Terry Walton explains why he appreciates the frosty mornings on his plot
Only a gardener can appreciate the beauty and good that a frost can achieve
What a glorious few November days we’ve just had – cold, frosty nights and days of blue skies and bright sunshine. This is what gardeners love about this time of year and it’s in keeping with what’s expected. This will send the pests scurrying off and drive slugs and snails into a dormant state, leaving our precious winter vegetables alone.
My allotment is on the south side of the valley hillside and shielded from the early morning sun by the high mountain to the east. This means the sun doesn’t strike the plot until late morning. On my arrival there it’s covered by the clean ‘whiteness’ of the overnight frosty deposits and as the first rays of the sun peek around the corner of the hill, this is a truly spectacular winter sight. These crystals are perfectly formed and reflect the sunlight like a series of glistening diamonds, which creates the perfect ‘winter wonderland’.
Only a gardener can
In addition to the light show, the frost brings out the true flavour of the winter vegetables, making them ‘sweeter’ when cooked and served as a hot winter dish.
Let’s hope that this year we’ll return to a traditional winter with its cold spells and sunny days and not the milder, wet months that recent winters have provided. Once the sun has done its job and melted the frosty deposits, it’s time to get on with other winter tasks. Beware, don’t try to work on the soil while it’s still frosty or this will damage the structure of your precious soil.
At our very sociallydistanced coffee break the other morning, Jeff asked where one of our newest members was. He’d not been seen for a couple of weeks, so I said ‘I think he’s in Eg ypt’.
‘What’s he doing there?’ Ron asked.
I replied, ‘well he’s finished his new shed, perhaps he’s gone to help build a pyramid!’ Such is the quick wi edness of a relaxed allotmenteer.
Now’s a good time to clear up that rhubarb patch. Remove all the dead leaves and weed the area well, being careful not to damage the crown. Spread a layer of good old manure around the crowns, ensuring you don’t cover them. These crowns need a cold spell to make them dormant and then to leap back into life in the warmer days of next year.