Allotment tales
LAST year our allotment was a complete success. Having taken on five poles of land, an attempt on vegetable self-sufficiency commenced! Neither of us were complete amateurs, 50 years ago I helped my dad’s veggie garden and I still remember the basics. Jackie had trained as a horticulturist. The land had been worked and the soil was good.
We started with broad beans, feeding the mice population for a few weeks but once they’d had their fill the rest were ours and they cropped very well. We used the last few from the freezer just last week. Runner beans, dwarf beans, potatoes, carrots and peas followed, along with beetroot and all manner of herbs. We are still harvesting purple sprouting broccoli and cabbages, so a whole year without supermarket veg.
This year we have properly prepared the ground by digging in a ton of the best cow manure to improve the soil. We grow only what we like to eat, which this year will include 21 different vegetables and seven herbs.
Most important is the fact that we have been able to visit the allotment whenever we wanted during the pandemic, making such a difference to our mental well-being. The planning and work involved takes your mind off all else. Allotmenteering should be prescribed on the NHS. Rob & Jackie Preece via email