Sunday 24 February 2019

Chettle Head Copse Ramsons

Chettle Head Copse is a small area of Dorset woodland bordering Wiltshire, mainly Oak and neglected Hazel coppice, by April it'll be carpeted in pungent Ramsons, their heavy garlic scent betraying them long before you see their white flowers. Already the young Ramson leaves are breaking cover and colonizing the woodland floor, along with the tips of Bluebell. We're surely standing on the cusp of spring, or are we? For the last couple of years seasonal tricksters have been at play, the illusion of spring has been just that, followed by a sharp cold or wet snap. The plummeting temperatures and sodden ground have played havoc on the allotment for all those who get their first crops in the ground early, luckily that's not me. I tend to be quite laid back with my planting and take a much more laissez faire approach to my gardening once the crops are established too, intervening as little as possible.  Imagine my joy at discovering that there was such a thing as a 'no dig' philosophy in vegetable gardening... oh hosanna! Still, an illusion or not at the moment, the wheel turns and spring will arrive soon.And, I must get down the allotment.

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