End of the season

It feels like most of the activity on the allotments is now starting to wind down for the year. There are certainly a few empty beds on our plot which probably won’t be used again until next year. It’s a gradual process though. There is plenty of time to clear the beds and dig them over as they become free. We did try covering some beds over winter last year to see if it made a difference but we couldn’t really see any. Therefore, we’ll leave everything uncovered this winter.

We have planted plenty of tulip bulbs and some daffodils too. It’s nice to be able to do them so early and then just forget about them until next year. It’s always a nice surprise when they brighten up the plot before the season gets going. We didn’t buy any new tulip bulbs. We had plenty saved from earlier this year which we dug up and stored in the shed over the summer.

Due to the long, hot summer that we had this year the tomatoes that we grew outside did very well. Actually it was probably the best crop we’ve ever had. At the beginning of this season we did wonder whether it was worth planting tomatoes outside as in previous years only about a third of them ripened and many of them suffered from blight. It just goes to show that what doesn’t work one year might well work the next, and vice versa.

With a bit more free time on the plot we have had time to do some running repairs on any structures that have started to fall apart over the course of this season. There has also been the opportunity to apply an annual coat of wood preservative to some of the more exposed areas. Who knows, we might even get round to repainting the shed before winter.