Terry Walton is feeling festive as he works on his plot
I’m feeling festive but there’s still plenty to do on the allotment!
With December slipping headlong into the festive season and the daylight growing ever shorter, there’s not as much time to spend on the allotment and the weather can curtail activities even more. But it gives me time to reflect on past festive seasons and how natural plants played a part at Christmas in the Walton household.
Predictions for fluffy, white stuff falling on the big day are receding. It’s the image that casts the illusion that a white Christmas is so special and to awake on that morn to a white landscape is magical. Yet, I’ve spent many Christmases on this earth and not many in my memory have been white! These days the weather is much like many others in these milder winters - overcast, damp but mild.
Nature and plants played a significant part in our Christmas decorations. It was off to hedgerows with a sharp pair of pruners and a thick pair of gloves on a quest to find the most berry-laden holly. This was then lovingly crafted into an elaborate wreath that was hung on the front door. The little off-cuts were then strategically placed around the room to bring some festive cheer.
With the greenhouse being more or less empty at the moment, this is a good time to insulate it and save a few pennies on trying to keep it warm. The easiest way to insulate my wooden greenhouse is to use bubble wrap. This thick, plastic material has air bubbles trapped in it which give good insulating properties.
I cut the pieces to length and, using my staple gun, attach it easily to the wooden frame. I also make a bubble wrap ‘tent’, which will initially house my chrysanthemums but will later be useful for freshly germinated seedlings. With a lamp underneath this tent this is a warm place to start off some early crops in the new year.
The winter crops are in full swing and I only harvest what I need for the immediate future. Winter crops are hardy and will keep at their best and freshest in the soil. The couple of frosts were just enough to convert some of the starches to sugar. These winter crops provide winter soups and are the main part of my hot dinners topped up with a few stored vegetables for the full flavour meal!
The old adage ‘many hands make light work’ is never as evident as it is on an allotment! At this time of year a team is formed and with a borrowed van we set off in search of ‘black gold’ – or ‘manure’ to the non gardener! With a team spirit and plenty of help many bags can be filled and transported back to the allotments, where they’re shared out equally.
This also helps us keep warm and build up that appetite for those tasty harvested dinners!