I've never known rain like it (well, this being the UK, maybe I have). The poor old allotment is saturated, windswept and generally the worse for wear.
I've never known rain like it (well, this being the UK, maybe I have). The poor old allotment is saturated, windswept and generally the worse for wear.
I'm tidying up and securing all the brassica netting that's blown all over the plot these last few days. And my apple trees, which I'm very fond of since they fruited so abundantly, will need new stakes.
My plot is on the side of a small hill and benefits from gentle summer breezes that blow down the valley - lovely for keeping cool in August. But during autumn and winter it's exposed to the vagaries of the weather and the little apple trees have taken a hammering. They were, I confess, inadequately staked in the first place.
There is a school of thought that says young trees should not be staked at all, so that the stems flex in the wind and strengthen naturally. But on my plot the wind would rock young trees loose in the soil and their roots wouldn't get a grip.
I favour the minimalist method of staking trees: a single stake driven into the ground and standing only about 30-45cm (12-18in) tall. This gives the tree a chance to build up its own strength as it flexes in the wind but keeps those roots safe and secure. Perhaps the trees won't then grow as ramrod-straight as they would with a longer stake, but I much prefer the natural look.
