The gardening season is in full swing now, what with sowing seeds in the greenhouse and planting out seedlings up the allotment. Having the right footwear is just as important and crucial to the season if not more so.
Now that the sun is out us gardeners have a dilemma, do we continue wearing boots or risk a sandal. I’ve made the age old mistake of wearing sandals up the allotment in the Summer, thinking I’ll only be up there for a few minutes to harvest a crop and then returning home 2 hours later with dirty feet! In my opinion it’s not worth it, especially if you are planning on spending a few hours hard graft digging, planting out or even weeding. Boots are very crucial not only to stop your feet getting dirty but also for support and comfort. Not only are the Kendal GTX® boots pretty and comfortable but they are a GORE-TEX® product and offer a complete weatherproof experience, perfect for being outdoors and up the allotment come sunshine or rain.
The Hotter Shoe Review
The Kendal GTX® boots were so comfortable that I almost forgot that I was wearing them, which is never a bad thing! They were easy to put on with the handy zip down the side and the ankle height makes them very versatile, in fact when they are smart enough to wear anywhere with the extra bonus of looking fashionable with not only jeans but dresses too. They made an easy job of digging using the fork and spade with the underfoot cushioning and they kept my socks nice and clean too.
I joined my Dad on his allotment plot for a well earned cup of tea, he’s been wearing the Windfall GTX® Boots which offer the same protection as the Kendal GTX® with the all-important GORE-TEX® weather proofing. He tends to go through a lot of cheaper allotment boots when working on the garden and so far he’s really pleased with the Windfall. He’s been busy digging over his 6 large vegetable beds ready for the growing season ahead so having a pair of boots that not only protect his feet but have the extra luxury of comfort were a complete must for the allotment.
Late Spring Jobs
I headed up the allotment with a few tasks ahead of me and my new boots sitting comfortably on my feet, today was the day that they would have the ultimate test! Now is the time to get planting out those seed potatoes and I had the massive job of cleaning out my old brassica bed to make way for them. My poor Purple Sprouting Broccoli has been producing the most delicious crop since February but unfortunately it’s time for them to be removed. I have a 3 year rotational crop with my vegetable beds and the roots follow the brassicas and my seed potatoes have been patiently chitting on the kitchen shelf waiting to be planted out. I always plant my potatoes out on Good Friday so I decided to keep the tradition alive.
I harvested what I could from the Purple Sprouting, quickly dug over the soil, raked it over and then finally planted out my potatoes. The variety is called International Kidney, a delicious salad variety that is perfect for those summer barbeques served with freshly picked mint and lashings of butter. I planted them out using a trowel to dig a 6 inches hole, they are 10 inches apart with 23 inches between each row. Once the foliage breaks through the soil I’ll earth them up to protect them from frosts and then continue to earth them up every time they break through until they are ready for harvesting in July. I can almost taste them!
It looks like we are both set for the year ahead and what a year it’s going to be! If the weather is anything to go by then it’s going to be a beautiful one…
[separator type=”thin”]
About Katie
Katie Lane is a regular feature writer for the wonderful Lavender & Leeks blog which is an easy-to-follow online guide to gardening. Katie’s love of gardening grew from helping her Father on his allotment and has since moved on to owning her very own patch of land. Discover more about Katie and her dad’s gardening life on her blog here.
In her last blog Katie showed us the essential Spring jobs every allotmenteer should be doing, read more here.
