Jobs around the allotment

Now that the plot is resting, there’s time for one task I have been putting off – washing up.

All the greenhouse terracotta pots were emptied mid-autumn, and the task of washing them can no longer be avoided. I’ll dilute some Citrox, a natural disinfectant, and rinse them out with it. The calm of December means it’s also the best time to give tools some TLC. I clean and sharpen not just secateurs but all my hand tools. I even sand down wooden handles and brush on linseed oil to protect them.

I do a stocktake on my seed boxes, too

– out go really old seeds and fresh seeds are ordered in time for the new season that’s just around the corner.

December is a quiet time and the perfect month to do a stocktake of your seed collection – get rid of any that are out of date and order in new ones