Shallots, Spuds and Losing Lemongrass

So, this week is the prime time for getting my shallots in the ground. I find an early February sowing allows enough time for the cold to get to them but without the risk of rotting that earlier sowings can suffer. I have been growing a lovely organic variety of shallot called Longor for the last seven years and have always had good results from them. Last year, I sent a photograph of some that I’d grown on the allotment to the seed company that I use. I’m pleased to report that this year they are using the photo both in their catalogue and their online store. It’s nice to think that a vegetable grown at Plain Pond is getting nationwide exposure.

I also like to start off a tub of early potatoes under cover at this time of year. I keep them in my greenhouse at home, but a polytunnel at the allotment would be just as good. These will provide the first new potatoes of the year in June – around the same time as the Jersey Royals are ready.

My experiment with growing Lemongrass for the first time last year has ended in failure. It isn’t a hardy plant, so I dug it out of the allotment and brought it indoors over winter. It is supposed to look dormant, but I’ve recently decided that it’s definitely dead! I grew it from seed so it was probably too much to expect to disturb the roots in the first year. I’ll try again this year but I think I’ll grow it in a container rather than planting it out on the plot. That’ll make bringing it indoors easier on the plant. I might also do what I do with my over-wintering chilli plants, which is to take it to my mum’s house for the winter as it’s always much hotter than ours!

Submitted by Jane, plot 9