Page 20 - ALG Issue 1 2019

Regular
March is the month when, weather dependant, we begin to
think of making a start on the open ground. The combination of lengthening days, spring sunshine and drying winds provide ideal conditions for preparing the seed beds for the precious, early outdoor sowings. It is worth covering the soil with cloches or sheets of plastic to help raise the soil temperature and to keep it warm until you can get onto it. It also helps to pre-warm the soil before planting out seed potatoes.
Complete any outstanding winter digging and clear the plot of old leaves and spent crops. Easter this year falls on the 21st April, which traditionally sees the beginning of the gardening season proper.
GREENHOUSE
You can sow the seeds of early lettuce, early beetroot, celeriac, celery, early wrinkled seeded peas, long pod broad beans and spring onions in modules to transplant into the open later on.
By the middle of the month it should be safe
to make outdoor sowings of early beetroot, lettuce, round seeded
spinach, radish, kohlrabi, wrinkled peas, long pod broad beans and spring onions into the open ground.
Sow short rows of Brussels sprouts, summer cabbage, broccoli, onions and leeks on a nursery bed. They will be thinned out to transplant to their final growing positions by mid-April.
OUTSIDE
Plant – Garlic and shallots before the middle of the month; wait until towards the end of March before
planting out onion sets. Plant out the first early potatoes and be prepared to cover the soil with a plastic sheet to keep it warm. Potatoes resent being planted into cold soil, it sets them back several weeks. Transplant any peas, broad beans, cabbages
or lettuce that are ready from earlier sowings.
GENERAL
MARCH
Spread onion sets out in a seed tray and keep them somewhere cool. Remove any that are damaged, diseased, or are producing leaves.
Stand seed potatoes up in trays to chit them. Keep them in a good light to produce short, strong
green shoots. Remove and discard any that are damaged or diseased.
March is the ideal time to feed the allotment with a general fertiliser. Spread it over the surface of the soil according to the manufacturer’s instructions – there is no advantage in applying
it any more than recommended. Something like pelleted poultry manure will act as a slow release fertiliser lasting all of the growing season. It will feed the beneficial soil bacteria at the same time.
Keep plenty of plastic and fleece protection handy to cover up early crops if a frost is forecast. This is especially important if you have any strawberries in flower during the month. The frost will kill the flowers and you will lose the crop.
Early March sunshine is very deceptive; we may not be clear of winter weather yet. Don’t be tempted to push on too much, just enough to provide you early crops that will be picked and used.
Ventilate the greenhouse on sunny days and close it up by mid- afternoon to trap the warmth overnight. Have newspapers or fleece handy to cover any seedlings or plants growing in the greenhouse.
Heartfelt thanks to Mike Thurlow
It is with great regret we say goodbye to Mike Thurlow, our Horticultural Advisor, who is retiring from the role. Mike has been a great support to the Society over the years, helping us to develop the new website, attending Garden Shows to give growing advice, and responding to horticultural queries from members. We will be appointing a new Horticultural Advisor(s) in the near future so that
we can continue this valuable member benefit. Mike is of course a life member, and I for one am hoping that I can still draw on his considerable expertise now and again.
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Seasonal jobs to do...
March, April and May