February at Plot 13
By Jean Charlton
February 3rd, the weather forecast had promised a dry and brighter day, so I decided to be brave and visit the plot. It had been at least two weeks since the last visit as the weather had been so wet and with very little sunshine, I knew the plot would still be muddy.
Wellie boots, hat, scarf and thick coat the required allotment clothing for the day, some bags to bring home the remaining leeks and I was ready for plot 13.
How wet and muddy! I had not expected to see so little change and in some parts large puddles had formed. The weather forecast did not live up to the promised cheeriness. The sky was a uniform grey, no shafts of brighter grey in sight and the wind was cold and quite intense.
Somewhat waterlogged…
We inspected the plot, a ritual over the year since we had taken it on. Tony liked to walk around his tenure. Muddiness and wetness was the general impression. I went to get the fork from the shed and began to dig up the remaining leeks, which despite being in a drought period when they were planted and then the extreme of almost drowning, seemed to have survived all nature had thrown at them. They came out with a squelch and I left muddy footprint puddles.
We decided to leave the plot to the mud and nature and not damage the ground any more than was necessary, and it was with a gloomy heart that I packed up and picked up the very muddy leeks.
Signs of life! The garlic is sprouting…
However nature has a way of cheering up even the most grey day if you look for it. A large spider was scuttling amongst the garlic shoots and a pheasant called across the field. The rhubarb was just showing some pink growth and promised a good crop, the buds on the blackcurrant bushes were beginning to swell and a brief chat with a very seasoned plot holder who forecast “a few dry, warm spring days in a few weeks and we will all forget the wetness.” So I tried to forget the excess of liquid on the plot and we went home to enjoy fresh leeks for supper.
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