Page 51 - Simply Vegetables Spring 2023

caterpillars hatch, they eat holes in the leaves and eventually strip them. You
can keep looking for the eggs every day and squashing them. It is much better to prevent the butterflies from getting to the plants by putting a fine net, or nets, over them and this is what I do. I fix a structure of canes over the bed about 2 feet (60 cm.) high to support the nets. The nets must go right to the ground on all four sides and secured in position.
Onion sets can still be planted as I have described before and onions and leeks grown from seed, provided they are hardened off.
In the greenhouse, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and aubergines can be planted
if not done last month. I described the methods of planting then. If you are growing tomatoes on the cordon system, which means just allowing one stem
to grow, attached to a cane, you need regularly to remove side shoots. These are shoots that grow from the joints between the leaves and the stem. Ventilate your greenhouse in the daytime if the weather
is warm enough by leaving the ventilators and doors open but close them in the evening. It is also time to put shading on your greenhouse to keep the temperature
June
This is the month when you can plant all your tender plants because, hopefully, no matter where you live, there is no longer any risk of frost. This applies
to the tender vegetables that I have mentioned the last two months, half hardy flowers, and dahlias. Tomatoes can also be planted outside.
Prepare the ground how I have told you before. If you are planting anything tall, put the stakes in first. I wrote about planting distances last month, so please refer to those notes.
I grow dahlias in beds of their own, as I said for Chrysanths last month, but if you haven’t room you can grow them in mixed borders or anywhere there is room . They like a sunny spot, though, as do most of the annual flowers I mentioned.
If you are planting brassicas, don’t forget what I said about covering them with nets to keep the butterflies off them. Chrysanths and gladioli can still be planted if not done before and onions and leeks.
It is rather late to sow tender veg seeds, except for dwarf French beans, but you can still sow them for a late crop, if not done before. Most of the other seeds I mentioned last month can still be sown but remember what I said about sowing little and often. This applies to salad crops, peas cauliflowers, cabbages for autumn and winter use, turnips, carrots and parsnips. Please refer to my previous notes about sowing methods, particularly carrots and
Brassicas planted
down in hot weather. It is better for the plants and reduces watering you can buy shading material that you brush on and it wipes off easily in the autumn.
I have just mentioned watering in the greenhouse but watering crops outside may be a regular job from now on . We could get some warm weather this month so see that your crops don’t go short of water.
Now that the weather is warming up, we need to keep our eyes open for pests which will be increasing in numbers rapidly, if we allow them to, particularly aphids. If there are only a few, you could squash them but if there are more, you need to use a suitable spray to get rid of them.
Aubergines in final pots
If you planted your potatoes early, they should be growing now and possibly ready for earthing up. This means drawing soil up round the stems. This prevents tubers being exposed to the light which causes them to go green.
Strawberries should be growing well now, and it is a good idea to put straw under the plants which keeps the fruit off the ground and so, keeps them clean.
If you sowed any broad beans last autumn they may have grown tall by now and it is a good idea to pinch out the tops, as this discourages black fly. You may even have some beans ready for harvesting. You can also harvest rhubarb and asparagus this month.
Rosemary spraying the roses
parsnips that I wrote about in March. The main problem with growing carrots is carrot fly. They lay their eggs on the soil near the plants and when the grubs hatch, they go into the soil and burrow into the carrots. I think the best prevention is a physical barrier to stop the flies getting to the carrots. If you grow them in buckets, you can put a fine net over them. I grow some in bore holes in the same cold frames that I used for hardening off plants in spring and cover them with a fine net.
I have not mentioned chicory before
but there are two types, both of which
can be sown now. One type is forced in winter by keeping the roots in the dark to form “chicons”. The other type is grown
for their heads, similar to lettuce and don’t need blanching. The most readily available variety for chicons is Witloof Zoom (Browns and Fothergills) and for salads, Rossa di Treviso Precoce (Suttons).
So much for sowing and planting so what else needs doing? One thing we must do is be on the lookout for pests and diseases. I have just mentioned cabbage
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