Life on The Weald - December 2025

and festive distractions

Monday 1 December

The first day of winter saw heavy rain, wild winds and flood warnings but a relatively high temperature of 12 C. Thankfully we avoided the floods, but it was not a day for gardening.

Tuesday 2 December

With the arrival of visitors, a trip to the allotment was not on the cards - instead we went shopping along London Road and the Open Market where I was intrigued by this imaginative perpetual tap! 🤣

Saturday 6 December

Our daughter-in-law was in search of Holly for wreath-making for charity and one of our plot holders was willing to let us raid his tree which was covered with berries. We also collected lots of bay from our own tree. Sylvi's son Luke was a great help in collecting 5 barrow loads of manure and delivering it to our plot.

We picked lots of chard and lifted a few leeks to make our own version of Spanokopita using bought readymade puff pastry instread of filo.

6 December - Spanokopita

Thursday 11 December

I managed a bit of weeding aroud the garlic which was just emerging behind the broad beans, but the encroaching couch grass among the raspberries needs tackling.

11 December - broad beans (foreground) with garlic behind

Saturday 13 December

We had a plentiful supply of crushed eggshells which I spread around the garlic and the broad beans, hopefully as a deterrent to slugs and snails, but also to improve the texture and fertility of the soil.

13 December - Garlic

I had taken home the woody branches from the Bay tree and put them through the wood shredder, together with some eucalyptus prunings and used these to continue repairs to the footpath, spreading them on a layer of cardboard.

13 December - laying cardboard for the path

13 December - spreading the prunings

13 December - path partly renewed

With the possibility of frosts, I spread a layer of strulch around the broad beans,

13 December - a Strulch mulch for the broad beans

We also picked a few Brussels sprouts......

13 December - Sprouts

......and some beetroot, traditional red Boltardy and some rainbow, which we took home to cook.

home grown and home cooked beetroot

Wedneday 17 December

Luke had deposited the manure in a pile on the bed which had been "3 sisters" for the past two years but where I plan to grow potatoes in 2026. I had laid down some carboard on top of the cut down stems from the sweetcorn, and thickly spread the manure on top of the cardboard. The layer was rather thick so I think I will take some later for another bed.

17 December - next year's potato bed

I also spread some woodchip as a mulch around the currant bushes, but am a little worried that, with climate change, they think it's spring and are coming into leaf already! Let's hope we don't get harsh frosts.

17 December - budding blackcurrants

I lifted more leeks and beetroot.....

17 December - remaining leeks

...and tried to straighten the walk-in cage which, following strong winds, was at a jaunty angle. Inside the frame I was pleased to see the purple sprouting broccoli was beginning to sprout.

17 December - purple sprouting broccoli

The next few days saw heavy rain.

Saturday 20 December

I had good intentions but it was very wet underfoot. I did a little hoeing/weeding around the garlic but then called it a day.

Wednesday 24 December

Time for the traditional, obligatory Xmas Eve visit to harvest the sprouts.

Xmas Eve - harvesting the sprouts

Monday 29 December

It was difficult to drag myself away from the indoor warmth following the Xmas break but there was news of a delivery of free compost by the Council and if you snooze, you lose because it is soon gone. I made an appeal to fellow plot-holders to limit themselves to no more than one barrow load per plot and my plea appears to have been heeded.

I bagged up our share, ready for top dressing when the planting season comes.

29 December - arrival of the compost

Tuesday/Wednesday 30 - 31 December

More visitors, so no more allotmenteering this year. A glorious sunset, seen from the window, but too late to see it in all its glory from the beach.

30 December - Hove sunset

An early morning stroll down to the harbour to buy fish for a New Year's Eve feast and see the sun rising over Hove beach

New Year's Eve - sun rising Hove beach

New Year's Eve - Early morning at Shoreham Harbour, Portslade

And in the afternoon, a stroll across the lock to see the sun setting at Southwick beach.

New Year's Eve - Shoreham Harbour from the lock gates

A disappointing sunset at Southwick so we didn't stay till the end but retreated back to the warmth - we should have come yesterday....

New Year's Eve - Southwick beach

.... and spent the rest of the evening with Jools and the Hootenanny and watching Sadiq's Thames' fireworks on the TV. .. and reminiscing about days gone by in Greenwich.

Almost 40 years ago with Jools in Greenwich

Happy New Year - and good growing in 2026

John's Blog

Tuesday, 13 January 2026