Allotmenting for Beginners Part 4 - Autumn

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Allotmenting for Beginners.

“The what, when and how.”

Autumn

• Harvesting.
• Storing.
• Keeping plot clean.
• Preparing for winter

What can we plant/ Sow now

• Overwintering onion sets,
• Some winter varieties of Radishes,
• Green Manure.

Storing and Harvesting.  

Leave things in the Ground, Parsnips, some carrots, beetroot and or course your brassicas.

Take them home, what you can freeze, preserve, store onions, potatoes in a light-proof sack

Store in peat etc. Carrots, beetroot, Parsnips.
How do you do these?
Preparing your plot for the Autumn slowdown.
Keep bare ground weed free by hoeing etc. My suggestion is don’t dig the ground just yet as you will soon have more weeds germinating and you will be compacting freshly dug ground.
Do a clean-up of your plot, to clear away anything that might overwinter slugs and bugs, dead leaves, old veg storks etc.
Prune any bushes you may have after they have gone dormant (usually when the leaves have fallen). Ask me at any time what to do as it requires more info being passed on than we have time for today.
Move, Transplant any that are in the wrong place or buy new BARE ROOTED plants from nursery (Cheapest way).

Planning for next Year.

• Think about what’s been good this year.
• Cropped well for you,
• Maybe change the variety,
• Grow more of what you like,
• Have I planted/Sown things too close or thickly or thinly or not thinned out at the right time,
• Where you have grown them,
• Think about Rotation,
• Order you seeds (From the association)
• Get you compost/Manure ready.

Digging

May I suggest that your digging is not started until late October/November when the ground has cooled down and the weeds have stopped germinating.
If you can, keep off the ground when it’s too wet or frozen.
Digging can be one of the most satisfying jobs.
Finally a day in Autumn spent up the Allotment is 3-4 days saved in the Spring.

Don’t think your plot can shut down




Want to ask Gordon a question?

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