Setting down my Growing NY resolutions.
It's that time of year when I look at the allotment as a blank canvas again. This time last year I was just about to take on the jungle and I had a false start, where I swapped my couch infested jungle for a better, but marestail infested plot.
Last year, I barely cultivated a quarter of it, but it rewarded me with a sack of spuds and a sack of onions and a few bowls of berries. Next year, I WILL hit the ground running or I'll have you guys to answer to:-
The gooseberry bush is going!. I didn't like the few it produced. I'll gift it to any plot neighbour.
The strawberries were a huge disappointment. I'm going to cull and replant to a small area, but nurture them.
Raspberries..... Hmmmm they were a legacy. To be scaled back. TBH, I only kept them so I could call that bed 'cultivated'
Spuds and Onions: I'm going to go BIG. Going to try to get two big crops of spuds. I have some preserved seed spuds still surviving from this years crop. As well as those, two bags of 15p Lidl spuds (Elland) set aside for chitting. Lidl spuds did well this year, but they were a small variety. Yes Jenny=Tightwad
Carrots and peas. I'm really mad at myself failing with those. MUST DO BETTER. Stacks of seeds bought. I'm going to do the gutter pipe trick with peas.
Tomatoes. Did OK this year till blight showed up. Next year, I'm going under glass, big-time. I WILL sow at THE RIGHT TIME, and I WILL care for the little bu66ers.
I've allocated 2 days next week for digging over, weather permitting. The weeds have been subdued and suppressed and I'm going to keep it that way "Hoe Hoe Hoe". The whole site is looking abandoned and my plot now looks relatively tended. I think I was lucky to get through site checks, this year, by cultivating just a minimum. New Year's resolution is to knuckle down. Hold me to it. Chase me. Insist on reports and pics.
So..... Right now I'm not asking for specific advice, though all advice is welcome.
I'm asking that the growers amongst you, keep me on my toes.