Gardening Blog
Allotment Diary
March 3, 2009: the frogs are back
Spring is around the corner and Terry Walton welcomes the frogs back to the pond on his allotment
The month of March has opened its account and slowly but surely the winter months recede further. What will this new month bring? It is renowned in folklore by the sayings of 'Mad March Winds' and it can be a cold, cruel month. So beware out in the garden and resist that urge - especially on those pleasant, warm days - to rush into rash planting.
There are telltale signs in the hedgerows that some life is stirring. That long, fluffy, caterpillar-like catkins hang there in dense bunches and wiggle about in the gentle breeze as if the hedge is alive with crawly bugs. These caterpillar-like objects would be horrifying if they inhabited our plots and our vegetables but look graceful and beautiful on the willow trees. Are they longer and more plentiful this year?
At the bottom of the plot there is another tell-tale sign that spring is around the corner as the pond becomes alive. Yes, the croaking of the frogs can be heard around the plot echoing their return to the place of their birth. They are much later this year as they have waited with patience for the last of the ice to melt. The water seems to boil with their frantic activity as they try to draw a female's attention and become a father to a mass of jelly-like balls with their jet black nuclei. Yes, the gardener's friend is back in town and don’t we know it! Soon they will merge back into the undergrowth and become our allies in the fight against many of our pests. Their return is always welcomed on my plot.
Back on the plot itself the task of preparing the soil moves on relentlessly. On our hillside no significant rain has fallen for two weeks and the soil is working wonderfully. No need to tap those clods with the back of the fork to break it down. It drifts through the tines of the fork like it was granulated sugar. This is another of those tasks which is a pleasure to carry out when the ground is perfect.
On allotments up and down the country have you noticed that gardeners have a very inquisitive nature? They look about as they carry out their tasks but all the while are observing others. They are not too bashful to call out, "What are you doing there then?" This is how knowledge is passed down and the 'tricks of the trade' passed on over the generations. This is a great way for newcomers to find out historically what crops grow well on particular allotments. It is also a way of finding out the calendar of sowing for this piece of land.
Watch, observe and ask is a good creed for newcomers to adopt, and sometimes even the old hands can learn from the new kid on the block! Green fingers you are not born with, the skill is earned by learning. Never be afraid to make a mistake and plants do die from some of our actions, but no one has been tried and convicted of 'killing' a brussel sprout!
There are many mysteries to solve out on the plot and no gardener knows all the answers. Life is a learning experience and the passage of knowledge through the annals of time is a great way to preserve these skills. Old hands only pass on what has been passed onto them. This is a fine tradition and nowhere is it more evident than in the allotment community.
More from Terry Walton
More on wildlife in your garden
- Find out more about the common frog
- The common toad
- How to make a wildlife pond
- Creature comforts: encouraging biodiversity in the garden
- Chat about gardening at Saga Zone
My Life On A Hillside Allotment
Terry Walton is a regular contributor to The Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 and has written a book called My Life on a Hillside Allotment, published by Bantam Press. The book is available from Amazon.
Reader comments
Frogs galore! We have two ponds, one for fish and the other for wildlife. Keeping the frogs to the wildlife pond is great fun. As the years go by the majority return to the wildlife pond but there are always some in the fish pond so we have to collect and transfer all the frogspawn. Then we have to be very careful where we walk as all the little froglets hop around the garden. We can always find some frogs at any time of year; they are in the garden but mainly hidden. Now don't start asking me about hedgehogs........
Posted by: Peter Bray | 07/03/2009 21:18:27
