Anyhow, last year was a little strange to say the least, so I will admit I wasn’t able to get any allotmenteering done at all. We kept up the growing of runner beans in the summer along with the fruit and herbs that are permanent allotment residents, but that was about it.

So 2021 is going to be a year of “resetting” – gradually getting things under control, taming the things that should be cut back, feeding the things that are looking a little sad and generally getting the plot back up to speed so that 2022 can be a productive growing year!

Fruit

The fruit will all be in need of attention, from cutting back the strawberries (that can only really happen after fruiting, so that’s a job for this autumn), cutting the raspberries down to ground level (possibly that can still happen up to April, although it depends on what growth there is on each cane), and tying in the blackberry bush (I’ve got a new “Gripple” kit to try out for that, in the hope it will be more successful than vine eyes that didn’t screw completely into the wooden supports!).

The rhubarb however seems to need very little extra attention, and just happily thrives on semi-neglect!

Herbs

The herbs tend to be left alone most of the time, but the fennel probably needs last year’s growth cut down to ground level. I should think the mint has taken over the flower section of the plot by now, seeing as that had already escaped from its pot a few years ago!

Flowers

I will admit my flower patch tends to not get too much attention other than cutting back the dead stalks after flowering. The flowers work well to attract pollinating insects, and also help to conceal the compost bin!

The main thing that remains to be seen though, is how much of this can actually be achieved this year, and what the plot will look like in 11 months’ time…

Now you’re probably wondering why I’ve picked three packs of seeds from Dobies, and three from Thompson & Morgan – well I was sent a £5 voucher from Dobies as a Christmas present for being on their mailing list, and spotted T&M had the same offer on their facebook page. So even though I had to pay postage, I was able to save £10.

Starting from the top line we have…

• Radish – Dragon F1 (Dobies). Last year’s radish seeds were reasonably successful, so I thought I’d try a F1 variety this year, rather than always going for the cheaper options.
• Radish – Mixture (Dobies). …having said that, I couldn’t resist a pick and mix style selection of radish, as that’s going to be interesting to see all the different varieties and colours which (hopefully) grow!
• Celery – Golden Spartan (Dobies). We’ve been buying celery plants from Homebase each year, but last year’s ones weren’t overly successful. So this year I’m going to be reckless (or just plain crazy) and try growing my own from seed.

Moving on to the middle line…

• Cucumber – Hopeline (Mr Fothergill’s). I actually won this seed packet in a competition last year, but never got as far as sowing them. Seeing as the Cucamelons were so successful last year, this year I’m determined to try growing these miniature Cucumbers.
• Potatoes. No link for these, as they’re going to come from a local garden centre. I just need to figure out which varieties to grow this year, and get a lot of manure to prepare the ground!
• Florence Fennel – Victorio F1 (Thompson & Morgan). Last year’s Florence Fennel wasn’t overly successful either – only two plants grew. However, I’m hopeful that it was just down to the extreme weather during the summer, and that this year things will grow much better.

And last but not least, the bottom line…

• Leek – Musselburgh (Thompson & Morgan). This year we’re not growing Broad Beans, so I needed an alternative. These will (hopefully) be sown in March or Aprilm but like the cucumber, I’ve never grown these before, so it’s going to be interesting to see what happens!
• Carrots – Paris Market – Atlas (Thompson & Morgan). Carrots are supposed to be easy to grow, but I’ve never had any real success. A previous year all I had was leaf growth, and last year the leaves were lying flat on the ground as I’m assuming “something” had eaten them away from the growth at the base. This year will be different, as I’m planning on sowing these in a pot in the garden, as well as on the allotment. I wonder which will be most successful…
• Cucamelon. No link for this one, as I’m hoping that my plants from last year have produced viable tubers which will regrow this year. The plant which was in the pot in the garden hasn’t been touched other than cutting it down, and I still haven’t got back to the allotment (yet) to dig up the cucamelon there. Maybe next week…

So there’s my Grow Nine for 2019 – what are you planning on growing this year?

Don’t forget to check out the Propagator’s Six on Saturday  and read through the comments section for more blogs to check out!