March on the Allotment
An old proverb claims that March comes in like
a lion and goes out like a lamb. My experience over the years has shown that
this is true more often than not though, there are exceptional years. March,
for much of Northern Europe is the first month of spring and the date of the
spring equinox is the twenty four hours when day and night are of equal length.
The length of daylight has easily as much effect on plant growth as
temperature.
o
Maintenance
- Keep the allotment tidy – check
the rules of your allotment association before having a bonfire, and do look
out for small animals which may have crept into the debris to hibernate or just
to shelter from harsh weather.
- If you still have brassicas
growing on your plot – Brussels sprouts, cabbages, broccoli, kale, etc. remove
any yellowed leaves from the plants or on the ground and compost them. Remove
also, any plants which have finished producing crops, to reduce 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];
- Mulch fruit trees, bushes and
canes with compost or well rotted manure. If you are growing blueberries, which
are ericaceous, make sure they are fed with a suitable ericaceous plant food;
- 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’. Clear old strawberry beds [3 years or
more] and dig over the area, dig in compost or manure. It is a good idea to
have more than one strawberry bed, planted on alternate years so that you will
always have a mature productive bed.
- 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
- It is not too late to cover your
rhubarb plants to ‘force’ an early crop – some early varieties are already
showing vigorous new growth;
- Remove troublesome and
deep-rooted perennial weeds [dandelion, dock, cinque-foil, couchgrass,
horse-tail, bind-weed, etc] before digging over beds;
- As soon as areas are cleared and
the ground is workable, start digging. On heavy clay ground, especially after a
wet winter the ground roughly before you will be able to create a workable
tilth [see glossary] 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 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.
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Sowing and Planting
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. They
can be sown in February but it is important to have somewhere warm enough and
more importantly, light enough to grow them on once they have germinated. An
unheated greenhouse or poly-tunnel will not ensure enough heat for these tender
plants;
- 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,
- 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, sweet-peas, lettuce, early peas, summer cauliflower, winter
cauliflower.
- Bought-in plants
Plant
new asparagus crowns in well prepared and manured beds.
1st early potatoes can be planted by mid-March
[weather and conditions allowing] but it is advisable to cover with fleece or
environmesh to protect from late frosts. Onion, shallot, garlic sets can be
planted out now. First early potatoes can be planted by mid-March [weather and
conditions allowing] but it is advisable to cover with fleece or environmesh to
protect from late frosts.
o
Harvesting
Leeks are still good, some winter cabbages are still
harvestable, some varieties of broccoli also. Spring cabbage may also be ready
– I over-wintered a few in my poly-tunnel which should be ready and can be
harvested when there is little else.
Harvesting and Cooking in March
Fresh
from the plot –
Leeks are still good, winter cabbages are still harvestable, and some varieties
of broccoli also. Spring cabbage used as spring green can also be ready – try a
few over-wintered in a poly-tunnel which can be harvested when there is little
else.
From
your stored produce
– carrots, garlic, onions, potatoes, shallots, squash and pumpkin, apples.
From
the freezer –
chillies, courgettes, parsnips, peas, peppers, sweetcorn, tomato pulp,
blackcurrants, gooseberries, raspberries, herbs,
Dried – beans, chillies, herbs
Recipes
Parsnip Soup with spices – not
chilli hot.
1 medium
onion – peeled and finely chopped
3 medium
parsnips – washed, peeled and cut into smallish chunks
2 cloves
of garlic – peeled and chopped
1 stick celery – finely sliced
2 small
or 1 medium carrot – peeled and cut into small cubes
2 oz
[50gm] butter
1½ pts [
850 ml] approx chicken or vegetable stock
¼ pt
double cream if wished or a little milk
Salt and
freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp.
freshly ground cumin seeds
1 tsp
freshly ground coriander seeds
Method
·
Melt
the butter in a large pan then, sweat the onions and garlic [cook without
colouring].
·
Add
the vegetables – parsnip, carrot and celery and cook gently.
·
When
soft, add seasoning, and spices and for 4 – 5 minutes.
·
Add
the stock and bring to the boil. Cook until all the vegetables are soft, 20 -30
mins.
·
Using
a hand held blender, [or put through a processor] process the soup until well
blended and mixed. Correct the seasoning and serve with a little milk or cream
served through.
Beans au Gratin
4
oz
[100gm] dried beans – kidney, borlotto, Yinyang, chickpeas, etc.
Reconstituting Dried Beans
On the day before you
intend to use them, pick over to remove any beans which are no in good
condition, ces of dirt or dried pods. Wash them well and put them into a
container large enough to allow them to, at least, double in size.
Cover them with fresh cold
water [ if you live in a hard water area, it is helpful to add a teaspoon of
Bicarbonate of soda to the water. Soak them oveht or for at least 4 hours.
Rinse the beans well and,
using fresh water, cover the beans, bring to the boil and simmer until soft.
This may take 2 – 3 hours, depending on the age of the beans.
Do not add salt until the
beans have been cooked.
2 - 3
leeks – trimmed, washed and sliced
2 onions
– finely chopped
3 – 4
cloves of garlic
2
smallish courgettes – I use Orelia which is dryer and denser than Zucchini
3 oz
[75gm]sweetcorn kernels – fresh, frozen or a small tin
3 oz
[75gm]shelled peas – you can use frozen
1 large
red bell pepper – washed and seeded then, chopped
A small
head of cauliflower – washed and broken into small florettes
3oz [
75gm] butter
3 oz [
75gm ] plain flour100gm
1 pt [
570ml] hot chicken or vegetable stock [if you are vegetarian]
Juice and
grated rind of 1 lemon
1 good
Tblsp. chopped parsley
Seasalt
and freshly ground black pepper
2 oz
[50gm] fresh breadcrumbs – brown or white
2 oz
[50gm] grated cheddar cheese
Sauce
·
Melt
the butter with the seasoning and lemon rind. Sweat the onions, and garlic then
add the leeks, red pepper, cauliflower and courgettes. Cook gently until the
vegetables are soft, taking care not to brown them.
·
Add
the flour and cook gently until the flour is cooked out without allowing it to
brown.
·
Gradually
add the stock, stirring all the time until you have a smooth sauce around the
vegetables. Add the sweetcorn and peas and simmer gently for a further 3
minutes.
·
Drain
the beans and add them to the mixture along with the lemon juice and chopped
parsley. Check the seasoning.
·
Pour
the mixture into an oven proof dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and grated
cheese and bake in a medium to hot oven - 180°C, No 6 Gas for 15 – 20 minutes
or until the top is golden brown.
·
Serve
immediately with hot crusty bread. – this dish will keep in the fridge to be
reheated if necessary.
Rhubarb and Ginger Pie
Ingredients – for a 1 litre ( 1½ - 2 pint) pie dish
4
good-sized stalks of rhubarb
3
Tblsp. sugar
A few
pieces of crystallised or stem ginger in syrup – finely sliced
Short crust pastry
150g
plain flour (6oz)
75g
margarine or butter (3oz)
6 tsp
cold water approx.(this amount may vary slightly depending on the weather and
the flour you are using – you need the ingredients to bind together without
being sticky).
Method
·
Sieve
the flour and salt into a baking bowl. Add the margarine and rub in with your
finger tips to create a texture like fine breadcrumbs – don’t allow the mixture
to become sticky.
·
Add
the water slowly to ensure the ingredients combine without becoming too soft.
·
Knead
gently to combine the ingredients for a short time – 1 minute.
Making Pie
·
Preheat
the oven to 180°C, Mark 6 gas
·
Wash
and trim the rhubarb. Cut into 1cm or half inch long pieces.
·
Put
a layer of rhubarb on the bottom of the dish, sprinkle with half of the sugar
and ginger
·
Repeat
this process.
·
Roll
out the pastry on a lightly floured board to ½ cm thick approx.(¼in)to the
shape of the pie dish. Cut off a strip of pastry wide enough to go around the
rim of the dish
·
Wet
the edges of the pie dish with water and apply the strip to the edges. Wet the
top of the pastry strip with water.
·
Put
the pastry on top of the pie. Trim and seal the edges. Put a small slit on the
top of the pie to allow the steam to escape.
·
Bake
for about 15 – 20 minutes then reduce the temperature and bake for a further 15
– 20 minutes to ensure the fruit is cooked. Don’t allow the pastry to burn
·
When
baked, sprinkle the top with a little caster sugar immediately and serve with
cream, ice-cream or crème fraîche.
