As a friend of my daughter’s had a birthday party this afternoon, I was able to slip off to the allotment for an hour or so…..
I wasn’t really in the mood for digging, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. And it was definitely good to get a top-up of fresh air and exercise.
What I hadn’t banked on was finding the digging unusually difficult this time. I decided that the remaining leeks needed to come out so that I could clear that part of the plot of dandelions and couch grass – and I was amazed that the ground was so full of these unwanted guests, considering this area had presumably been cultivated in the last 12 months. Maybe the previous occupants had used fertiliser instead of weedkiller?
In any case, I got another big bag of roots and leaves to take away with me. And then my spade hit something hard.
Oh! this was the first obstruction I had found on the allotment. And it was a black polythene bag filled with something. Somewhat in trepidation I took a peek inside – what was I going to find?
Images of scenes from CSI came to mind. The polystyrene the bag actually contained therefore came as a relief… Not a complete relief though. After all, this is hardly the way to dispose of one’s rubbish, unless it happens to be a lesser know gardening technique that clearly I am not up to speed with 😉
In clearing out all this debris, I did unfortunately dig up another rhubarb crown but I also discovered two others which appear to be thriving. So, looks like there will be plenty of rhubarb ‘n’ custard in my house this spring 🙂
© Helen Butt, January 2014
Growing out of chaos 
Oh dear, you must have got a bit of a fright thinking what that could be!! Glad it was not 🙂
I am sure you can replant the rhubarb crown that you dug up 🙂
Have decided not to replant the rhubarb as I think I have a lot already and it will take up space I would like for something else. I guess I am going to come across more of this on a new plot! At least, I hope it will be edible rather than something else 😉
I know how you feel, we have so much rhubarb, here for at least 30 years, that we can’t find enough people to give it to, and we get 2 to 3 pickings a year !
Great that you get some much… How do you use it? My local farm makes rhubarb sausages, so I could give that a whirl 🙂
We don’t really use it at all, a neighbour makes jam and she gives it to her friends 🙂 Never heard of rhubarb sausages !
I live in what’s called the Rhubarb Triangle, so rhubarb is a bit of a speciality round here. The sausages by the way are meat seasoned with rhubarb 🙂 Rhubarb jam sounds good. I know someone who uses rhubarb in curry…
Boy does this ever make for an inspiration for a book lol 😉
What are your thoughts – murder mystery or something else? 🙂
murder mystery but going MUCH farther back in time, colonial days even 😉
Ooow, sounds interesting. No plastic bags, mind 😉
Well, hey why not? adds to the atmosphere of the story 😉
Well, why not give it a whirl? 🙂
oh wait I thought YOU were going to write it since you went all CSI lol
Haha! I understand there is a book in all of us, but I think my urge to write is elsewhere… Used to be really into murder mystery stuff but maybe I had too much of such a diet in a past life to deliver the goods now 😉
Well, should you decide to again I will be your first reader! 🙂
You’re on! Have a good rest of day 🙂
you too! ::
🙂
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