Terry Walton says goodbye to some allotment leavers and plods on with shallots
It’s sad to see fellow allotmenteers leave, but they’re always fondly remembered
It’s been a sad week on the allotment as two of my oldest allotment friends, Russell and Julie, have decided to hang up their boots. They’ve been there for many decades and were the first husband and wife team on our allotments. They at one time had a plot each, but Father Time is catching up and the pandemic kept them away from the plot, allowing nature to take back the once pristine space. Russell was fondly known as Nuts due to his habit of keeping a packet of peanuts in his pocket. Some years ago his old school pal, Gene, joined him and he was promptly named Bolts. So we had the Nuts and Bolts of the allotmenteers!
Russell spent all his working life as a toolmaker and was famous on the allotment for his skill of creating gadgets to make gardening easier. His best invention was the square bulb planter, as he was a great believer that plants grew be er in square pots over round ones so he made this gadget to plant them. He was also a follower of biodynamic gardening – be er known as gardening by the phases of the moon. He was successful at it, but I don’t know if that was the effect from the moon or his skill as a gardener! The use of nicknames on an allotment is common on our site but over the years the best one I’ve heard was from my old pal Albie. One of the chaps who lived in the street alongside the allotment came in to purchase something from our on-site store. Just after he left Albie said to me, ‘I wonder what milk bo le wanted?’. I said, ‘who’s milk bo le?’. He said, ‘the chap that’s just left’. ‘Why do you call him milk bo le,’ I asked. ‘He’s always on the doorstep when you come up the street!’. That’s the sense of humour of an allotmenteer!
I do love it when a plan comes together. I sowed my broad bean seeds three weeks ago in my usual method in moist compost in freezer bags, and all of them germinated. Having planted the germinated seeds in my polystyrene cups they’ve all now popped their shoots through and are looking good. So, all on schedule for planting out in late March.