Cheltenham & District Allotment Holders Association
Another interesting month passes through, with days of extremes, biting wind, torrential rain, blistering sunshine and hail that lay like snow. It didn’t exactly inspire confidence and the gardeners twitched, hesitated and then did what they do and battled on, it being after all the start of another season. Certainly, you have had to haveRead More
The tide has turned and how very quickly, Autumn rushed in, the brutal heat of summer bringing the early surrender from an exhausted landscape. The trees tell of a desire to shed their leaves and rest. All across the garden there is a sense of shutdown. The harvest has been mixed, the runner beans croppingRead More
Hooray, I can see the light. With January behind us, the spirit starts to rise, the extended days just 8 weeks away. The winter has been, well, wintry with a treacherous mix of conditions, changing by the hour. Every second person nursed a cough or a sore throat and whilst there were outdoor jobs thatRead More
April bounced along, in fact it flew once Easter had arrived. The late Easter was the starting pistol and we had the benefit of a few weeks of light evenings ahead of it to prepare. So many people use it as the start time for gardening, so there were many lined up for the chargeRead More
So February carried on where March left off and the teeth were bared to remind us of the treacherous unpredictability of our winters. Snow flurries punctuated the month of February and night temperatures teased around freezing. Life is returning though and a couple of warm afternoons brought midges out across the pond and one orRead More
Intriguing, a proper month of Autumn, with sunshine, rain, deep early frosts, mist and a smell of folded vegetation surrendering to the earth. Wonderful dawns and spectacular sunsets and in the dappled sunlight of a mid afternoon the dust and spores floating, coming to rest on the fallen. It has been a beautiful month. SoRead More
Then it rained and autumn arrived in the hedgerows, whilst the summer crops dithered about whether to have one last go. Runner beans stalled and have teased with a few late flowers and Marrow plants disappeared into the mist as the white dust of mildew covered them over. As anticipated last month, not the kindestRead More
Once more the corner is turned, the longest day left behind and the fruits of our labour become ever more obvious. June in it’s passing brought us mildew and black spot, quite a number of early caterpillars and the pigeons haven’t given up on anything. The humidity has been a big issue for many crops,Read More
The days really have run away haven’t they? I am accepting of the fact that February is a day or two shorter than the regular months, but it was gone in a blink. Perhaps it was that block of five dreary wet days that congealed as a lump around the 10th. The ground is justRead More
Well, some slightly more seasonal weather around, with some spiteful wind pulling temperatures down. The water doesn’t want to go away though does it, everything is so wet. It is a very strange start to the year and you do wonder what will happen to all of the tender plants if we have snow, everythingRead More