the end of a productive year

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. So said Charles Dickens in the Tale of Two Cities.

In relation to allotment gardening it's been a good year for some things and not so good for others. Peppers and chillis did really well in the hot summer as did tomatoes.

We had some excellent cauliflowers and a glut of other vegetables many of which we are still eating now.

This is the first year we had lots of melons which we grew in a hot bed. It worked! Parsnips in black dustbins did well on neglect and a bit of water.

Potatoes and winter veg didn't reach there ususal big proportions due to a lack of rain and carrots and parsnips got decimated by aphids which we didn't pick up until too late. Sweet potatoes were grown for the first time. Not a bad crop but they don't look or taste like the sweet potatoes that you buy in the shops. We won't be doing them again.

We had some bad weather too and the site didn't escape damage in the storms of November and December.

one plastic greenhouse was completely lifted out of the ground and deposited some distance away. Another lost all of it's plastic panels. A couple of fence posts got broken and it's wet and muddy. However work goes on, manure to put down and beds to prepare ready for planting in March. First onion seeds in along with summer cabbage and broad beans. Autumn sown caulis, broccoli and sweet peas growing into sizeable plants now.

The new year brings new opportunities, new things to try and new plans to prepare for the growing season of 2014.