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After a week without significant rain the soil is in good condition for raking down into seedbeds and sowing. Almost all the digging is now done, but with a quarter of the plot put down to crops for winter and over-wintering for spring cropping there is still much clearing and subsequent cultivation...
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People have asked what are you going to do in your allotment this weekend? Since, where no snow actually lingers, it is covered with 5cm of mud on 5cm of frozen soil the answer is very little. None of the produce will get any better from now on so it is dig and use root crops (carrots, celeriac, parsnips...
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Sandy soils in the south-east are very hot and dry now with plants potentially under great stress. To avoid this watering is being done on a ten day cycle giving a good drenching to really saturate the top 25cm. Thirsty celery, celeriac and runner beans are done on a five day cycle. There is no need...
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Recent dry, sunny weather allowed the slugs and the first wave of weeds to be tackled. Subsequent rain restored soil moisture leading to ideal seed bed conditions. The downside was that weeds germinated in hundreds, but just in time the weather turned dry and vigorous raking again polished then off....
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At last allotment work is easing off and the plot is mostly up to date. I have to say I am relieved – it has been a bit hectic harvesting and replanting at the same time. With only six weeks or so of growing weather left, plants must not run short of nutrients. However everything looks mighty lush and...
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Things are beginning to slip. With rain every weekend I am not keeping up with the planting schedule. On Saturday morning the weather was spring-like and I planted out my stock of bought-in lettuces and cabbages under a fleece tent with slug pellet protection (iron phosphate low toxicity ones naturally...
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