Remember all those wooden scaffold planks?

I've made a raised bed for my shallots so that I can tend to them at chest height and save my poor old back! It had to be made from scaffold boards as it needed to be strong enough to carry the weight of soil .

The big ones given to me by Dave Thorton have grown very well. I have high hopes of being able to compete with exhibition shallots from now on. I planted them today and gave the soil surface a dressing of dried blood.

I planted my old stock of shallots down one side of my both my leek and 8oz onions beds. Those on the left are the variety 'Longor', a French longue type which I saw growing last season at Doddington Hall's kitchen garden and which I think may have the potential to be a good show variety if I can get a rounded shape to them girthwise. I think if I thin them to 4 or less they may be one to go for in future.