Page 44 - Simply Vegetables Winter 2021/22

All the veg beds are manured except the root crop bed and the beds where I grow Chrysanths, dahlias and gladioli are also manured.
A job I do before the beds are manured is to test the acidity or alkalinity of the soil (the pH value) pH
7 is neutral, below 7 is acid and above
7 is alkaline (or limey). You can buy cheap pH testing kits at garden centres. Most crops are happy with a pH 6.5 to 7.0. Brassicas like it higher because
it helps to prevent clubroot. Potatoes like it lower to prevent scab. If you want to increase the pH value, lime or limestone flour is added. The amount needed depends on the type of soil but as a general rule 12oz of limestone flour increases the value by one
unit, i.e. From 7 to 8. If a
bed that needs manuring
requires lime as well,
this has to be added first,
leaving it about a month
to do its job before the
manure is added.
If you have any ground
cleared where you
don’t intend planting
anything for a while, you can cover it with black plastic to prevent nutrients being washed out and stop weeds germinating.
Another job I do at this time of year
is to dig trenches for runner beans and sweet peas. I dig two parallel trenches about a metre apart, a spades depth and a spades width, fork over the base, then put in a good layer of green material before replacing the soil then fork in some manure.
So much for preparing the ground
but what can we sow this month? I think it is too early to sow anything outdoors, but you could risk broad beans. It would be best if you could warm
the soil with cloches first. I think it
is better to sow them in pots in the greenhouse or a windowsill indoors and plant them out later. Aquadulce Claudia is the most popular variety for early sowing, but de Monica and The Sutton are also suitable. All these are in most catalogues.
If you have a heated greenhouse with a propagator, you could sow leeks and onions. If you haven’t a propagator it would be better to wait till next month. Sow the seeds on trays of a good seed or
Parsnips lifted
multipurpose compost and cover lightly with more compost. The seeds are
large enough to space out so put them about an inch apart. When they have germinated, transfer them to cell trays or small pots. They can come out of the propagator when germinated and they will need hardening off in a cold frame before planting out.
This is the month when seed potatoes begin to appear in garden centres and chain stores. Buy them and stand them in trays or egg boxes with their “eyes” at the top. Stand them in a light position, which are the greenhouse shelf or a windowsill indoors and the “eyes” will start to grow. This is called “chitting”.
Most fruit trees and bushes can be pruned this month, the exception being stone fruits.
never done in winter due to the risk of silver leaf disease. Apples can be either spur bearing or tip bearing. Spur bearers produce their fruit on short spurs along the branches. Prune the side branches to three buds. With tip bearers, leave branches that have fruit buds and prune back some of the others. Pears are pruned like spur bearing apples.
Gooseberries and red and white currants are pruned in the same way. Remove any crossing branches and cut new growth by half and side shoots to two inches(5cm,). With black currants, cut out half of the fruited branches, leaving room for new growth. With autumn fruiting raspberries, cut down all branches to soil level.
Another important job to prepare for the coming season is to wash all seed trays and plant pots.
44 Simply Vegetables
I think it is too early to sow anything outdoors