Allotment Diary: Year Three Begins

Three years in and the allotment finally feels like a place I fully know. I don't need to walk around wondering what to do when I get there anymore. The beds have history. I know which corner drains slowly after rain, which spot gets the most sun in the afternoon, where the Jerusalem artichokes will inevitably reappear no matter what I do.

The Perennial Situation

One of the things I love most about having a garden over multiple years is the perennial plants that just come back on their own. The rhubarb has now divided itself into three crowns and the stalks are already enormous — I picked the first ones today and made compote. The red currants are covered in flower buds, which means berries in June or July. The cherry trees both blossomed beautifully last week during a few warm days.

There's something deeply satisfying about eating food from plants that are now in their second or third year in the ground. They're established. They know what they're doing.

What's Going In

The tomatoes, Brandywine and Sungold this year, are still on the windowsill indoors and won't go out for another month. The borlotti beans I'm trying for the first time will go in as direct sowings in May. I've already put in the first radishes and spinach — same as last year, they're my indicator crop for whether the soil is warm enough to bother with anything else.

Radishes are already germinating after just five days. The soil is ready.