What a freezing start to 2009 it’s been. It’s absolutely perishing down here in Bath and must be almost unbearable further north, or east for that matter. The watering can outside my back door is solid with ice and even the curly kale is looking under the weather.
I think I’ll just stay indoors and browse seed catalogues while waiting for things to thaw out.
I’m surprised at the state of the curly kale, it’s normally as tough as old boots and looks lush and perky regardless of the temperature. But it’s uncommonly cold at the moment and everything is suffering. The leeks and parsnips are frozen into the ground and are impossible to harvest, but a good frost is thought to sweeten the flavour of parsnips so the wait should be worth it.
My Brussels sprouts have been superb this year and are still going strong although I can’t remember what variety they are.
The only job I’ve really been able to do has been to top up the bird feeders. I’ve got a couple of peanut and seed feeders hanging in the shrubby blackthorn tree at the edge of the plot and I’ve been religiously topping them up since the beginning of the cold snap in December. This has been greatly appreciated by my resident robin, which has lately been almost spherical it had puffed up its feathers so much!
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The cold weather is good for soft fruit in particular Raspberries. There was a worry some years ago, that with rising temps, Kent would become unsuitable for such crops that need cold to trigger profuse flowering.
No doubt of a good crop next year?
its been frezing these last few weeks and although usually feed the birds, i find they are appreciating it more than ever. in jst this week i’ve seen loads of different species such as the greater spotted woodpecker, blue tits, great tits, blackbirds,robins, and even a heron visited although i do not have a pond or fish! I think that it is important that we all feed the birds, as not only have we developed and destroyed their habitats but with climate change the weather is even more harsh, people are even saying this is the coldest winter in 30 years! (i’m only 13 so i don’t know, but it sounds realistic!)
plant onions/spring onions or garlic next to carrots deter carrot fly!- and use cut grass as mulch to protect them from carrot fly eggs or larvae!
I’m growing garlic,spring onions, carrots, tomatoes, strawberries, blackcurrants, chille peppers, leeks cabbage and curly leafed parsley and mint, this year! Its like livin on a farm! hehe!!!! Any other suggestions are always welcome!
It was absolutely freezing on our allotment yesterday, but we had a really good day. we had our annual manure heap delivered last week so we made a start on moving it yesterday. The allotments are beautiful when it is icy, the trees are especially, just like a picture postcard.
I’m going to try mangetout peas this year for the first time – Carouby de Mausanne. Wish me luck! Now it’s raining, I’ll be able to get at the leeks which were frozen in. zgw, you sound wonderfully enthusiastic – good on yer! I recommend Joan J raspberries, the best I’ve ever tasted/grown
its been great down here in sunny bournemouth…have got a new allotment, 50ft x 160ft, and am currently clearing it. I was even in my t-shirt last thursday, the sun was that hot (and i was working hard)
just read your comment on the freezing weather, i agree with you everything is frozen solid up here in sheffield. taking the opportunity to browse for a climbing plant for a shady wall
Glad to read that someone else took advantage of the cold, and managed to move muck onto their plot. The heat of the muck heap made it the only place you could get a fork into here in Norwich. A group of 20 Fieldfares came to feed on the heap of fallen apples last weekend. So it will be interesting to see how many apples are left, and whether I can start digging in the muck this coming weekend
With the ground frozen solid there want be any leek and potato soup just yet, the garlic’s in so I played in the garden with my vac and hoovered the leaves, shredded them and composted these then played with my new shredder in went the ilex, conifer, spruce chinese lanterns berries all left over from my workshop teaching and I cannot tell you what fun and satisfaction this morning was. Two very worth while jobs and the christmas money well spend.
Talking about freezing cold last week we had hours of power cuts the house freezing and dark except for a candle couldn’t take advantage to do some gardening and this week the boiler has broken good job the gas stove still works so I can cook some of those lovely winter veg, if they haven’t drowned now that it is pouring of rain in surrey after the big freeze, well happy gardening everybody, brrrrr!!!
More what I call ‘gardening frustration’ – ie when I read the ‘what to do now’ info on the GsWorld weekly newsletter – how CAN I do all these things when it’s totally impracticable to be out in the garden. And my greenhouse is an intensive care zone for tender plants, with the temperature too low for their comfort, & no way am I going to start cleaning it out! Nor am I likely to potter about outside – the leeks & chard will have to survive, or not, & the broad beans sown in the autumn are either surviving or not. Such is life!
This year I will be making the attempt to grow cucumbers, red cabbage, spinach, onions,garlic, carrots, mixed lettuce,chille peppers any my favourite herbs which are thyme, mint, basil, coriander,
I couldn’t help but smile when I read your comment about it being even colder in the North and East. I live near Durham, and yes, it has been freezing. Being an organic gardener, I welcome the frost and cold which will help kill off all the nasty bugs and break up the soil I dug over in the autumn – but I’ll be pleased when the warmer weather comes so’s I can spend some time in my allotment
I’m with you on the Joan J raspberries – they are good aren’t they! I haven’t got any yet but you’ve just reminded me I want a few canes.
Thanks
here in northwood kirkby allotments nr liverpool we have hade a lot of snow this week but looking around the allotment you can tell that spring is just around the corner the bulbs are all cuming up the buds on the shrubs are geting fater i have got seeds cuming up in the pollytunel.what more can you wont it is all not bad the good wether will soon be here and then you will be saying it is to hot.
Hi Today I thought I would check on my allotment after the heavy snow falls we have been haveing in Sheffield. The snow hadn’t caused any real damage apart from flattening the netting that I had placed over the spring cabbage but my heart sank when I checked on the purple sprouting brockley that was doing fantastic. The pigeons have just about pecked every leaf and sprouting brockley bud that had grown. I don’t mind shareing but it looks like I’ve had a swarm of Locus visit me.
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