In the Garden and Allotment in mid April

The Garden and Allotment in mid April

The weather this week has been glorious. Although foggy in the mornings, the fog has cleared to give mild sunny days.

I guess it is now the start of the main sowing time. As I go to my plot with my bag of seeds and my plan for the day, I am aware of how much I should have planted but, the ground is just not ready for all of it.

My tomato plants also need to be moved to the poly-tunnel as they are becoming a bit leggy but, I am afraid of a late frost which would kill them, even in the protected environment. Perhaps I will pot them on and take some to the poly-tunnel and keep some at home for a little while longer.

Yesterday, I sowed 4 rows of peas [ Hurst Green Shaft]. They have the merit of being particularly good for freezing and mature more-or-less at the same time which means I can pick and freeze over the space of 4 or 5 days and clear the crop ready for brassicas. I still have a few tubs from last year but I’m looking forward to my new crops.

I also sowed some leeks [Musselburgh]. This year I thought I would try seed tape. I’m sure leeks should be easy but my germination rate has been a bit dismal in the last few years.

I see my early potatoes are already showing above the ground so I spend some time ‘earthing or ridging them up’ – heaping more soil over the emerging plants. This process helps to protect the young shoots from frost and encourages more potatoes to develop up the underground stems.

I planted out a row of spring sown broad beans [Imperial Green Longpod] which I had sprouted, potted up and  ‘hardened off’ [set outside for increasing times during the days to allow the plants to be more tolerant of colder conditions]. Spring sown broad beans are more prone to black fly than the autumn sown seeds but I do like them and want to extend the harvesting period.

Over the last couple of years I am increasingly moving my culinary herbs to my back garden so that I can pick them fresh as I need them rather than picking a lot and string in the fridge.

This spring’s sowings of parsley have germinated well and when They are a little bigger I will have to thin them vigorously. Last year’s are starting to grow again so, hopefully I will have a crop until the new plants are ready to harvest.

My chives, rosemary, thyme, mint, tarragon, oregano are all putting on healthy new growth.

As I write this there is none of the usual birdsong around our gardens but a sparrow hawk circling the sky above us.

The bluetit in my nesting box is still busily building her nest.