2025 kicked off with Storm Eowyn. Edinburgh Botanic Gardens lost their tallest tree. Across town our allotment site we also experienced a bit of a blow. When this tree toppled its rootball ripped up the site access path. The Council Allotment Officer assured us that given the extensive damage across all of Edinburgh we shouldn't expect the Parks arboreal team to attend to it for some time. This prediction has been borne out.
Our neighbour's greenhouse suffered a direct hit and 100% glass loss. With the shielding of the wall my new build of last year survived unscathed except for a puncture in the corrugated plastic roof from flying debris. I can repair that.
The brassica patch is a source of some encouragement in times of adversity! The purple sprouting broccoli and Russian kale seem unperturbed by the storm and the weeks of cold easterly winds. (The Italian kale is not so happy)
and the "Yellow Cabbage" is good and yellow.
So even at this time of year there are positives, But I can't resist suggesting this song as the allotment anthem.
It's that time of year when the gardener gets respite from the frantic summer months. Nothing is growing anymore - weeds included. But beside uniformly earthy former potato patch and the skeletonised pumpkin patch there are green patches still. This is when the brassicas come into their own! Late cabbages, Brussel sprouts, kale and sprouting broccoli are approaching their prime. The purple sprouting broccoli will not start producing until next March, but has plenty of leaf already.
The other green area is more of a remnant offering leaf beat, beetroot and leeks.
(Under the net is more kale and some Chinese cabbage. Despite the net the leaves have been pockmarked by some pest). So end of season is here but there are still harvests to look forward to.
It is every allotmenteer's dream to be harvesting all the year around. With stored harvests like garlic, onions, and potatoes this can be a viable claim. But the fresh harvesting activity in winter is restricted to digging up parsnips, Jerusalem artichokes, leeks and carrots. What we crave by this time of the year is a bit of freshly picked greenery. The reality is that the best we can hope for is for leafy crops to withstand the onslaught of the winter chill and then spring back into new growth at the earliest opportunity. Here are a couple of candidates:
Miner's Lettuce/Winter Purslane
Seakale Beet/Swiss Chard
Last of the leeks and first of the onions
Spring Hero Cabbage
Just out of the (unheated) greenhouse are these winter survivors. They will be deployed in the open soon, probably with a bit of protection. The pigeons are keen on fresh greens too!
August sown All the Year Round Cauliflower Red Drumhead Cabbage Little Gem Lettuce
I think you can agree things are looking a bit forlorn on my visit to the allotment today. I keep wondering "Who is that" before remembering that the sunflower is being left for the birds. It is all that is left of the beans and cucurbits (and I think it came in with the plants having originally come from the birdfood at home).
One area still very much in production is the "Other Roots" which is mostly given over to carrots (under environmesh netting) because we eat so many of them over the year and they taste so much better than any you can buy. We haven't even finished harvesting half of them. as we pick them as we need them. I do hope we will get away with leaving them in the ground over winter. The net helps - and I will supplement that with straw if severe frosts are forecast.
Carrots under netting
The rest of the "Other Roots" are parsnips and scorzonera squeezed in at the end. These happily don't need protection. Celeriac had to be squeezed elsewhere (with the cucurbits) as space had run out!
Green tops of "Other Roots"
The Allium area only has leeks left. They have been intercropped with late lettuces, some of which are still on the go - along with the weeds.
Lettuces and Leeks
Harvested lettuces and leeks - and beetroot
Something else still on the go, by design, is curly endive - Pancalieri. I tried these last year tying a string around each plant to blanche them. It worked fine but some insects got wise to my plan and took up residence. So I am being a bit more relaxed (lazy) this year and I have left the rosettes unrestrained. They make great lettuce soup.
New this year is chicory. Rossa di Traveso (I think) is the one that has worked out best. Time will tell if they reach edible proportions.
Rossa di Traveso heads
A mention for the more traditional brassica patch. The small plants are Spring Hero cabbages I am overwintering. There's plenty broccoli, sprouts and kale for the winter too, provided the pigeons don't gain access under that net.
Brassica Patch
So even though it is looking murky and winter is approaching there is still the prospect of more to come from the allotment.
The cucurbits have curled up, the beans have been, the lettuce is letting up - it's that time of year again. Time to take stock. What worked - and what didn't?
Worked
Winter Squash
Carrots under nets
Potatoes
Raspberries
Blueberries
Tosca onions from seed
Late season lettuces and Italian Endive varieties
No Go
Sweetcorn - Three strikes and you are out.
Spanish Flag (Ipomoea lobata) and Spanish Dancer (Linaria reticulata)- These belong in Spain and don't like the climate in Edinburgh
French Climbing Beans - no competition for runner beans. Dwarf French beans don't seem to be as sensitive. Curiously Italian Barlotti beans don't seem to be as temperamental. Mind you they are grown for drying not for pods.
French Cornet Endive varieties. Cornet de Bordeaux bolted every time.
Of course everything is going hell for leather right now what with spring proper arriving and all that. Rather than try to list everything here is a representative picture of the sort of madness that is abroad. This is my third sowing of brassicas (the earlier ones being cabbage, cauliflower and Brussel sprouts). They have all come good with the exeption of the two Tuscan Kales. Either they are slower to germinate or the seed (which is years old) has finally lost its viability.
I find it amusing that blogging drops when there is more going on in the garden. Paradoxically there is more to report on too. Busy makes busy.
Taking a tour of National Trust property Inveresk Lodge Garden yesterday this amazing eruption couldn't fail to catch the eye:
It is similar in structure to Cuckoo Pint (Arum maculatum) only the spadix (bit that looks like a sweetcorn cob) and spathe (lantern like leaf) are both bright yellow. And it is bigger. This is not from another planet but it is from another continent: North America. It goes by the prosaic names of "Western Skunk Cabbage" or "Swamp Lantern" amongst others. Its Latin name is Lysichiton americanus.
It is thriving in a boggy border downhill from a spring in the Garden. The skunk bit comes from the smell it emits to attract pollinators (beetles particularly). The cabbage bit arises from the root ball like a cabbage head that throws up the flower from about a yard underground. This was known to the native Americans as a valuable food source during a harsh time of year. The appearance of the flower heralds spring. All in all a stunning weird and exotic plant.
p.s. Went to Lauriston Castle yesterday and guess what? They have a big collection of Western Skunk Cabbages:
and alongside them the white Eastern Skunk Cabbage:
Well lots of them really. The picture shows an unpacked delivery of plug plants received by the School on Tuesday from Rocket Gardens based in Cornwall. Today they were planted out into the garden beds by the children under the supervision of the Garden Team. Every space freed up after summer harvesting has been filled with Lettuce( 4 varieties) Corn Salad (Lamb's Lettuce), Winter Purslane, Spring Onions, Cabbages (2 varieties), Kale (3), Pak Choi, Mizuna, Broccoli, Turnip, Mustard and Perpetual Spinach. Custody is now down to us - and the vagaries of a Scottish winter!
I was impressed with the previous May delivery too. It included courgette plants. Despite the change in latitude they took off after being planted out and produced fruit before the summer holiday (end of June in Scotland). Despite a dose of powdery mildew they are still producing large fruit now! The School obtained the plants for free as an award under the RHS Gardening for Schools Scheme, but I have to say that the plant quality and service has been most impressive. It would be invaluable for anyone stealing a march or playing catch up after falling behind on their sowing schedule.
It is time for my warts and all annual review. Viewed from the East it is not very photogenic.
The view from the East End
In the foreground you have rows of brassicas (turnips, kohlrabi and swede) which I have as catch crops between the asparagus. Very few asparagus fronds came up after the last winter. I will be filling in the gaps next spring. Beyond the "asparagus bed" are next year's strawberries (Malwena) and a row of cucurbits. Aside from the Romanesco Courgette bush there is little to show. Beyond that is:
Sweetcorn
Sweetcorn. Really just an exercise in thumbing the nose at the naysayers who don't think it could possibly be grown in Scotland. It can - just!
Beets and Fennel
Beyond that we are on safer territory with beetroot, fennel, Swiss chard and lettuces. The beetroot this year has been very boistrous and I am hopeful that some of the bigger "roots" will survive well into the winter. Once they get gnawed though they won't keep, so some will be coming home for home storage in the coal cellar. Next is the remnants of the allium patch. Just a few shallots from seed left aside from the stalwart leeks. Beyond that is...
Allium Patch
The carrot temple. Looks rubbish but is the key to keeping the crop free from the tunnelling root fly maggot.
Carrot Temple
On past a row of scorzonera I am growing for a laugh, there is a solitary parsnip and 4 half haearted celeriacs. Then 3 rows of winter spinach (Amazon/Medina/Winter Giant) Only sown recently I want to see if any can survive rhe ravages of winter.
Spinach + Parsnip + Cleriac
Finally, to complete the run from end to end, we arrive at the potato patch. The main crop is still showing impressive folliage, I think you will agree?
Main Crop Potatoes
Earlies + Artechoke
The earlies have been harvested but there has been an unplanned reemergence of last year's Jerusalem artichokes smothering one corner of the patch. Turning through 180 degrees here is the single tubor I purposely planted in order to establish a new patch for the future:
Next Year's Artechoke
Moving to the Northwest corner to start the return sweep here is my fruit cage. The first of the three bays has goosberries redcurrants and new jostaberry and gojoberry bushes. The current cropper is....
Fruit Cage
Blackberries:
Blackberries
The middle bay is chocka with raspberries (Joan J producing Glen Ample and Glen Moy finnished but not yet cut back). Then the third bay was Marshmello strawberries but these have been grubbed up after a poor showing. To use the netted space I have planted out some spare brassicas in the hope of overwintering them. Already I have some casualties but the Daikon Radish is looking happy - and needing to be thinned.
Late/Early Brassicas
Also squeezed in are some very late sown peas. Hopefully I will be as happy as Monty Don in a few weeks if these come good. In the background is a fill in row of flowers where the early peas were!
Very Late Peas
Beyond them is a patch of green manure (clover) where the later peas were, and then there is a riot of runner and French beans.
Beans and Green Manure
The last "room" is the brassica patch proper. Not particularly pretty but a stalwart of any allotment.
Brassicas
Brassicas reverse view.
After the photos some harvesting:
I hope you enjoyed your tour of Mal's Edinburgh Allotment.
