Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 26th November: How is it possible that we are into the last week of November already?
We have had a few dry days this last week, and a slight frost, so we are glad that the fleece is in place over the broad beans. How is it possible that we are into the last week of November already? A few more cold nights should see the last of the leaves dropping from the trees, and the task of raking them up can be put aside for yet another year.
During our Wednesday gardening session, time was spent raising the fleece over the broad beans by putting in a series of hoops. If the fleece was left touching the plants, any frost could blacken and kill the leaves. They are generally tough plants but being still very young they will need all the help they can get if they are to survive the winter, able to take temperatures of -8 to -10 degrees.
In the first photograph below you can see that some of our netting is suspended above our purple sprouting, this is to give them room to grow and deter any hungry pigeons from stripping all the leaves and destroying the new shoots of the coming broccoli heads. Fingers crossed that we do not get any determined pigeons this year.
The rhubarb has taken its energy away from the leaves and stems which have now all but disappeared as the plant retreats below ground to sit and wait for the winter to come and pass. The asparagus fern-like growth is now just starting to turn yellow which is a sign for the top growth to be cut right back, and for a good layer of compost to cover the surface of the bare earth. Empty beds have been treated to a compost blanket already, and as more are cleared then they will get the same treatment.
Not all of the plants are retreating as the weather gets colder. It was surprising to see that the wild garlic leaves have already shown themselves in the garden, and true to their invasive nature, are appearing in even more places than they were last year and so we will have to start sharing those wild garlic recipes once more and remove a great deal more of the stuff again over the next few months.
What’s next?
- Cut back the asparagus top growth and mulch the beds
- Raise the netting over the last purple sprouting bed
- Take out more strawberry plants
- Rake up the wood chips under the tree to make space for compost
This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.