Page 26 - ALG Issue 1 2019

General
On the Kings Plot...
From September to late November 2018
September crops of French beans and runner beans continued to crop well until nearly October, producing probably some of the best beans of the season once the days and nights cooled down. Also, having no early frosts or very cold winds this autumn helped prolong the picking period. Sweetcorn cropped over a much longer period this year; certainly, growing two varieties helped, with Earlibird F1 ready to harvest first followed by Goldcrest F1.
Courgettes slowed up by mid-September, as the onslaught of mildew set in on the foliage, but I can’t complain as I have had a bumper harvest this year.
Once October arrived the majority of the summer crops were coming to the end, so time was spent cleaning and clearing crops from the plot and chopping up the foliage into the compost heap or moving woody stalks to the bonfire. I like to keep the hoe still moving at this time of year as I find digging a plot with
very little weed on it is much easier than having lots of debris to chip into the trenches. Posts and canes are lifted and stored away neatly for another year.
Towards the end of
October my sweet peas
were sown in the cold
frame and germinated well. These will have the tips pinched out after they produce three pairs of leaves. Sweet peas are quite hardy, and will remain in the cold frame all winter, with the top open to allow some air on nice days and the frame top covered with a sheet on very cold nights until they are planted next spring.
Winter brassicas look very well and have recovered from the very hot summer weather. The Brussels Sprouts Brodie
F1 is on course for Christmas and these will be followed by Brussels Sprouts Brendan F1 that matures slightly later,
prolonging the cropping period. Cabbage January King have been delicious cutting
the first heads in November; these will be followed by Savoy cabbage Wintessa F1, Cauliflower Cendis F1 and Purple Sprouting Broccoli, giving plenty of greens from now until spring. The only struggle this year has been keeping on top of the grey aphid and white fly, so a regular spraying programme has been required to keep this under control; always difficult on an allotment site.
In June I sowed two rows of Carrot Eskimo F1; these are cropping well and are the perfect finger size carrot for Christmas dinner. Eskimo is very cold tolerant and can be left in the ground until required for a meal, keeping them fresh and full of flavour. These will go very well with the Parsnip Gladiator F1. I started lifting parsnips in September for my local show, with the remaining roots left in the ground to grow on. These have made some very good roots, ideal for roasting. See my handy Growing Tips on the opposite page!
At this time of year, I always consider myself quite lucky to be able to harvest fresh vegetables to go with potatoes in store and enjoy during the festive period.
During November I had a week’s holiday, with most of the time spent on the plot digging. Now I am getting older I can only dig for two to three hours at a time, which is usually just enough time to dig a reasonable- size piece of ground. At the time of writing at the end of November I only have two pieces of ground left to dig that don’t have winter crops on them. All other spare ground has had compost added and been dug over. I must say it dug very well this year and I am well ahead, and hope to be finished digging by Christmas, when I can put my feet up and plan for next year.
Despite the long hot summer, this year
I personally have had some superb crops; let’s hope 2019 is just as good. Plus, don’t forget if any NSALG member has a seed problem and needs some free advice, the team at Kings Seeds are always at the end of a phone to help.
Happy Gardening!
Andrew Tokely
Horticultural Director for Kings Seeds
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At this time of year, I always consider myself quite lucky to be able to harvest fresh vegetables