Hello again! 👋
Welcome to 2024 at the Anaesthetist’s Allotment. This is the first post of a New Year in the Allotment.
Disclaimer: I’m a professional anaesthetist, not a professional gardener. I do a bit of gardening and cycling in my spare time. I have grown veggies for many years and have learnt what works for me (sometimes!). These are my ramblings! I would be honoured to be corrected / advised by those with more knowledge than me!
In the Veggie Garden / Allotment:
We are well into the throws of winter in the North of Scotland.
Yesterday was the first day in well over a week where the temperature actually rose above zero. Today it is a balmy 6’C! Last week temperatures ranged from -6’C to -1’C and we had lots of snow for the first time in many years. Until yesterday the snow was lying a good 4 to 6 inches deep even at low altitudes like ours. It began to melt slightly yesterday and has disappeared significantly today.
Still some snow in the Veggie Garden. We are still harvesting some of last year’s crops:
– Brussels Sprout
– Winter Cabbage
– Leeks
– Beetroot
– Potatoes
These winter vegetables are wonderful. Full of flavour and will last us right through until spring when we start to get our first harvests from this year’s crops.
I took advantage of the thaw to check if I could get a fork into the ground. Often after a period of such low temperatures, the ground is frozen solid and the fork bounces off, sometimes quite dangerously. However, the snow seems to have acted as an insulating layer and to my surprise, the ground is not frozen underneath it.
Potatoes (Casablanca) – I am able to harvest some potatoes. Looking forward to having some of those with my Sunday Roast tomorrow! 😋
In the greenhouse:
As might be expected at this time of year, the greenhouse is looking particularly bare. I’m pleased to see that the glass panes are still looking crystal-clear after the end-of-season clean the greenhouse was given in November.
Mixed Lettuce: Was sown a few weeks ago and has germinated now. It will still be several weeks before it ready to start cropping.
I was given a gardeners advent calendar this year, with which you opened an envelope each day in the lead up to Christmas, to receive a different kind of seed packet. What a lovely idea. Many of the varieties were ones I have not heard of, or tried before, so what an opportunity to give them a go!
So, today, I am planting the first group of those seed packets:
– Chilli – Habenero Chocolate – described as “Insanely hot”
– Tomato – Money Maker – good for indoor or outdoor growing. Heavy crops of large trusses of bright scarlet fruit.
– Tomato – Golden Sunrise – medium sized fruit with a rich, sweet and juicy flavour. Ripens to a brilliant deep yellow.
– Tomato – Alicante – medium sized fruit with sweet flavour. Early to mature, so should be good for outside.
– Celery – Self Blanching – Dwarf variety with a good harvest of string-free, solid hearts with a crisp, crunchy texture and mild flavour. No need to earth up.
Inside the greenhouse, I have another mini-greenhouse. This has its own thermostatically-controlled heating mat and a timed system of grow-lights. I have a few tender bonsai trees which I shelter in this greenhouse-within-a-greenhouse.
Bonsai – I resurrected an interest in Bonsai cultivation last year and now have four wee plants in my collection.
Juniper This was a Juniper bush from a nursery which I shaped and trimmed into a bonsai last year. My most recent endeavour! It has overwintered extremely well and being hardy, did not need to go into the additional greenhouse.
Ficus This is Alexander’s bonsai. It almost died. I managed to resurrect it last year and have been extensively redesigning the shape. Looking really good! It has also over-wintered really well in the additional greenhouse.
Jacaranda – in very early stages of development. To my great surprise, they survived winter last year in my additional mini-greenhouse. This year they have taken a bit more of a hit, but are still alive and will hopefully grow away when winter is over.
That’s the three bonsai packed away into the mini-greenhouse again, but joined this time by the Tomato and Chilli seeds. Hopefully this will stimulate germination!
Rose – I was given a rose plant for our Silver Wedding Anniversary last year. Having been mailed to us, it was in a very poor condition on arrival, with all the leaves dead or dying. I have managed to resurrect it in the greenhouse and it is is now looking really good. 😊
Rest of the garden:
Early January is often a very cold depressing month in the North of Scotland. Cold, rainy, snow. Wind howling. Very short days and long dark nights. Everything in the garden looks brown, bare, dead!
I’m not selling it, am I? 😉
And then, signs of life, start to appear, promising the beginnings of better times to come………..
Daffodils sprout from the soil and await their time
In amoungst the Daffodils, Snowdrops are starting to appear. They are the first of the bulbs to flower. They are one of my very favourite.
And in amongst the snow, hardy Cyclemen.
Beautiful 😍!
Hopefully, I will not get quite as tied up in work again this year and will be able to keep you updated on developments in The Anaesthetists Allotment regularly throughout the year
See you next time!
Dr Doug (Douglas) McKendrick 
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