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.

 

Growing Rhubarb - the winter division

Of course, at this time of year, we feel we don't have to do anything much on our allotment and this is the time to be laid back and plan for the future.... or not!

However, for a few of us who feel that producing vegetables for winter is important [ I do but, still go to the vegetable shop for those vegetables which have not been successful or have failed for me this year or, that I have not produced enough, eg. cauliflower... is always either glut or famine].

Of course, apart from harvesting, there are a few jobs which must be done - see on the last Blog. I did mention there about dividing rhubarb crowns. This is best done now or during January - February. Some varieties will start to sprout in February so, it is best to divide crowns before this.

Growing Rhubarb – rheum hybridum

 Rhubarb, although grown widely as a fruit, is not, in fact, a fruit. This is an important consideration when preserving the uniquely flavoured stems, as it contains no pectin so, will not ‘set’.

Sowing and Growing

It is grown for its stems which can be available – depending on the variety – from as early as March, in milder climates. Of course, commercially it is grown in dark, warmed sheds where the plants can be harvested as ‘sweet’ tender, blanched stems for most of the year.

On the allotment, it is possible to ‘force’ the rhubarb stems by covering with a large chimney pot or more frequently nowadays, with a compost bin or upturned plastic bin. The stems collected by this method are likely to be quite fragile or even limp after a very short time and are best eaten immediately. It is important to remove the covering quite early to allow the plant to put up ‘normal’ growth for the following season.

Rhubarb plants can last for many years so, it is important to create a good bed to ensure the young plants can establish well – make sure all perennial weeds have been removed although, in time the rhubarb will ‘crowd-out’ any intrusive weeds.

It is possible to grow from seed though, it is probably best to buy in young plants from a recommended provider or seed house in winter or early spring. Check what the type of plants available and choose a variety which will suit your taste and ground.

Although rhubarb is fairly tolerant of most sites and types of soil, it does prefer a well drained, sunny and well manured site. Rhubarb is not happy in a site where it is overgrown by trees or in heavy shade.

Although it is recommended to buy in new, young plants every ten years or so, if you have a variety you like, you can create new plants from the stock you already have – dig out the old roots [ they are deep rooted plants and can be difficult to eradicate if this is your intention] in the late autumn or winter and allow them to be exposed to frost. Make sure the plants you are using are healthy and with no obvious defects – an uncle of mine ,who had been a keen gardener for most of his life, said that the roots should be thrown at the back of the manure heap for the winter, then planted on again in the spring.

When I am sharing my favourite, early, sweet plant [I inherited it so I have no idea of the variety although, one rhubarb connoisseur suggested it might be ‘champagne’], I cut through a large section of the root with a sharp spade during the winter and pass it on. I understand all of my roots have transplanted happily. Perhaps, next year I will move my, now enormous, rhubarb plant to a new part of my plot to re-invigorate it.

Rhubarb is a fairly greedy plant and requires a good mulch of well-rotted manure each winter. Also, mulch the plants well to ensure moisture retention in dry years. Although rhubarb will tolerate dry spells, long dry seasons can affect the plant’s production in that season and in a subsequent year.

It is advisable to remove any flower heads as they may appear as they will stop the plant producing the stems which we would harvest although some growers like to grow rhubarb for  the flower heads as a supurb architectural plant for flower arrangements. This is fine though I have noticed that the flower heads can be susceptible to aphid attack.

Varieties

It is always important to see what the plant/seed providers are recommending as new varieties of plants become available each year. If you are planting new plants, it is important to resist harvesting any leaves in the first year to allow the plants to establish.

Try varieties – Livingston, Victoria, Champagne, Stockridge Arrow, Timperley Early [which should produce good stalks from February until October], Giant Grooveless Crimson [repudedly less acidic], Polish Raspberry.

What ever the variety, as the season progresses the stems become tougher and more acidic [sour]. This is a crop best harvested in spring until early summer.

Don’t forget that rhubarb leaves are poisonous. The same toxin, oxalic acid is also present in the stems so, it is not advisable to eat too much or give to young babies.

Harvesting and Storing

When harvesting rhubarb, the plant should be growing vigorously, definitely not in its first season of growing. If it has not established well or has had a difficult year previously then, don’t harvest. Water well and feed the plant until the following season.

Choose strong, thick stems and pull them strongly from above, bringing out the ‘attachment’ tissue to the mother plant. Don’t harvest too many from one plant. Cut off the leaves and the ‘attachments’ area of each stem.

Use the stems within a few days as they will wilt quite quickly, even in a fridge.

Rhubarb is best used in season although it can be used to create a wonderful Rhubarb and Ginger Jam.

Rhubarb leaves are highly toxic – containing oxalic acid and several other toxins. These toxins are also present in the leaves though, in much lower quantities. It is important to not eat too much of this ‘fruit’ and don’t give to babies in any form.

Pests and diseases

Young rhubarb plants can be susceptible to aphids though usually only on the flower heads. IF you wish to use them for flower arrangements it is important to deal with this possible infestation. Otherwise, remove all flower heads before they develop.

Honey fungus – if this is a problem on your allotment, can be a problem with rhubarb. Remove all roots and start on a new site with new, bought-in roots.