January can be a special time of year at the allotment on a clear, frosty day with a quality peculiar to the depths of winter when visits by humans are rare and the place becomes something of a wilderness for foxes and other wildlife to roam.
It appears that all growth is at a standstill but on closer inspection I could see that the daffodil shoots are beginning to show above the surface of the soil and I was reminded where I had planted several hyacinth bulbs as I took out a couple of weeds from around the strawberry plants and found the green tips from one bulb emerging.
Last spring I was given several logs from a fallen tree and placed these in a circle, filling the centre with compost and within it I added the bulbs and a few strawberry plants. The strawberry plants are now have plenty of leaves and are well-established so they could produce a good crop of fruit this season, which I shall protect from slugs and snails.
I am now harvesting the swede, although these have not done so well as in previous years, but it is an ongoing challenge to plant enough vegetables to eat throughout the coldest winter months and kale is top of my list for the coming year.
