Fall Work In The Allotment

Harvesting those parsnips was the real fun part of recent 'winterizing' chores on the allotment. There were (and are) other things that must be done, such as: Plat weeding and clean-up, ground preparation, taking the windows out of the greenhouse and storing them away until the spring--those sorts of things. They are all necessary, but not always great fun when the weather is anything less than optimal.
We have a prevailing moist and cold wind here (often n-easterly). Burrrrr, just saying the words gives me a little shiver. Ach, once you get going, it isn't too bad though...and then there is always the promise of hot tea and bikkies periodically. You haver to keep the troops topped-off with refreshment if you want to get anything out of them. Wink

One of the first things that had to be done was the bringing down of the runner bean racks. Do you remember how they looked back in the summer?

Luscious green foliage and cheerful red flowers...yes, but that was then; now it looks quite a bit differently.
The vines have been slid off their poles

...and the poles pulled-up, wind-dried and placed back on the covered wood pile.
The ground had old manure spread over it and then the plot was min-tilled and covered with the dying runner vines.
Just starting with covering the min-tilled soil.

The bed is now completely covered with the old runner vines.

I am hoping that the weather will improve so that I can finish the plots. I still have to clear dead courgette vines, Perpetual Spinach, Swiss Chard, as well as the last of the beets--then that third of the new garden will be ready for working and covering.

An overview of the new garden shows the Purple Sprouting Broccoli under the netting in the foreground, then just beyond that, the green manure.

The Lupins look so pretty blooming there. In-between the rows of Lupine are rows of Phacelia, which will only partially bloom--the weather is just too bad for them...and now the honeybees that would come have pretty much gone into their "winter mode" now.

I just had to show one more foto of those nice parsnips again-- gleaming-white in the sun, drying on the hedge.

There were only the papriks's left in the green house, so out they came! Here are the last of those:

They took a while to wash, chop and bag once home, but they will come in handy for cooking during the course of the year.

The greenhouse looks so barren now. I left one final marigold plant in the back corner to keep me company. It's reprieve will be short-lived once the wind dies down, I will have to remove the glass panes then.

As a final bonus for me, I have harvested some sage and a few Saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) stigmata. I am hoping that the plants will produce more flowers soon, so I can get that out of the way. I noticed that the original bulbs that I planted last year have multiplied, so this looks promising.

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Sjoerd http://www.volkstuindersvereniginghoornenomstreken.nl/Page11.html

GROWNFORYOU--I cover the soil with my bean vines to keep it loose after I have first min-tilled it. this attracts worms and protects the top layer from too much rain and UV rays.
In the spring, if they haven't completely composted, then I dig it in or put what's left of the debris in the compost bin. By then most of the 'nutrition' that was in the leaves and stems will have melted down to the soil anyway.
Should there be slugs and snails that overwintered under the vines...well I whip the vines off and leave the plot--the Jackdaws, robins and other birds come in quickly enough and have a feast. It all works out fine.
Some years I chop the vines up and add them to the compost bin only.
Using spent bean vines to tie things sounds like a good idea to me, G4U.

BUNKIE-- Nice to see you. Glad you liked the posting.
Here is the old Crocus link from last year:
http://www.gardenstew.com/about12543.html
I hope that you find it useful. You don't plant these bulbs in the spring, though--you plant them in June or July.

As for the Parsnips: I do not believe that they are perennials (perhaps the wild ones are, but not the hybrids, I don't think.
I always do mine the same way:

First of all let me say that soil is the most important factor when growing parsnips. If your soil has too many pebbles or has been recently fertilized, the roots will probably fork or become mishapen. Parsnips like a loose and free-draining soil with an average pH of ~6.5. They do not do well if the soil is too acidic.

STEP 1--Prepare your soil making is loose and fertile about one month before you actually plan to plant. Dig it good and deep, because the parsnip can be quite long.

STEP 2--Sowing: the ideal time to sow is April-June. There are many types of Parsnips--look on the seed pack to see what they advise. I tend to plant mine earlier rather than later in that time frame, regardless of what the pack might say.
The day that you plan to sow (or the day before) mark your rows with pegs and twine then work that row until the soil in the row has a very fine tilth (there are wonderful tools for this, but you can do it conventionally too).

STEP 3--Make a shallow-ish furrow, fill that half full with a fine and very well-rotted compost and water that in liberally without the rose.
You know that you should always plant on a sunny day, right? Well, after watering, leave the watered furrow open for at least an hour and let the sun warm that furrow up good before sowing (this is to help with germination).

STEP 4--place three seeds together in a group about every 20 cm's(8in.) and 1 cm (½ in.) deep.
Cover the seeds with a very thin/fine soil or as I do, with ~1mm fine soil then vermiculite on top of that.

STEP 5--Lightly water-in each row (close to the ground to prevent disruption of the seeds) with a watering can with a sprayer (rose) on it.

Addendum: When you have one of those years where you just can't seem to get those things to germinate, you can germinate them by placing the seeds in a soaking wet paper towel, fold it over on itself and place in a closed plastic container (like an ice cream container) and place that on a heating pad. Fold a few newspaper pages and place them between the plastic container and the heating pad. You should check the seeds after about five days...then every day until you see miniscule root tips beginning to appear.
Then you see them you must get them into the ground without delay (root tip down, of course).
You might ask, "Why not do that in the first place then". The reason is that Parsnip roots are so increadibly sensitive to disruption--resulting in malformation or death, that the technique is actually used as a "last-ditch measure" only.

Bunkie, there are of course, different ways to do this--but this is the technique that I use and it is successful for me.
Just remember--soil is the most important aspect of planting Parsnips, so put meticulous effort into getting that right.

Well Glenda, I suppose that you will have to fly over one of these days and have a few meals with us. Why, you could pick your own! Very Happy

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Sjoerd http://www.volkstuindersvereniginghoornenomstreken.nl/Page11.html