December 2025 Video Diary
04 December 2025
After a long dry summer, autumn arrived with lots of rain
Not much is happening on the allotment right now, so in this vlog I’m taking a look back at our weather for November. I’ve been recording weather data from my garden in Ossett, West Yorkshire since 2010.
After an extremely dry spring and summer, autumn made quite a comeback with heavy rainfall and some interesting stats.
🌧️ Second wettest autumn since 2010 – 252.6mm
🌧️ Wettest day of the year: 14th November – 31.2mm
🌡️ Average November temperature: this year 7.9°C
🌡️ Autumn average: 11.0°C – sixth warmest since my records began
Join me for a quick breakdown of what the weather’s been doing as we move from autumn into winter.
07 December 2025
Ruby plays find the kibble
We’ve had lots of rain recently. If it’s raining and Ruby doesn’t get out for a decent walk we try to keep her entertained with indoor games.
14 December 2025
Parsnip disaster as canker strikes
Over the past few weeks, we’ve had a steady delivery of manure each weekend. We’ve been popping down to the allotment to spread it over beds that are covered with weed control fabric, with some also stockpiled for future use once it has fully broken down.
This weekend, we decided to lift some more parsnips and also a few leeks to check whether they were ready for the kitchen. Last week we lifted a single parsnip, which was in tip-top condition, so I was expecting the rest to be the same. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Most of the roots were affected by canker, some so badly that they were unusable. We did manage to find a couple of healthy roots, but it was disappointing to lose so many.
The leeks we lifted were on the small side, but hopefully they’ll still be fine for cooking.
15 December 2025
A December day at Calke Abbey – Ruby gets some treats
We had a visit to Calke Abbey. This meant that Ruby got six stamps on her passport and a packet of treats.
We had a walk around some of the grounds. We were lucky enough to spot some red deer.
We also managed to find a quiet spot to give Ruby a game of chase.
20 December 2025
A chat with AI about canker and ways to grow better parsnips
Our parsnips suffered more than normal this year from canker. For something different, we asked AI in this instant ChatGPT what the cause might be and any suggestions for growing better parsnips next year.
22 December 2025
A NotebookLM video about parsnip canker causes
This video was produced by NotebookLM (AI) from our text regarding the cause of our parsnip canker this year and the steps we can take to avoid it next year.
25 December 2025
Bleak mid winter at Hardwick Hall – first snowdrops and hellebore flowers spotted
we’ve had some very drab winter days but we decided enough was enough and headed to Hardwick Hall for a walk with Ruby. The garden and house are lit after dark so it was very busy with visitors. At least it didn’t rain although all the paths were very wet with lots of puddles which curtailed some of Ruby’s walks.
29 December 2025
Ruby opening her Christmas present part 1
The first part of Ruby opening her Christmas present. Inside the parcel were a few little treats to keep her interested in opening it
30 December 2025
Our last harvest of 2025 – leeks and red cabbage
We had our last visit of the year to the plot to harvest some leeks and check if we had any red cabbage that was suitable for cutting. Luckily, I managed to find one.
03 January 2026
A final look around the plot in 2025
We popped down to the plot to harvest some leeks. We had a walk around the plot to make a note of the condition of the beds at the end of the year and note a few jobs that still need to be done before the start of the new growing season.