Filling up the allotment.

The problem with this time of year is that you don't know when the last frost will strike.  Last night the allotment had a relatively mild frost, however it affected my potatoes.  They were not cut right back but tonight there might be another frost and this time they will find it very difficult to avoid being affected badly.

There is little I can do because they are quite big now - over 6 inches tall.  Even further earthing up would not help.  I will just have to grin and bear it.

I planted another row of brocolli and that really fills the brassicae bed except for a small area which I might use to put some turnips into.  My daughter wants me to grow an enormous turnip for her F2 reception class. (Four and five year olds) There seems to be a book with a similar title.

I put another row of leeks in and this time I added inoculated charcoal to the planting holes.  I haven't been doing this recently because I had run out of charcoal.  I also added some mychorrhizal fungi.  I was going to leave the leeks exposed to the elements but, after some thought,  I decided to cover them with enviromesh and fleece. I used old cloche wires as supports and buried the edges in the soil.  I had to use this combination because neither was long enough to cover the row.  Now I have run out of things to cover the leeks with so I will just have to take my chances and leave them exposed to the ravages of the leek miner fly.

Now that the allotment is virtually full, there is more time to concentrate on the allotment too far.  There will be some opportunity tomorrow to clear a little more of the jungle.  I need to take my loppers to cut down a damson sapling and the brambles.  I will also try to demolish the corrugated iron compost bins.

I still have not transplanted the celeriac yet and believe it or not I will have to resow my French beans because they have not germinated again.  If at first you don't suck seed, try drier grain.

I am hoping the weather will break tomorrow and we will get a little rain.   It will not stop the frosts by the looks of the forecast but the ground is so dry that some of the plants have stopped growing.

I will take some pictures of the allotment in early May tomorrow.  It is interesting to see how the allotment has changed month by month.  I will also write something about identifying soils and soil profiles.