2023: review of a year to remember!

STOTES HALL CHAIR NICK POLUNIN WRITES: What a year it's been! Glorious sunshine in the early summer - it seemed to go on and on in a way I can't remember in the North East - but then July, August (and beyond!) saw extensive rain. It's good for our plants, but too much deters gardening and encourages lots of other plants (and slugs, snails and probably deer). I cannot remember another year when the weeds almost got on top of me: I managed to keep the plot itself relatively weed free but was constantly aware of the aggressive growth of brambles, bindweed, ground elder and nettles around the margins. I had no problems from the deer because of the wire netting I put all around my plot. Big disappointments this year were failure to get any sprout plants to germinate, no time to collect gooseberries and currants, and my pumpkin crop failed. But there were successes, particularly broad beans, parsnips, cavolo nero, curly kale, purple cabbage and potatoes (charlotte and caledonian rose), and loads of lettuce. I am always struck by how much there is to learn about growing plants - subtle interactions of location, weather, soil and species - and it gets harder when you are trying to produce edible foodstuff! But we're still enjoying eating allotment produce at home. I hope you're able to make the most of your plots. Please share with all of us your experiences in our Members' Forum, so we can learn better from each other.