Mild Weather, Busy Time on the Allotment!

Mild Weather, Busy March

Of course, it’s always a difficult juggle – trying to germinate seeds with the necessary heat and then providing enough light with enough heat to ensure good growing-on. Our present weather is saying ‘It’s Springtime – weyhey! Let’s get going’. And, I do feel that it might be an early spring. Let’s face it, the last few years have given us rather unpredictable weather and I feel I should take advantage – it might not be so benign later in the year.

Seed sowing in my propagator has been very satisfactory this year and, so far, I’ve managed to remove trays of seedlings successfully to much cooler conditions where they can have more light. Even my precious Chilli seeds, Joe’s Long, have managed the transition. I’m now hoping that two further sowings of pepper seeds will be similarly ‘easy’.

I have promised some friends that I would grow lots of lavender plants for their garden. They have a vision for their garden with strong lavender borders and, rather rashly, I offered to grow the plants for them. So far, I have 4 trays of lavender seedlings, just putting up their first true leaves. I have moved two of the trays into cooler conditions and I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Now – here is where I would like some advice. Each year I sow a variety of herb seeds in my propagator, including sage, thyme, basil, rosemary. I have no problem in encouraging the seeds to germinate. However at the first leaf stage I have a problem with ‘damping off’ and lose many or, even most of my seedlings. Lavender has not succumbed to this problem and I have always had enough or more than enough sage plants for my use. The basil has been variable but, thyme has been a disaster – the earlier sowings have always been much better. I know I’m doing something wrong. Probably trying to meet the needs of too many different plants and failing for the herbs but, I would appreciate someone’s advice on this. I eat my way through a huge quantity of herbs and need to replenish frequently!

The work necessary at my plot is just beginning to put a little pressure on me. As always, at this time of year, I feel I should have the work done and, on the other hand, I feel I should hold back. This week, I have sown parsley [Moss Curled], onion [White Lisbon, spring onion] and carrot [Resistafly F1]. I should have sown parsnips and another carrot but, the ground is still very heavy and sticky. I feel it needs a couple of days to dry out before sowing my next crops.

I have some parsnips still left in the ground and some beetroots from last year. I have cooked both of these crops in the last couple of weeks and have found them much too ‘woody’ to be enjoyable to eat so, I will dig them out and compost them. It is a pity that last year’s crop for both of these vegetables became much too large quite early and therefore, not pleasant to eat.

The early potatoes I planted in my poly-tunnel are just starting to show above ground now. In the next couple of days, I will ‘ridge’ them up and will prepare the ground for outdoor planting of my early crops. The rest of my ‘Vales Emerald’ and my ‘Red Duke of York’ [a heritage variety] and both new varieties for me will have to be planted as soon as possible and ‘fleeced’. I will also need to plant my Purple Majesty as soon as possible. Although they are an early maincrop they are putting out very long sprouts which demand planting. I will have to put fleece over them to protect what will, obviously, be early sprouting above ground.

While busy and ‘stressful’ [well, not stressful when compared with the ‘real’ world], this is my favourite time of the year. From now until the end of June must be the best time of the year for me – so full of promise, beauty and joy – I love it!