May on the Allotment - what should be done

May on the Allotment – what should we do?

Although our winter was outstandingly wet during 2013 and into 2014, it has also been very mild. This has been good for some crops and of course, not so good for others. My asparagus appeared above ground in January, prompting me to ‘earth it up’ a bit in case of late very cold weather. I have now been eating asparagus and giving away bundles for the last 4 weeks. It should be good for harvesting for all of May.

My globe artichokes survived the winter well without cutting back and minimal protection from frost. They have strong heads on already while I will be able to harvest in a couple of weeks. Interestingly, one of my strongest plants, which had three robust stems has suddenly collapsed – all three stems – perhaps the continuous rain got into the root and rotted it. Perhaps the continued dry weather we have had for much of April has upset it. Of course, it was not a young plant and was probably due for replacing, anyway. I’m not desperately upset as I usually have far more than I can happily eat.

My autumn sown Broad Beans have survived the winter well and pods are well set already – no sign of black fly [as yet – this is one of the advantages of autumn sowing broad beans – they avoid the worst of the black fly infestation]. This time I sowed Aquadulce Claudia [as I usually do] but, thought I’d also try something different with Karmazyn [also suitable for autumn sowing, it has a much more compact growth and has pink seeded beans – so far the plants are sturdy and well covered with flowers. I will report back at a later date on how these beans harvest and taste]. As we had a couple of very bitter winters when my broad beans did not over-winter at all well in spite of efforts to protect them, I covered my options and bought a couple of packets of spring sowing broad beans. They can keep for next year.

For the first time for a few years, I have been able to harvest parsley all winter – only a little during the winter as the growth was very slow but my, really quite substantial row across my plot is now keeping up with my demands quite well and I am watching my new sowing very carefully to ensure the seeds germinate – it is slow to germinate. If not I will have to re-sow as it is really one herb I could not do without. I put large handfuls of this into soups, sauces, potato cakes, meat dishes, casseroles, omelettes, quiches, pasta dishes – I don’t put it on my cornflakes!

 See next blog on parsley – varieties, cultivation, nutritional value, etc

Potatoes – they make me ashamed when I think of them – I always try to have them in the ground by St Patrick’s Day, 17^th March. The seed house didn’t send them out until March and they then had to be chitted. My 1^st Earlies [Epicure, a new one for me] was planted on 27^th March and are now appearing above ground. In spite of the very wet winter and early spring, since the beginning of April there has been little rain until the last week of April, resulting in rock hard ground. While I have managed to plant most of my seed potatoes, I didn’t plant my late maincrops [Sarpo Mira] until the end of April. The ground had been too hard for ‘earthing up’ and for planting. However, like with everything else, we do what we can and will deal with the weather which comes to us. I am compelled to say, yet again – each year, whatever the weather, is good for some crops and awful for others. It is important to keep working with what we have.

Maintenance around the plot and in green house or poly-tunnel

– keep established plants healthy and pest free – protect from slugs, snails and birds, especially on newly planted brassicas – cabbages, cauliflowers, Brussels sprouts, broccoli. As asparagus is now growing well, watch out for asparagus beetle and remove any beetles or larvae as soon as they are seen. Aphids, whitefly [on brassicas], caterpillars can all weaken or eat you precious young plants. Watch out, also, for ants – while they don’t, in themselves, damage the plants, they encourage aphids and will build their nests under plants undermining them.

Watch for red-spider mite on indoor plants – spray the young plants with water regularly – [red-spider mites like dry conditions]. Regular spraying with SB Plant Invigorator [it is organic] will strengthen the plants and discourage pests.

Since I erected it five years ago, I have had ongoing problems with red-ants in my polytunnel. So far, nothing has worked to eradicate them. As I try to eliminate a nest in one part of the tunnel they just move round to a different area and start again. This year, I’m trying something different. I have put a large pot of mint in an area where I know a thriving nest has over-wintered. If this works and it is necessary I will place pots of mint at intervals around the tunnel – more later!

- Keep the plot tidy - cut grass on paths regularly to prevent weeds and grass from encroaching on your plot and to reduce slugs and snails.

- Weeding – keep seed beds, particularly, free from weeds. Hoeing is useful but take care to not damage young plants [hoeing is not very effective in wet weather as the hoed weeds will often re-root].

- Earth-up potatoes as they start to appear, to protect from late frosts.

- Set up support for early sowings of peas.

- Pinch out the tender top growth of broad beans as soon as the first few rows of pods set at the bottom of the plants to deter black-fly [aphids] – particularly in spring sown beans, autumn sown beans, if they survive the winter, are less likely to be attacked.

- Protect strawberries from resting on the naked earth or mud – place straw under the plants or plant matting. Blackbirds do love the early ripening strawberries so netting might be necessary but be careful that the birds don’t get trapped under the netting.

- Remove the flower heads of rhubarb as soon as they start to appear as they will stop the production of new leaves [also some people prize the rhubarb flowers for flower arrangements – the flowers can attract aphids].

- As soon as they are big enough to handle, thin carrots and parsnips – dispose of carrot thinnings carefully to avoid attracting carrot fly.

- Keep fruit cages tidy and weeded – for particularly vulnerable bushes like redcurrants and gooseberries, ensure the cages are secure although do allow an escape hole for those intrepid birds which find a way in, in case of predators – cats and foxes will force a way in to catch trapped birds.

- Compost old plants or those which have finished producing.

Preparation and planning

- re-dig beds to create a good workable tilth - ready for planting out. As far possible, maintain the plan for good crop rotation you created over the winter – sometimes this does not work out as planned – weather, timing and condition of the soil can prevent implementation of excellent plans. Avoid planting root crops where you have added manure or lime.

When transplanting brassicas, it is a good idea to add a sprinkling of lime around each plant if you know your soil is too acid. Don’t add manure at the same time as lime but try to dig in good, well-rotted manure earlier in the season when digging the beds or in the previous autumn if possible..

For outdoor seed beds, ensure the soil has been broken down to a fine tilth. If your soil is particularly heavy or wet and is not breaking down easily - this can difficult on heavy clay soil or after a particularly wet season, it can be useful [especially with small seeds] to dig the bed over then create a shallow trench, fill with good quality compost [ bought-in is fine] and sow the seeds into this medium. Water well.

Sowing and planting

-  under cover [in green house or poly-tunnel] - winter cauliflower, celery, pumpkin and squash, runner beans. Herbs – basil.

– outdoors – [do wait a couple of weeks for the ground to be less cold] – beetroot, brassicas [broccoli/calabrese, spring, summer and winter cabbage, summer and winter cauliflower, kale, Swedes], Beans – runner and French, carrots, courgettes, outdoor cucumbers, Florence fennel, lettuce,  parsnips, potatoes [up to early May – the later the crop, the greater the risk of blight] 2^nd early and maincrop peas, pumpkins and squashes, radish, rocket, spinach and Swiss chard, spring onions, sweetcorn, turnips.

You can now transplant – into a poly-tunnel or greenhouse, young plants which have been raised in a propagator or heated greenhouse/conservatory – tomatoes, chillies and peppers, aubergines, indoor cucumbers.

You can now transplant outdoors – aubergines [only in warmer, sheltered areas], broad beans, French and runner beans, Brassicas – broccoli and calabrese, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, cauliflowers, kale], celery, celeriac, outdoor cucumbers, leeks, peas [if raised under cover], peppers and chillies[only in warmer, sheltered areas], pumpkins and squashes, outdoor tomatoes.

In all cases, harden the plants off well before planting out and do consider the weather. The young plants should be well watered into their final growing spot and continue to water until the plants have established – if necessary.

If you are planning to set up an asparagus bed in the spring, May is the last month for buying crowns though, in warmer areas it is probably too late as established beds are well into their productive season. Of course you can also buy in the autumn which will give you time to create a suitable permanent bed.

Harvesting – May is well into the lean time of the year. With luck and good planning spring cabbages should be available. If you are lucky enough to have a greenhouse or poly-tunnel, a crop of over-wintered spring cabbages should be available from late April onwards and should be available until the outdoor crop is ready

Overwintered cauliflower should start to head up now – as soon as the small heads start to show, make sure the plants are well watered.

For salads - over-wintered lettuce should also be ready for harvesting. Spring onion - White Lisbon can overwinter successfully although it will have a strong flavour. Of course, radishes sown under cover or outdoors will provide a crop very quickly. Sow successionally for a constant harvest.

Spinach and Swiss chard should provide a good harvest now – fresh young leaves are excellent in soups, salads, stir-fries, etc.

Asparagus should now be at its best and most productive – check the plants regularly for asparagus beetle.

Globe artichokes should have over-wintered well and should be producing their first heads

Early sowings of peas – if sown under a cloche should start to provide an early crop in late May.

Autumn sown broad beans will have started to develop good bean pods – these can be harvested and cooked like French beans though do leave lots for growing on.

Young turnips, sown under cover in early spring should now be available for harvesting.

Although it is past the leek season, I still have some late planted leeks which have not started to bolt [run to seed!]. As with parsnips, it can be useful to have an early and a late sowing to extend the harvesting potential.

Rhubarb this year is well ready for picking [don’t forget that the leaves are poisonous].

Saving and Storing seeds - how long can you keep seeds?

How long can you keep seeds?

I have written on this subject before but, I feel it is worth discussing again. Seeds are expensive to buy and for dedicated allotmenters and gardeners it is important to keep the cost down as much as possible.

o   Try sharing the seed order with a friend or neighbour to share packets [especially brassicas where you always get more than you need] or buy in more commercial quantities eg. peas where a kilo could be no more expensive than a retail packet.

o   If you are planning to buy lots of seeds, plan in advance and order from a catalogue or on-line catalogue from one of the seed-houses [small organic growers like The Real Seed Catalogue or Nicky’s Seeds, can be much cheaper], rather than from a garden centre or retail shop. You may have to pay a little extra for postage but this is more than covered by the cost of the seeds.

o   Perhaps your Allotment Association or one close to you, has its own shop. Usually, as the seeds and equipment are bought in bulk, it will be much cheaper and savings should be passed on to members. 

Seed Packet Information and Instructions

To the uninitiated the information and instructions can be fairly unintelligible and, in some cases, not sufficiently informative.

I do expect with a seed packet, to be told if the plant is annual [it will grow from seed, flower and seed with one season – the life of this plant will not extend beyond one season – eg, peas and beans, tomatoes, peppers, coriander[HA – hardy annual will grow successfully in a normal year outdoors in the UK]. [HHA – this plant is a half hardy annual – it will grow in the UK in the summer season as long as there are no frosts or other difficult unseasonal conditions].

Most of the vegetables we chose to grow in our allotments will be grown as annuals although not all are considered such as, if you wish to collect seeds from them they may actually be biennials – brassicas, carrots, parsnips, parsley, etc.

Biennial – the plants will grow from seed in one year but can survive a winter in a normal winter] to grow on in the following season to flower and run to seed – eg parsley and angelica [a favourite of a friend of mine].

Perennial – perennial plants will grow from seed [or cuttings, root cuttings, etc.] to create plants which will last for many years. The length of the life of that plant will depend on the conditions, the care given to the plant, the variety and the type.

HP – indicates a hardy perennial which should grow happily for many years in suitable conditions in the UK – fruit bushes and trees, rhubarb, horseradish, etc

HHP – indicating a half hardy perennial, will need care nurturing to ensure it survives cold winter conditions – eg. globe artichokes.

Seed packets will usually give very basic information on when and how to sow the seeds and how to grow on. However, some of the smaller and more specialised seed houses give little or no information on their seeds packets although the necessary information should be available in their catalogues or websites [these are not usually available in shops and garden centres].

The seed suppliers will rarely tell you if the seed can keep over for another year however, they should provide the date of packing [this is not always the date of seed harvesting].

o   Being able to carry–over seeds can be useful. As a rough guide seeds can have a life expectancy of approximately:

1 year only	2 years +	3 years	4 years +
Onions – seeds 1 – 2 years, sets 1 year only Parsnips Potatoes [tubers, not real seeds] Parsley	Broad beans French beans Runner beans Peas Salsify and Scorzonera Sweetcorn Coriander	Beet – leaf Beetroot Leeks Lettuce Swede Tomatoes Turnips	Aubergine Brassicas – broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflowers, kale, Capsicum – peppers and chillies, Carrots Celery Curcurbits – courgettes, cucumbers, squashes, pumpkins, marrows, melons Radish Spinach

 

Although I have kept some seeds beyond their life expectancy and a reasonable percentage has germinated, it is important that even seed with a long life expectancy should be stored in cool, dry, airtight conditions, in some cases even storage in a fridge will prolong seed life but, not in a freezer. Over years, for even those seed which have a long life, the viability will reduce. I have found that seeds I have collected myself from my own plants have had a much longer life expectancy than that for bought seed.

o   I don’t attempt to save seeds from plants where it means they will take up valuable growing space longer than necessary but, I will collect and save seeds from plants where the seeds themselves are the vegetable I will eat – eg. peas, beans and coriander and from vegetables where the crop is actually a ‘fruit’ of the plant that we will eat and therefore contains the seeds we can save – eg. squashes and pumpkins, marrows, tomatoes, peppers and chillies. This will only really work for standard seeds – not for F1 hybrids.

Beans, squashes and pumpkins have a reputation for being quite promiscuous so will probably not grow true to the original seed. I have never actually experienced much of a problem with beans although, on a couple of occasions I have had the odd climbing bean growing from a saved ‘dwarf’ variety.

Squashes and pumpkins, especially if planted among other varieties or, in a situation like an allotment field, are less likely to grow ‘true’. However, when I’ve planted them anyway, I’ve still managed to grow perfectly acceptable and tasty pumpkins. An allotment friend has suggested that growing your own seed actually gives a vegetable which is best suited to the conditions on your plot.

If you do harvest and use your own seed it is probably a good idea to buy in fresh stock every few years. I have noticed that over several years the plants grown from the saved seeds tend to lose their vigour.

I have over several years, grown Heritage seeds from several plant varieties - plants which have fallen out of fashion and which will become extinct if not supported and grown by enthusiasts. Perhaps I'm  now being cynical or maybe just too pragmatic but, I'm starting to feel that there is a reason that many of the Heritage varieties have disappeared - the modern varieties are just so much better and provide for our needs so much better [with an odd exception]. I do realise that it is important that we don't grow F1 hybrids of every plant but, for many of the Heritage vegetables I have grown, I have been very disappointed.

I realise this is probably a very provocative thing to write but....... there it is!

 

April on the Allotment - what to do this month

April on the Allotment

April…. the beginning of British Summertime. The clocks have just been put forwards [2 days ago] so, I guess it is British Summertime. I suppose I have to say at least, that it is spring.

I know that everyone has their own pet time for planting potatoes. Many of my fellow plot holders wait until Good Friday. For me this is not a good guide as Easter falls on a different date each year and it has no relationship to the weather. In Ireland, traditionally the first of the potatoes were planted by St Patrick’s Day [17^th March] and I have always aimed to have started my potato planting by then.

However, this year the ground has been so wet for so long that the seed houses didn’t send out my potato seed until the beginning of March – and then they had to be chatted. That said, the chitting has been quite quick this year and I did manage to plant my two little ridges of 1^st Earlies by 26^th March.

I had planned to put in some other seeds as well as it had been dry for some days and I had managed to complete some useful digging and bed preparation but, it was such a bitterly cold day that I couldn’t bring myself to plant any other seeds.

This year, April is going to be a very busy year for sowing

o   Maintenance

-      Keep the allotment tidy –for most allotment sites, and certainly for mine, bonfires are no longer allowed. Of course, there is always a debate about whether we should burn our rubbish anyway. Many people feel that all organic matter should be composted. In-organic rubbish should, in any case be taken home and disposed of safely away from the allotment [glass, metal, plastics, etc]

-      It is likely that many winter maturing vegetables will now have finished producing crops. Remove these [stems of Brussels sprouts and Kale and stumps of others which may have been left in the ground], reducing the opportunities for pests and diseases – clear these beds and dig over for new crops. Dig in compost or well rotted manure though not on proposed carrot or parsnip beds which will encourage the carrots to fork [fang];

-      Weed carefully around perennial plants [rhubarb, globe artichokes, asparagus, etc] to avoid disturbing the roots, before mulching with compost or manure;

-      Tidy strawberry beds – remove dead leaves and any remaining ‘runners’ be careful to not break off  the growing points of mature plants. New growth will already be springing through.

-      Grass and weeds on paths around your allotment and beds will now be showing serious growth. Some perennial weeds such as dandelions will already have set seed heads. Keep grass cut back and remove weed seed heads [and deep roots] before they have an opportunity to disperse seeds.

-      It is advisable, if you are at the allotment on a dry sunny day, to leave the doors of greenhouses or polythene tunnels open to allow for ventilation but, be sure to close up again before you leave. There are still hard frosts which will damage young plants.

o   Preparation

-      If you have covered rhubarb to force an early crop, it is advisable to remove the covering to allow the plants to grow normally as the forced stems are likely to be quite brittle and ‘stretched’. Early varieties will already be ready for harvesting;

-      Remove troublesome and deep-rooted perennial weeds [dandelion, dock, cinque-foil, couchgrass, horse-tail, bind-weed, etc] before digging over beds;

-      On autumn dug ground, now is the time to remove any weeds which may have sprung up and lightly dig or rake over the beds ready for planting;

-      Prepare seed beds as soon as the weather and ground have warmed up [by preparing seed beds I mean that the ground should be well dug, clods broken up and raked to a fine tilth so that the seeds can be sown into fine smooth soil. It can be helpful to rake in some seed or potting compost in the top layer to help this process. With carrots and parsnips, to help with a fine, stone-free, clod-free ridge it can be useful to dig out a narrow ridge about 6inches [15cm] deep and fill it with potting compost - water it well and sow your seeds into that];

-      If planning to sow seeds in greenhouse or poly-tunnel [in seed beds or pots] bring compost and containers of water inside to allow them to warm up before sowing. Each day, as you leave the plot, put containers of water inside to allow them to defrost for the next watering;

-      Check the pH of your ground. The rain will probably have leached a lot of lime from the soil. Remember the optimum pH for most plants is a little over 6 [slightly acid], although some prefer an alkaline soil [over 7] and a few, like most ericaceous plants [acid loving plants like heathers, rhododendrons, pieris,  azaleas, etc.] like it a bit lower. You can buy a fairly cheap pH monitor from many hardware or gardening stores – push the prongs into the ground and it registers the pH measurement on a screen. It isn't very accurate but will give an indication of whether or not you need to add lime. If you are adding lime - don't put it out at the same time as manure - they react together and the Nitrogen will be lost in gas. If lime is necessary, don't try to correct all at once - add a sprinkle on the chosen patch each year. One of my neighbours adds a spoonful around each brassica plant as she plants them out – in this way a different area is sorted each year.

-      Sort your packets of seeds into groups of those which should be sown March /April for earlier sowing; those which should be sown March to June for the middle of the month and for those which should be sown April / May closer to the end of the month. Be guided by the weather and the conditions. Most planting times on seed packets allow for a range of times.

o   Sowing and Planting

April is usually a frantic month on the allotment – digging, weeding, strimming, planting and sowing.

If you have not already done so, and you have an electric propagator, set it up this month. You can sow chillies, peppers, aubergines, cucumber and tomatoes for growing indoors.  Although they should be sown in February/March it is not too late and it is important to have somewhere warm enough and more importantly, light enough to grow them on once they have germinated.  It is important that when you transfer these delicate plants to your greenhouse or polytunnel, the hard frosts are over – they will need the stronger light but will not be able to tolerate very cold temperatures. As in every year, this can be a careful balance. My dream is to have a large heated greenhouse where I can propagate seeds in perfect conditions and grow on in perfect conditions. Then have a 50ft tunnel [or 3] where I can produce amazing crops every year but -  -  - dream on!

In a poly-tunnel or greenhouse – in pots, trays [or seedbeds – but remember that some plants don’t respond well to transplanting and those that do can still be occupying space later in the season that you will need for indoor crops, you can now sow –beetroot, broccoli/calabrese, brussels sprouts, summer and winter cabbage, early carrots, celery, celeriac, kale, lettuce, radishes, rocket and spring onions,

-      Outdoors, you can now sow [taking the conditions and the weather into consideration] – broad beans, broccoli /calabrese, Brussels sprouts, summer cabbage, carrots, summer cauliflower, leeks, lettuce, onions, spring onions, parsnips, early peas, potatoes, radish, rocket, spinach,and my favourite crop- parsley - Oh yes, and don’t forget the seed potatoes [hopefully already ‘chitted’]. I usually start my 1^st Earlies in March but this year is very late and it is certainly not too late to plant them.

-      Plants which have been sown germinated indoors can now be planted outside [make sure the weather and conditions are suitable and that the plants have been ‘hardened-off’ first] – broad beans, French beans [though I’d be careful of late frosts] ,sweetpeas, lettuce, early peas, summer cauliflower, winter cauliflower.

-      You can now sow indoors – in a poly tunnel or green house – aubergines, runner beans, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and calabrese, winter cauliflower, lettuce, onions, celery, celeriac, courgettes, cucumbers [indoor and outdoor], peas, peppers and chillies [though now quite late for them to produce a mature crop], pumpkin and squash, rocket, spinach, spring onions, sweet corn, Swiss chard, outdoor tomatoes,

-      Bought-in plants – usually these are not available in garden centres or in nurseries until it is time to plant them but this does not take into consideration any changes in weather.

Asparagus crowns and globe artichokes should be available for planting now although I have already harvested my first meal of asparagus [albeit a small one]. Some varieties will no longer be available. I have noticed that, at least 1 on-line and catalogue nursery is now selling asparagus crowns already established in large planters. I haven’t tried these and they are quite expensive but for outside-the-back-door and patio growing this might be a way forwards. Have a look for these in the autumn

o   Harvesting

-      Leeks are still okay, and even some late sown parsnips

-       some varieties of broccoli and cauliflower also.

-      Spring cabbage should be good now, some winter cabbage may also still be useable.

-      Some kale is still useable though, most is now running to seed.

-      Salads -early sown lettuce, radishes, new fresh spinach leaves, over wintered spring onions are good now

-      Swiss chard

-      Last year’s parsley is putting up new fresh growth as are marjoram, thyme, rosemary, mint and tarragon.