Page 36 - Simply Veg 1 2024

You could sow them outdoors providing,
of course, that the ground isn’t frozen. Sow them 9 inches (22 cm.) apart, and 2 inches (5 cm.) deep and cover them with cloches. I think it is safer, though, to sow them in pots in the greenhouse they don’t need to go in a propagator.
Two other veg crops you could sow now are lettuce and beetroot. I think they are best sown in the greenhouse in cell trays 2 or 3 per cell and thinned to one when they germinate.
So much for veg sowing but what about flowers? I have always said that flowers are important in veg gardens to attract beneficial insects to pollinate our crops. Annual flowers are divided into two types, hardy and half hardy. Half hardy ones won’t stand any frost. If you have a heated greenhouse you could start sowing half hardy annuals. Some don’t need sowing till March, but some are better sown earlier. These include asters, salvias, lobelia, and antirrhinums. The last mentioned are strictly perennial but are usually grown as annuals.
Shallots growing 2
them down when they were blackened by frost last autumn, dug up the tubers and leave them to dry in a frost-free place over winter. If you have a greenhouse with a propagator or a warming bench to give them bottom heat, you could start them into growth. I use warming benches with a soil warming cable between layers of sand. If you haven’t any of these facilities, you
such as rhubarb, Jerusalem artichokes and asparagus.
In the flower garden, you can tidy perennials by cutting them back. If you want to increase your stock of perennials, they can be divided but you are better waiting till spring to do that. One job you can do now to increase your stock is to take root cuttings of plants with fleshy roots such as phlox or Oriental poppies. Dig
up a plant and cut the roots into sections about 2 inches (5 cm.) long. Insert them fully in multipurpose compost in pots or trays and put a layer of sharp sand on the surface. When new growth starts, which can be quite late in the year pot them up individually into small pots
The traditional time for planting shallots is December (the shortest day) .If you did so and if you planted them in pots, as I do, they may be ready for potting on into larger pots.
If you planted some spring cabbage in the autumn and overwintered them, it is a good idea to give them a feed now with a fertiliser that contains high nitrogen.
Another job I do this month is to sort all my canes, of which I have hundreds. I examine each one to see that it is still sound, then sort them into their different sizes and tie them in bundles.
All these can be sown in seed or multipurpose compost in seed trays.
Level the compost in the trays and sow
the seeds as thinly as you can and cover with a thin layer of compost. I cover mine with a sheet of glass and
newspaper. I have some
pieces of glass cut to the
right size for half trays
and for full size trays I use
two pieces. Put them in
a propagator if you have
one, if you haven’t one on
a warm windowsill or spot
indoors, the seeds will just
take longer to germinate. I think, though,
it would be better to wait till March. After about four days examine them every day because as soon as they germinate you will need to take them out of the propagator because they need light. Remove the glass and newspaper.
So much for sowing so what can we plant? Shallots, garlic, rhubarb and fruit trees can still be planted as I described last month so, please refer to those notes. I described planting fruit trees in detail.
If you grow dahlias, you should have cut
would be better leaving them till March or April. Plant them in boxes of compost with the tops just showing above the surface.
If you grow Chrysanths, you have cut them down in the autumn when they finished flowering ,dug up
the stools ,planted them in boxes and kept them frost free over winter. They can also be put on a propagator, or warming bench to start them into growth, like dahlias.
Apples and pears, autumn fruiting raspberries and roses can still be pruned as I described last month.
Another job you can do in the fruit garden is to give the trees a mulch. Garden compost or manure are good materials to use. Another job is to tidy up the strawberry bed by removing all dead or dying leaves. You can also mulch perennial veg crops
In the flower garden, you can tidy perennials by cutting them back
Leeks potted up
Onions ready for pricking out
36 Simply Vegetables