Tag Archives: Flood

Storm and the Dark Side

3rd November 2012, Plot 326 was experiencing the calm after the backend of the storm. On the island there had been substantial rain and wind in affect, but nothing compared to the Frankenstorm 3000 human miles or so across the ocean. The storm ruined many human habitats and stopped the Halloween parade. For some electrical power was reinstated after so many days, but others were not so fortunate. Did the high usage of electrical power contribute to the storm? Other areas of land occupied by humans were also devastated, but the loss of life was minimal compared to the Japanese tsunami 18 months ago. Ella Montt missed the state’s shared space community, which was a strange predicament as she was virtual. She observed the far off land’s vegetable growing gardening projects through other virtual portals.

The Chard and Spinach growth had been stunted by cold weather, so harvest was limited. Ella Montt attempted to have a bonfire, but the sticks of wood were too wet to burn. Ella Montt changed her activity and covered an area of soil with re-appropriated wood products to create a mulch. There was no sign of the Garlic, Onions or Broad Beans that had recently been planted to over winter. Ella Montt hoped the seeds would not rot in to the soil.

Harvest: mix of leaves including Chard, Perpetual Leaf Beet and Red Mustard = 5oz = 160g; Raspberries = 3oz = 90g; Cabbage Winter Green = 15oz = 420g.

11th November 2012, at Allotment Plot 326 it was a calm sunny day; the temperature was dipping down very low close to freezing at night. Ella Montt dug the soil. The world had been delivered from the dark side (US election). Shoots of new Garlic had started to appear.

Harvest: Cabbage Winter Green = 9oz = 250g; Spinach Giant Winter = 2oz = 60g; Mizuna and Red Mustard = 3oz = 80g; Raspberries = 2oz = 60g; Spinach Perpetual Leaf Beet and Chard mix = 5.5oz = 160g; Potato Nicola = 1lb 12oz = 800g; Parsnip Halblange White = 1lb 1.5oz = 500g.

18th November 2012 – When Ella Montt arrived at Allotment Plot 326 it was another sunny day; temperatures continued to drop down close to freezing at night. The nearby Oak Trees’ leaves were golden. The tree sap rose during the daytime and fell at night producing the tree leaves colour. Tomorrow was predicted to be warmer. Ella Montt finished pruning the old apple tree. The tree had been embedded in to Plot 326 before tenancy began. Ella Montt dug some soil and then covered it with recycled wood products as an overwinter mulch. The nutritional leaves that could be harvested were very small due to the wintery weather and others were being eaten by wildlife as they grew. The tender leaves of new Broad Bean and Onion plants had started to emerge from the soil.

Harvest: Raspberries = 1oz = 20g; Cabbage Winter Green = 10oz = 280g; mix of Chard, Spinach Perpetual Leaf Beet and Red Mustard leaves = 6oz = 170g.

28th November 2012 – It had rained profusely, not just at Allotment Plot 326, but also all over the Island. The winter drought was over. The river known as The Thames (which winds its way to the Island’s human capital) was flooding. Areas marked on old OS maps as “known to flood”, were no doubt flooding too. At Allotment Plot 326, it was a chilly day. Ella Montt moved about the Plot harvesting any nutritional leaves she could find. There were not many leaves, but every leaf accumulated contributed to boost the vital intake. Ella Montt although virtual was financially poor. Poverty was not desirable in current society, but it was an attribute that some could not avoid due to their circumstances. The Allotment Plot was a continuation of allotment history, which itself plots the history of human poverty and the provision of land for the human poor to grow nutritional plants for their own intake.

A Robin bird perched on the hedge and then the fence, as Ella Montt moved about the Plot, the tiny bird followed her and sang its musical song. The bird was always there in the water months when it was getting dark. Ella Montt dug. The soil was heavy and sticky, but luckily this particular Plot was not water logged.

An allotment inspector drove by in a marked red motorized vehicle. Ella Montt had never seen an inspector in this kind of car before. Several plots near by 326 were still empty. Plots were up for renewal and some would change hands as new would be allotment holders reached the top of the list.

Harvest: a mix of Chard and Spinach Perpetual Leaf Beet = 7oz = 200g; 1 x Potato Nicola = 3oz = 90g; 1 x Parsnip Halblange White = 6oz = 180g; Beetroot Bolivar = 8oz = 230g; 1 x Carrot Amsterdam = 15oz = 30g.

The harvest was quite pitiful considering the physical size of the Plot. A failure in vegetable seed germination had contributed to this problem. The weather had been too warm and dry in the spring and then to cold, dry then wet in the following months.

Emergency Green Tomato Chutney

2nd October 2012 – Allotment Plot 326, it had rained in the dark hours of the night. The Plot now was singular; the attention had shifted from two to one. The allotment plot remained part of history reaching back several hundred years to the evolving industrial revolution and the dawning of the age of the Anthropocene, which is seemingly a human generated glitch in the Earth’s surface covering.

When Ella Montt dug in to the soil of the Plot, she found odd random residues of past human activity. During a pause of activity, Ella Montt stared in to the centre of a yellow flower, a humanly named Evening Primrose. She was intrigued by its design construction that trapped rays of the sun within its infrastructure. The Borage flower was of even more of a fascination, its almost stark alien beauty bowed often towards the ground.

Harvest: Raspberries = 3.5oz; Beetroot Bolivar = 7oz = 200g; Potato Nicola = 1lb 5oz = 600g; Broccoli Raab = 2oz = 50g; Calabrese Beaumont F1 = 3oz = 80g; Onion Red Baron = 10oz = 290g; Climbing Beans = 4oz = 120g; Chard Canary = 7.5oz = 210g; Swiss Chard and Perpetual Leaf Beat = 1lb = 450g; Pak Choi = 8oz = 220g; Red Mustard and Mizuna = 4oz = 110g.

6th October 2012 – Allotment Plot 326, it had rained heavily during the evening and through the darkness of the night. Ella Montt started to shift objects around on the Plot. The soil was moist and Ella Montt began to prepare ground for this years Garlic, Onions and Broad Beans to be planted to overwinter. Curiously an ornamental pheasant was foraging along the allotment track. It was a displaced creature and passed unknown boundaries to arrive at the allotments. The pheasant did not stand still long enough for William Morris to pen its exact likeness, but he made note to add it to a wall paper design collection at a later date.

Harvest: Raspberries = 2oz = 50g; Climbing Beans = 2oz = 50g; a mix of Pak Choi, Red Mustard and Mizuna = 3.5oz = 100g; Squash Vegetable Spaghetti = 2lb 6.5oz = 1.1kg.

7th October 2012 – That morning, at another location, it suddenly became necessary to harvest all the Tomatoes, which were mostly still green.

Ella Montt’s Emergency Green Tomato Chutney

All ingredients are organic:

2kg Green Tomatoes, 300ml Apple Cider, 100g Fairtrade Dates, 100g Sultanas, 1 teaspoon each of Coriander Seed, Chilli Powder, Cinnamon, Turmeric and 2 teaspoon Black Mustard Seed, 400g Fairtrade Sugar, 3 Cloves Garlic, 1 large Onion, 25g Sea Salt, Black Pepper, juice of Lemon and Lime. Mix all ingredients except sugar in a stainless steel saucepan, leave to sit for one hour, then cook, simmer for one hour, add sugar cook until chutney thickens, stirring so that the chutney does not stick to the saucepan, the chutney should be bubbling hot so don’t burn yourself! Place the hot chutney in to pre-heated glass jars then seal the lids. Ella Montt’s tip; as the glass jars gradually cool down tighten the lids. Leave to mature (if you can wait!) for about six weeks, then eat as desired.

12th October 2012, Allotment Plot 326, it was breezy sunny day with clouds, with perhaps rain coming later in the evening. Rain in the week had saturated some areas of the Island, turning human streets in to rivers. Ella Montt started to empty out a large bag (from the human construction industry) that she had filled some time ago with roots dug from the Plot. The bag also contained soil that had been attached to the roots. An assistant appeared to help empty the bag, because it was so heavy. When the bag emptied, it revealed at least eight Field Mice and one or two Common Lizards that had been living within the shelters of the soil and roots. The wild creatures ran across the Plot and disappeared beneath other soil coverings to find alternative accommodation. Ella Montt continued with the ground preparation for overwintering seeds.

Harvest: Raspberries = 7oz = 200g; Red Mustard and Mizuna = 6oz = 160g; Spinach Giant Winter = 4.5oz = 125g; a mix of Chard and Perpetual Leaf Beat 14oz = 400g; Climbing Beans 4oz = 110g; Squash Vegetable Spaghetti = 1lb 14.5oz = 860g; Pot Marigold Seed = 5oz = 130g.

16th October 2012, Allotment Plot 326, it was a breezy sunny day (again). It had rained in the last few days and there was promise of more rain in the crystal ball forecast. There had been some degree of frost, the evidence of which could be seen in the Climbing Bean plants that were now damaged. The Climbing Bean plants had been planted too late to achieve a good harvest. The Squash plants had also been frosted and their vibrant matter was in the process of breaking down in to the soil. Ella Montt had a sad face, but she dug an area and cleared another. There was no sign of the Field Mice or the Common Lizards. Ella Montt planted the first seeds to overwinter.

Planted: Broad Bean Supersimonia = 35 seeds; Onion Radar = approximately 90 sets.

Harvest: Raspberries = 4oz = 100g; Squash Green Hokkiado = 1lb 4.5oz = 580g.

23rd October 2012, Allotment Plot 326, Ella Montt was still mourning the loss of Allotment Plot at MERL, but at 326 life, or lives, still continued. The soil had recently been drenched from avid rainfall. The soil now had time to soak up the water and relieve itself if possible from any drought symptoms that might still be lingering. The Climbing Beans were now dead, as was the Squash. The plants were frosted but their roots remained in the soil. Fog had descended and the air was heavy with tiny droplets of moisture. It was Autumn. In the crystal ball forecast weather screen temperatures showed that they would plummet within a few days. Frost had been summoned as a requirement. Ella Montt harvested leafy vegetable matter, knowing that the plants might be damaged when the temperature dropped. The Raspberries were still fruiting.


Ella Montt planted some more Broad Beans and three types of Garlic. Whilst planting, Ella Mont lost count of the number of Garlic cloves, because she became distracted by finding some potatoes hidden in the soil. A few weeks ago the soil had been dry and difficult to dig, now it was heavy and sticky.

Planted: Broad Bean Aquadulce = 35 seeds; Garlic Elephant = 5 cloves, Vallelado = 125g and Sprint = 250g.

Harvest: Raspberries = 5oz = 140g; Potato Nicola = 11oz = 310g; Spinach Giant Winter = 7oz = 200g; Swiss Chard and Perpetual Leaf Beat = 15.5oz = 450g; Canary Chard = 7oz = 200g; Squash Green Hokkaido = 1lb 6oz = 640g; a baby Squash Butternut = 0.5oz = 10g; Mizuna = 4.5oz = 130g; Pak Choi = 6.5oz = 180g; Red Mustard = 4oz = 120g; Tokyo Bekana = 1oz = 20g; Broccoli Raab = 2oz = 40g.

30th October 2012 – Meanwhile, across what is sometimes know as The Pond a state of emergency existed as elements of weather collided with velocity. A storm broke the teacup shattering it in to pieces. The ocean rose up with the full moon high tide flooding land masses, breaking trees and human dwellings. Many humans, their companion animals, plants and wild life lived in the affected areas. Some were left unscathed, but for others recovery would take a long time. Ella Montt clothed herself in black and clutching a pumpkin she howled at the moon; it was after all Halloween.