On the Allotment in April

April on the allotment

- it really is springtime now, or it ought to be but, who is to know in these times of changing climate. We must adapt accordingly. I do realise that you may not be from the UK or even the Northern Hemisphere and so my thoughts may not be appropriate. This year, March has been particularly miserable but now in April it is looking a little kinder. I am hopeful that the blue-tits really are going to nest in my nest box. I can see through the camera that they are now lining the nest with fur and feathers.

We sometimes think of springtime as a season of bounty - new lambs and calves in the fields and lots of planting being done but, in fact March and particularly April are really the 'lean' season. Unless we have had a kind winter and have planned our crops very carefully, our overwintering crops have finished or are close to finishing and our stored fruit and vegetables have either finished or deteriorated beyond use and little is ready on the allotment - back to the supermarket!  I have to admit that I do get very tired of purple sprouting broccoli and even asparagus in this season. Friends and neighbours think I'm amazing generous to give bunches of asparagus away but, really I just can't face another meal of asparagus and broccoli. One of my asparagus beds starts producing in March but, I was given the plants so, don't know which variety they are. They are all female and many sites I read that female plants are not so highly thought of. However, I find that these plants give me very superior spears - fat and flavoursome. 

Maintenance around the plot – what we need to do to keep established plants healthy and pest free;

·         keep the plot tidy;

·        cut grass on paths around your plot, unless the weather is very cold the grass will now be growing vigorously and will need to be cut regularly;

·         weeding - like the grass, those weeds which love your soil will now be taking hold and weeding will be a regular task, especially around seed beds and on newly planted beds;

·         tidy fruit cages - many of the fruit bushes will have flower buds on, make sure they are weeded or that the grass and weeds are kept under control.. The same work will be needed around perennial plants and fruit trees and bushes;

·         compost old plants or those which have finished producing;on many allotment sites, including mine, bonfires are no longer allowed.

Preparation and planning for the coming season –

·         looking after perennial plants – probably too late for pruning, depending on where you are in the country, ensure all perennial weeds are cleared from around them, feed and manure as necessary;

•  re-digging beds ready for planting out;
•  dig in compost and/or well rotted manure;
•  preparing seed beds;
•  top–up raised beds with fresh compost or soil.

Sowing and planting what can be sown or planted now?

in a propagator – aubergines, courgettes, cucumbers, peppers and chillies, pumpkin and squash, tomatoes.  Herbs - basil;

·         under cover [in green house, poly-tunnel, cold frame or cloche] – brassicas (Brussels sprouts, broccoli/calabrese, winter cauliflower), celery, celeriac, lettuce, peppers and chillies, pumpkin and squash, rocket, runner beans, spring onions. Herbs – basil, chervil, chives, parsley rosemary, savoury, thyme,
outdoors – [do wait a couple of weeks for the ground to be less cold] – broad beans, beetroot, brassicas [broccoli, Brussels sprouts, summer cabbage, winter cabbage], carrots, summer cauliflower, garlic, kale, leeks, lettuce, onions, shallots, parsnips, potatoes, early peas, radish, rocket, spinach and Swiss chard, spring onions, turnips.
As bare root plants can only be safely transplanted when they are dormant, it is now probably too late in the season except in colder parts of the country where the plants have not yet started growing. If you are buying plants in pots to plant out on your allotment or in your garden, while they can be transplanted at any time, it is best to wait until the ground is less cold.

Harvesting –

• Fresh from the plot, greenhouse or poly-tunnel – early varieties of asparagus, spinach, some types of broccoli, spring cabbage/spring greens, Swiss chard, winter cabbage, winter cauliflower, kale, early lettuce, salad onions, radishes, sorrel, rhubarb, oregano, rosemary, bay-leaves and last year’s parsley plants should be growing strongly now before they start to run-to-seed.
• Autumn sown broad beans may well have now set their pods during late March or early April can be harvested as young pods and cooked and eaten like Fine Beans [albeit with a slightly ‘hairier’ texture – an excellent source of a fresh, healthy vegetable in the lean period but, do leave enough to grow on to maturity.