Page 49 - Simply Vegetables Spring 2023

Rosemary pricking out
potted on into larger pots when the roots have filled the small pots that they were transferred to originally.
This also applies to tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and aubergines in the greenhouse. They can all be planted direct in the greenhouse border. Prepare the ground first by forking in some well rotted manure or compost and also some general fertiliser. They can, of course, also be grown in pots or growbags. Tomatoes can also
be grown by a system called ring culture. This means growing them in bottomless pots on top of a bed of aggregate. The roots go through into the aggregate, and this is where the watering is done and
the fertiliser is applied to the pot. I grow some by an adaptation of this method by standing two bottomless pots on top of a growbag with circles cut out into which the pots fit.
If tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and aubergines are not ready for planting because they were sown late, They may still be seedlings which need potting into small pots or, if further advanced, need potting into larger pots.
If annual flower seeds were sown in February or March, as I suggested, they will soon be ready for “pricking out”. This means transferring the seedlings, when large enough to handle, into other trays or boxes.
Brassicas potted into larger pots
Use a good potting compost and level it in the tray using a flat board and water it. Lift the seedlings carefully and space them out, 2 inches (5 cm.) apart. They still need to
be kept in the greenhouse to grow on then hardened off in May.
I mentioned last month that chrysanth and dahlia cuttings may be ready for taking and I explained how to take them. You can carry on taking cuttings this month. If any were taken in March, they should be rooted now and ready to be potted singly into 3-inch (7.5 cm.) pots. Use a good potting compost. Chrysanths suffer from a disease called white rust which makes the foliage unsightly. The plants need spraying with a good fungicide every week or so from an early age.
If you have dahlia tubers but didn’t start them off into growth earlier, you can plant them direct in the ground where they are to grow. You don’t want the growths to appear above ground till the danger of frost is passed so wait till the end of the month and plant them fairly deep.
Gladioli corms can be planted now or next month. If you haven’t got any, you can order them from seed companies or get them from a garden centre and there are many different types. Plant them 4 inches (10 cm.) deep and space them about a foot (30 cm.) apart.
You may have rhubarb, over wintered onions, broccoli, and spring cabbage ready for harvesting.
Onion sets ready for planting
Simply Vegetables 49