Allotment Year 6 - April 20th 2023 Tour

It's been a quiet month, with the cold and wet delaying the usual spring growth. The blossom and bulbs however had been doing their thing, although several of the troughs of daffodils have failed under mysterious reasons. The delay has caused concern for how some of the shrubs have faired over the hard winter - are they still alive? No sign of life yet from several but we have had at least three damselfly hatching forth from the pond. The rhubarb has provided a harvest, and the blackcurrants and gooseberries are laden with fruit. Garlic, onions and shallots are growing, albeit rather slowly, as are carrots, radish and cabbage (under cloches). We have seedling lettuce about to be planted out. As for the fruit trees, we're seeing the most blossom they've ever had. Whether this will result in much fruit, we'll have to wait and see!

[@bristolveggiebeds5310]

Lovely tulips! Let's hope the weather finally warms up!

[@SoilToilAllotment]

Fingers crossed Helen! Lots of things seem very reluctant to grow. We need more obvious signs of proper spring weather!

[@michaelsplot]

👍👍👍

[@SoilToilAllotment]

Thanks Michael! Glad you liked it. 🙂

[@nukasallotment7496]

Hi David. Tulips and rosemary looking good. Do you protect your blackcurrants with nets later on? I have to as the little birdies here just devastate my blackcurrants if I don't protect them. Everything looking good and ready for the new season. Cheers Nuka.

[@SoilToilAllotment]

Thanks Nuka! Yes, we net our fruit. When we first got the plot we inherited gooseberries and blackcurrants, which we didn't cover, and the pigeons had the lot! We even saw them walking along the path and pecking what they could reach. By the way, I nearly asked you in the video, does your Chilean guava look anything like ours, i.e., dead? Maybe it's just resting. 🙂 I'm 99% certain it's dead though. We've lost two blueberry plants in that bath as well. I suspect the exposed, elevated position is too much for them in the winter. All the best, David

[@nukasallotment7496]

@@SoilToilAllotment Hallo again David. My Chilean guava is alive but that is because I overwintered it in the leaky garage, a couple of feet off the ground as it is coldest lower down. (Leaky as it has an old sheet instead of a door.) I also wrapped some fleece around it when the weather was at its worst - when I remembered to. I will be mentioning it in my next video so you can see it then. I have a different shrub that is only branches and has lost all its leaves. I left it out by mistake (laziness). I am hoping it is not dead and will hold onto it for a couple of months into the summer in case it recovers. If it doesn't I will then throw it out. The elevated position of your fruit bushes is a positive. The cold bath is a negative. I once slept in an empty bath while travelling. It would have been better if I had slept on the ground, but that is another story! Take care., Nuka.