re just a regular part of the allotments, just Zoë and Jeff.
How has the allotment and what
you grow changed over the past few years?
Jeff - We’ve added a greenhouse this year, which has been a great addition! We also had the poly tunnel re- skinned; it was long overdue. We often shift stuff around, but it has largely stayed the same since we got the plot. It works in its current format, a grass path down the centre with large beds either side, and like we said, we rotate the crops every year. The list of what
we grow expands every year!
What are yours and Jeff’s favourite vegetables to grow and why?
Zoë - Tomato’s!! All day long! They are my favourite fruit, always have been. My parents grew them in our garden in London when I was a little girl, and that first tomato of the season, the smell, the taste, it takes me right back to being that little girl again! Also, kale has to have a mention, I do love kale! Jeff - Broccoli. I just really like it, I enjoy growing it and it’s one of the first things that we harvest, so it signifies the beginning of the season for me.
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