Episode 22

Apricot Cover
This cover is NOT to protect the apricot from frost, it is bone hardy, it is forward planning to keep the frost off the flowers when they are open in Feb / March. Leave it off during bright days to allow pollinating insects to get to the flowers.
Method
• Procure a hollow tube a little longer than the width of the fanned apricot.
• Thread it onto a support wire above the highest point of the apricot.
• Cut fleece to the correct width and length to completely cover the apricot.
• Fix one end of the fleece to the hollow tube with contact adhesive or staples.
• Drape over the apricot and staple a length of bamboo/dowel to the bottom of the fleece.
• Pin down the bottom using hoops of thick wire or weigh down with bricks.

Plastic bottle storage heaters
Uses the concept of ‘thermal density’ whereby bottles of water are placed all around the inside of a cold frame in order that they warm up during the day and act as mini night-storage heaters as the temperature drops over night. They can help to mollify the temperature fluctuations between night and day. Should help to give it a chance to see off an extra degree or two of frost but they are not a substitute for supplementary heating in really cold weather.

Winter storage
Galvanised bin, almost completely buried in the ground, full of spent compost with your root vegetable stored in it. This is more for making sure that you have them to hand than because you need to harvest them all now. Especially useful if you only visit your allotment once a week or if the weather turns nasty and it’s too wet/frozen to go out and gather things. Should help to reduce the number of slug holes too!