REFLECTING ON ALLOTMENTS PAST
The crops grown may have changed but we’re still the same friendly, enthusiastic bunch!
As January nears its end, our patience is being tested to the full. The days lengthen and the urge to get started is ge ing greater by the day. But hold steady, as long as the preparation work is under way, a week or two longer won’t ma er to the life cycle of your crops.
I’m reflecting on this great club that we all belong to, the community of allotment gardeners. This established group of like-minded people must be more than 300 years of age! This form of community growing began in the 18th century when landowners, who were afraid of losing their poorly paid workers to be er paid jobs in the towns, decided the best way to keep them was to give them a plot of land to grow their own food. This supplemented their meagre wages and helped
put wholesome food on the tables for their families. Thus the allotment was created! Plots in those long-gone days would have grown a variety of cereal crops in addition to the vegetables to feed the whole family. The only difference in the modern-day plot is that very few see the need to grow cereals any more, but concentrate on a wider variety of vegetables and fruits. The motivation of activity – but it still fulfils the need of supplying good, fresh, wholesome food.
But if one of those early allotmenteers was to walk through the gates of a modernday allotment they would still meet the same character of person today as then. A friendly, sharing, happy-go-lucky sort, willing to enthuse about the benefits of locally grown produce.
Still, back to the present day and the tasks at hand! One job I haven’t done for several years is open a bean trench. Maybe it’s an age thing! As I’ve stated my composting area and I’ve a mountain of great compost from my green Dalek bins si ing at the bo om of the plot. The bean trench seems the best use of it.
So, spade to work and soon I have the perfect home for this compost; I use it to dig in my green manure there at the same time. This is then covered with spent compost that I have lying around the plot in great quantities. If those climbing beans don’t respond to this extra effort I’ll be annoyed!