Allotment ride and composting

It turned out to be a great morning to choose for a ride to the allotment. The weather was kind with sunshine appearing on occasion despite a chilly start to the day. I listened to the new Rebus novel on audible as I cycled through Horton to Gaunt's Common before a slight detour through Holt and on to Wimborne which took my mind off the ride in terms of effort,

Despite having strimmed the grass just a fortnight ago, I did it again this mornng, evidence of just how mild it has been, rain having been more of an issue. It took quite a while with an attack on the area bu the compost bin which I wanted clear as part of my plans to work on the heap, turning it and ensuring the manure we have been adding is well mixed in with the other materials.

The next job was to check on the beds and to do some picking, mainly greens, and to sort out the wire netting keeping the autumn sown broad beans safe from nibbles. The plants have emerged well and need a bit more space to grow upwards without the hindrance of netting so I had to shape it accordingly. I completely removed the netting from the winter lettuce and beetroot and was able to bring home a lettuce like you might buy at the supermarket, easily the best I've ever grown and we had it with our tea. I also picked a few beetroot and they have been roasted and are ready for eating now.

I then worked on the compost heap which is different from a plastic compost bin which we also have and has been used to put the weeds and so on in for the past months. I want to empty that and put the contents on the proper heap but a lot of work is required before then. I dug out the heap to begin with, just forking the compost on the recently strimmed area right next to the heap. That exposed the lower half which was lovely soil, perfect for top dressing the beds.

Having already cleared the bed next to the heap, it had been full of spinach and chard, I was able to start forking this lovely soil on to restore nutrients and structure to the bed. It also had some of the manure in too, so it should be good stuff for the spring.

The idea is to spread the compost which is ready onto the beds as I clear and dig them, then to put the top half back in and to add the contents of the plastic bin on top. That should give the whole thing a good turn and mix, allowing the bacteria and worms and other creatures to get on with breaking it down in readiness for the spring/summer. I can then move the plastic bin next to the compost heap and free up some more growing space.

It sounds strange to say but I thoroughly enjoyed myself in the largely deserted allotment, stopping now and again for a coffee or to watch the two robins which kept visiting.

A bonus was discovering the parsnips we'd planted in the spring which had been hidden by the greens which we'd been growing. And they were enormous, roots down at least a foot in several cases. We've already had parsnip soup this evening and very tasty it was too.

Amelia and Kate were visiting when I got home having taken the main Wimborne to Cranborne road back and we took Maisy out for a walk before Alison and I did the goat farm walk on our own later. 

Plenty of fresh air, plenty of exercise and a sense of achievement in bringing home some lovely produce, as well as in tackling the seasonal work of allotment maintenance.

I've added a couple of photos which show the allotments looking across to the fields, not just our little patch. It does lift the spirits being there amongst the plants and in the fresh air, something to be welcomed in these difficult times.