On the allotment blog - Winter

Winter is here!

Winter is here as that crisp cold autumn air has been followed by our first frosts. The first thing I think about once I see the grass glistening with frost is that I’m going to be saying goodbye to my dahlias for another season.

Storing dahlias

Depending on where you are in the country might factor into how you look after your dahlias over the winter, whether you will keep them in the ground or be lifting them to store. 

I’m in Lincoln and have successfully left them in the ground over winter by mulching them with a thick layer (2-3 inches) of compost. I will be doing this again, however, I will be lifting a few to store to replant in spring as I would like them in a different position on the allotment.

To lift my dahlia tubers, I will use a fork to gently ease them out of the soil, making sure that I push my fork into the soil with enough space away from the plant so I don’t go through any tubers below the ground.

I will gently ease the plant up and pull up from the bottom of the stalks. When the plant is out I gently brush off as much soil as I can and then will pop them in my greenhouse on racking upside down for around seven days to dry. 

Once the tubers are dry it is easier to brush off the rest of the remaining soil and check for any disease. Cut the stalks to about three inches and then store in cardboard boxes lined with newspaper in a garage (dark, cool, frost-free space) over winter.

Mulch!

There are always lots of jobs to get on with in your gardens and allotments during the winter months that will help springtime run more smoothly. 

One of the biggest jobs I do over winter is to mulch all my allotment beds including raised beds. Not only is it great to add organic matter to your soil to help feed the soil and change the structure of the soil, but mulching will also help to retain moisture too. 

Add a nice thick layer of organic mulch to the beds now to help retain moisture for those hot summer months, which helps us use less water and become more water wise.

Cleaning

The next jobs is cleaning. Normally the winter season gives me a chance to catch up on housework, but I use any excuse I can to be out at my allotment so the cleaning I’m referring to is obviously down on the plot or in my garden.

I make sure I give my greenhouse, my pots and tools all a good clean ready for spring. This helps me save time when it gets to the busy spring season, but it also helps prevent any disease or salts from the soil being transferred on to plants next season. I like to reuse pots year-after-year to help reduce, reuse and recycle so it’s important to keep them clean. 

Just because it’s chilly and the daylight hours are short, doesn’t mean there isn’t a long list of jobs to get on with, make most of the daylight hours while they shine and make yourself a nice hot drink to enjoy.

Keep growing!

Kirsty Ward.

Allotment holder and self confessed grow your own addicted, Kirsty Ward from My Little Allotment is passionate about growing food and spreading the word about gardening therapy and its benefits to mental health and wellbeing.