+VIDEO It’s been incredibly hard work but the allotment is starting to take shape. Planting has begun, just in time, and the first produce is already being eaten!
Radishes are the first. They take next to no time to go from seed to an edible, flavoursome, salad vegetable, bursting with goodness.
I’m not exaggerating. The humble radish, with its peppery flavour, is root vegetable of the Brassica family. An 80g serving (ie, one of your five a day) provides:
- 10kcal/39KJ
- 0.6g protein
- 0.2g fat
- 1.5g carbohydrate
- 1.0g fibre
- 192mg potassium
- 30mcg folate
- 14mg vitamin C
That’s pretty amazing!
That’s not all that’s growing of course. The first veg to go in were potatoes, followed by carrots, onions and borlotti beans.
We’re lucky to have several established trees on the plot, which have also responded well to clearing the site and improving the soil. There’s a lovely old apple tree which is leaning over at a crazy angle but with some side support.
The big plum tree took a battering during April’s storms and it looks as though the blossom was blown off before it could set. There are a few blobs which may grow into fruit… we’ll just have to be patient. The tree does need a good prune but we took over the plot too late.
There’s also another apple tree and a fig tree. Both looking healthy but, again, we were too late to prune for this season. We have an extensive pruning task ahead over next winter.
