What You Doing on the Allotment Vegetable Plot ?

Busy time on allotment, weeds as always need removing a job which is quick in areas that can be worked over with a hoe but slower in places where careful hand weeding is best.

My shallots are growing but so are new weeds and as they appear they need to be removed from that area so that they do not compete with the shallots. This type of hand weeding close to a crop like onions or shallots is important and easier to do before the young weeds get bigger roots established in the soil near to the shallots. Careful weeding is important when growing a shallow rooted crop like these.

In dry spells it is a good idea to water the seed potatoes you have planted. Too much water at one time is not a good idea but neither is it good to leave them without any watering as this slows their growth. As you earth up the potatoes most of the new small young weeds will be uprooted. I like the idea of achieving two tasks with one process so regular earthing up saves on the amount of weeding required in the area that the potatoes are.

If you have very dry impoverished soil like mine when planting seeds and young plants it is a good idea to put into the planting area  something to help the young plant get started. Well rotted compost is not suitable for everything but is a good idea for others. I have used coir ( it comes in a compressed block that you soak well before use) and found that it was useful ( put it into the planting hole once it has absorbed water and I think it helps to hold the moisture for the young plant, better than just planting straight into the soil.

April.