Another very cold but brilliant day, though a cloud hung over the allotment for most of the morning.
The frosts of the past few days have not caused any damage to the winter crops although the field beans grown as a green manure had wilted but by lunchtime the plants were perky once more.
We kept warm by barrowing a new delivery of manure over to the bin area and hammering in posts for the new raspberries.
One of the two plum trees on the plot – a gage called Denniston’s Superb – has rarely fruited and has had little blossom. It is well named since the occasional gage we have had from it tastes quite superb.
It was planted in 2007 but the site is obviously too cold and exposed for it so we are calling time on it and dug it up today. Once it was out of the ground we could see the roots had not developed well and the soil was poor and stony, as was the whole plot at the beginning so it has had a hard life.
We shall replace it with a damson which is hardy and should do better.
There is a large heap of soil in the car park but with a lot of couch grass and plastic rubbish in it but good once it has been riddled so that is warming work too and helps fill the raised beds.
Jobs for next week
Wiring up the new posts for the raspberries
Repairing/replacing the pallets round the bins
Continuing the weeding round the hazels