Let's play that game of pick-up sticks now

It’s that time of year again to take all of the now-unused stakes, poles and hoops off the plot, says gardener Tim Foster

- 

THE end of November is perhaps not the most exciting time, horticulturally. So, I suppose, we ought to make the most of this dip in the growing calendar to have a look at garden structures. Not the obvious ones - shed, greenhouse, compost toilet, etc. | mean the temporary structures that litter the plot like a giant game of pickup sticks.

Runner bean poles are a classic example. As I strolled through the allotment site at the end of the season, I gave a mark out of ten for each stand of runner beans. The marks were based closely on the angle of the poles to the horizontal. Perpendicular (rare)? Ten out of ten. 45 degrees? Five or six out of ten. Flat on the ground? Much barely suppressed laughter.