Hello again! 👋
Welcome to this edition of The Anaesthetist’s Allotment. I hope you enjoy it.
Please feel free to follow, like or comment and I look forward to getting some of your feedback.
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!
General:
This is the 4th post of 2025 in this year’s series of
“The Anaesthetist’s Allotment”.
It is officially Spring in the North of Scotland. The last three days have indeed been amazing! Lots of sun, very little wind and daytime temperatures up to 15’C!!!!!! “Have I somehow moved countries in my sleep?” “Is this really Scotland at the beginning of March?” Yes and yes, are the answers to these questions. Amazing!!!! I have been taking advantage of the fantastic weather and been out for two long cycle rides 🚴♀️ (well long for me anyway!!!).
There is a catch – isn’t there always?
Tonight ………………….. everything changes!
Winter is Returning!
The winds start up again – not a gentle breeze, but our usual 50 -60 mph winds. The winds veer round into the North and the temperatures plummet back down. And rain, oh yes, back comes the rain, and perhaps more wintery than that, perhaps some sleet and snow. Ah well, back to the more traditional Scotland in early March then!
As it has only been a week since my last update, and things do not really move that fast in the Anaesthetist’s Allotment at this time of year, I do not really have a huge amount to share this week. Just a couple of wee updates:
In the greenhouse:
Last week, I described how the Acer Palmitum Atropurpureum (right), which I had turned into a Bonsai in January, was doing well. Tiny little buds (top) had developed along its branches had enlarged some more and were a bit more obvious at my previous posting (middle). They were even more obvious last week (bottom) and looked ready to burst into full purple leaf any time now.
The buds have now developed into a lovely red coloured leaf across the plant. It’s looking great 😊
I also described how another Bonsai I had created at the same time, the Acer Palmitum Orange Dream, had sprouted leaves quite early on.
I wonder why it has that name? 🙄 😒!
It had gradually changed colour from red (top) to orange (middle left) then (middle right) and then to orange yellow (bottom).
Last week, it was an almost lime colour with orange edges (top)
This week, it now has a lovely lime green coloured leaf across (bottom)
The display of fabulous colours over the last few weeks, from when it first started developing its leaves (above) to now, have been nothing short of stunning!
Veggie garden / Allotment:
The allotment is looking pretty bare at the moment.
Between cycle rides, I decided to take advantage of the amazing weather we have had over the last few days.
I got the hoe out and gave all of the beds in the allotment a good work over. I have managed to keep the beds pretty weed and grass free this winter. This hoe-ing episode was another opportunity to get rid of any weeds, grass, etc which had dared to intrude into my precious allotment! As well as to aerate the very top layer of soil.
Before my attack (right)
Looking much better after the work-over (below)
Part of the clean-up process involved taking the winter covers off the Cabbage Spring Hero, removing the weeds and gently hoeing the soil around the plants. These cabbages were sown in Autumn last year and have been out in the allotment all the way through winter. They have started to come on really nicely over the last couple of weeks as the days lengthen. Looking really good now (left). They are my favourite cabbage, with the best flavour of all the varieties I grow.
Once the maintenance tasks are over, the protective netting goes back on (right) to protect them from the pigeons, ice etc.
A few weeks ago, I described how the Garlic (Granny’s) (on the right of the row of sticks) had appeared after being planted in autumn.
At that stage, there was no sign of the Garlic Provence which I had planted to the left of the row of sticks. I had thought that perhaps something dreadfully horrible had happened to them and that they had demised. However, I was very pleased to see them appearing through the soil this week.
All is well in the Anaesthetist’s Allotment! 😊
Last year, I bought some Allium fistulosum (Welsh Onion; Bunching Onion) from a garden centre. This is a sort of “perpetual” spring onion which just keeps growing and dividing. I had thought that I would be able to crop a spring onion or two every time I needed / desired one. This proved almost impossible to do as the bunch was held together very tightly. So, I left the bunch to grow away and expand through the summer. At the end of summer, I dug it up and split it into individual “onions”. Each of these individual “onions” I then planted separately, such that I now had (hopefully) 10 to 12 individual plants which would bunch-up and develop over time. The theory being that I could then harvest bunches as and when crops were needed, and that others could serve as future parent-plants to produce more.
Good thinking 🤔!
But, they all seemed to die off as winter approached.
A miracle! Each of the Welsh Onion’s, which I had planted, has now started growing and have already started bunching up, even at this very early stage. 🙌
Again, all is well in the Anaesthetist’s Allotment! 😊
I look forward to keeping you updated regularly on further developments in The Anaesthetists Allotment.
See you next time!
Dr Doug (Douglas) McKendrick 
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