Probably the best allotments in England
Smitham Allotments Society is a self-managed site in Chipstead Valley in the south of the London Borough of Croydon.
Gardening Diary
May is the busiest month for planting and transplanting and is the ‘transition’ month when direct sowing and thinning of crops begins to take over from transplanting.Root vegetables, apart from onions and leeks, should never be transplanted but this month the main crop of winter greens and brassicas – cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts etc., as well as summer cauliflower and broccoli, leeks, lettuce, asparsgus and calabrese, are to be transplanted. However, the transplanting of tender vegetables, including cucumber, courgettes, marrows, pumpkins, aubergines and peppers, is best left to the end of May, or even the beginning of June in our allotments as late frosts are the rule, rather than the exception, in Chipstead Valley.If you are not desperate for an early crop, dwarf and runner beans and sweetcorn can be sown directly into the ground from the end of May onwards and you can continue to sow other tender vegetables in the greenhouse for transplanting next month.The popular crops for direct sowing this month include beetroot, cabbage, cauliflower, peas, carrots, turnip, chicory, fennel, kale, lettuce and pak choi.
April in the Allotment
Some photos from April in the Allotment. A beautiful time of year with all the different blossom!
Hedgehog in Allotment
A hedgehog has been seen in the allotment this morning!
March Recipe – Salmon and sorrel sauce
Saumon à l’oseille is a popular French dish served in bistros across the country at this time of year when sorrel is fresh and plentiful. Although now considered traditional it was invented in 1973 by the Troisgros brothers in Roanne. Our sorrel has larger leaves and...
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