What to do now - December
It's that time of year...
While many of us we harvesting tomatoes well into November the weather has finally turned and we've had the first frost since early spring.
December (and January) should be relative quiet months on the plot – the perfect time for getting organised, planning, and housekeeping. It’s a good time to sort through any leftover seeds and decide which ones to keep and which to throw out or offer to other plot holders – seeds typically have a life of around two years and results deteriorate over time. You may also wish to discard any seeds that you didn’t enjoy growing (or eating!). And, while you’re at it, think about what to plant and where in the year ahead. A good crop rotation plan will help to limit pests and diseases.
Also, those cold/rainy days when there’s little incentive to visit the plot are an opportunity to ensure your garden tools are clean, sharp or otherwise in good condition.
Check the condition of any crops that are in storage – fruit, potatoes, onions and squashes are the main candidates.
Finally, think of anything you may need over the coming year and put it on your Christmas list!
Allotment tasks
Sow Now
Fruit trees, fruit bushes and rhubarb. Garlic sets, shallots, hardy peas and broad beans (Aquadulce varieties), winter salad leaves.
Jobs
Prune hard fruit trees (apples, pears) and currants, gooseberries and autumn raspberries. Remove faded leaves from winter brassicas. Cover beds.
Harvest
Leeks, root vegetables, brassicas (cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts), late salad crops.
Leaf Salad Crops
Salad crops develop quickly, and there are a wide variety – sorrel, lettuce, endive, kale, radicchio and mustard leaves - to suit various conditions.
They can be grown in seed drills, broadcast over an area of ground or grown in containers. Either way, they offer a fresh and tasty alternative to bags of supermarket salads.
As salad crops can outgrow weeds, watering and pests are the main concerns for salad growers. Watering every two days may be necessary during long dry spells if salad crops are grown in compost rich beds (daily watering may be necessary if they are grown in small pots).
Slugs are the main pest, and can be treated with pellets, nematodes, or regular picking off. Ants and aphids can also be a problem – ants can be kept in check if the surrounding soil is kept moist. Aphids can be squashed by hand if they are not tackled by ladybirds or beetles.
Regular collect leaves when they are ready to harvest. If leaves start to sag after harvesting they can be recovered by soaking in cold water.
Protect Winter Brassicas
A well planned plot will have some well-developed brassicas as we head towards winter: various types of kale, cabbage, sprouts and broccoli. Give them a helping hand by:
- Fitting mesh or netting to protect them from pigeons
- Stake out taller Brussels sprouts and broccoli plants
- Remove any yellow leaves to discourage white fly and improve air circulation
- Apply soft soap solutions to help protect against pests the following spring
Chitting Potatoes
February is time to prepare seed potatoes for planting by ‘chitting’ them – storing them in such a way that they start to sprout before being planted in the ground.
The potatoes should be spread out over a single layer in a cool, dry place which is free from the risk of frost. Large, unused egg boxes are ideal for this, allowing air circulation between each seed potato.
Ideally the storage area should be bright but the seed potatoes should be out of direct sunlight. After a few days the potatoes will then grow short stubby shoots which will help the potato plants to grow when they are planted out to get them off to a fast start when planted out. St Patrick’s Day is the traditional day of the year to plant potatoes.
There is some evidence that you can grow larger potatoes by breaking off the weaker shoots just before planting, leaving only the three or four stronger shoots to grow.