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.

Planting my Maincrop Potatoes

 It was quite a chilly morning and the wind whistling through the wire fence above my plot made it sound even more bleak than it really was. However, it didn't rain as I had expected so, I was able to get the last of my potatoes planted - my maincrops.

I don't know why really but, getting the potatoes into the ground always seems to hang over me. Really there is plenty of time until May to plant them.

This year my maincrops are Pink Fir Apple and Sarpo Axona. My preference is for floury potatoes which the Sarpo Axona are - wonderful potatoes, blight resistant and very flavoursome. If you haven't grown any of the Sarpo range do give them a try.

Of course the Pink Fir Apples are a waxy salad-type potato but, they have a distinctive flavour which is worth growing for and some great recipes for using them.

The ground is very wet after a few days of heavy rain although we really did need the rain. My ground dries out very quickly and sets into rock hard lumps so the rain was welcome. I did manage to get a piece dug ready for my spring sowing broad beans [Imperial Green Longpod] which are in pots in my poly-tunnel. I will plant them out in a week or so.

My blue-tits continue to work on their nest in my nesting box. One of them stays there each night. I don't know if this makes it any more likely to choose this nest as the one they will lay in but I continue to be hopeful. At least I know they have not yet stated to lay eggs.

More later.