Page 41 - Simply Vegetables Winter 2022/23

can buy a head from the supermarket and split it into individual cloves. Rake some general fertiliser into the ground and plant them 6 inches (15 cm.) apart in rows 12 inches (30 cm.) apart, 1 inch (2.5 cm) deep.
Shallots can also be planted now as well the traditional time is December but there is still time. Plant them as I have said for garlic. Both garlic and shallots can also be started in pots if you wish, and this is how I prefer to grow them.
We are also in the season when bare root fruit trees and bushes can be planted which is between November and March. You can order them from specialist suppliers, but they are widely available in garden centres, from garden centres they will be in pots. Most fruit trees are grafted onto a root stock which determines their eventual height. This information should
be on the label so choose the height you want. Dig out a hole wider than the root ball. If it is a tree that you are planting, put a stake in first to support the tree for its early years. You can see the joint where the tree has been grafted onto the rootstock plant it so that this is just above the surface. It is a good idea to mix some manure and some fertiliser into the soil before replacing it. Tread the soil round the tree and see that it stays at the same level.
So much for planting but is there anything we can sow? I think it is too early to sow anything outdoors. If you have a greenhouse, preferably with a propagator
you can sow onions and leeks. Sow them in a tray of seed or multipurpose compost. Level the surface of the compost and water it. The seeds are large enough to space out. Just put a thin layer of compost over the seeds and level the surface again then put the tray in a propagator if you have one.
You can also sow broad beans. At this time of year I think it is best to sow them individually in pots in the greenhouse or on a windowsill in the house. Varieties suitable
Trenches fror runner beans and sweet peas
for sowing so early are Aqaudulce Claudia, The Sutton, de Monica and Luz de Otono.
Most fruit trees can be pruned this month except stone fruit. Apples can
be either spur bearing where the fruit is formed on short spurs along the branches or tip bearing where fruit is formed at the ends of the branches. Cut out any diseased or crossing branches first. With spur bearers, prune the side branches to three buds. With tip bearers, leave branches that have fruit buds and cut back some of the others. Pears are pruned the same way as spur bearing apples.
Gooseberries and red and white currants are pruned the same way. Cut out any crossing branches then prune new growth by half and side shoots to two inches (5 cm.) With black currants cut out half of the fruited branches to make room for new ones. Autumn fruiting raspberries should be cut down to ground level.
Rhubarb can be forced this month. Dig up one or two crowns and plant them in large pots or boxes, cover them with an upturned bucket filled with straw and put it somewhere warm.
A job I do every year at this time is to wash all my seed trays and pots ready for the coming season, this ensures they are clean and less likely to carry disease into the new seedlings.
Onions germinating
Simply Vegetables 41