Jobs around the allotment

Ooh a chill in the air. Let me see if I can find a few jobs to get me all warmed up. With shorter daylight hours, it’s time to clean the glass panes of the greenhouse, keeping them clear of any algae build-up and to let in as much daylight as possible. Next, I’ll turn my attention to the summer raspberries – after pruning out the old fruited stems, I’ll tie in this year’s new stems. Then I’ll focus on my Brussels sprouts. My plot is quite exposed and to stop the winter winds from damaging the plants, I’ll mulch the area with a thick layer of homemade compost, and anchor individual bamboo canes close to the plants, tying them in to prevent rocking.

After pruning, select the strongest young canes of summer raspberries and tie them to their supports, cutting the remaining canes to the ground