Page 47 - Simply Vegetables Spring 2022

to space out about 9 inches (22.5 cm.) apart. Peas can also be sown like this, but I always start them in pots in the cold greenhouse, just one per pot.
There are some crops that are tender and won’t stand any frost. This means
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DEREK BROOKS FNVS
April
Things are getting busier now in the garden and on the allotment and there is plenty
to do in the greenhouse as well. Now that the soil is warming up there are plenty of seeds that can be sown directly into the soil and also plants to plant. This is, of course, provided you have got the ground prepared and weed free. Talking of weeds, if you still have some on beds that you want to sow or plant and have no time for hand weeding, you can use a weedkiller containing glyphosate or acetic acid if you are organic. These don’t harm the soil so you can still sow or plant when the weeds have died. Weedkillers don’t work in cold weather but now that the weather and soil are warming up and weeds beginning to grow, there is a good chance of success. Rake the soil as fine as possible and rake in a general fertiliser such as fish, blood and bone before sowing.
Many seeds can be sown directly in the beds in drills now but some, I think, are better sown in cell trays or
pots and planted out later. I
wrote about this in March, telling you which ones and
I also told you how I grow carrots and parsnips in drums, tubes and buckets so please refer to these notes.
I sow broad beans direct in the beds, but I sow a few in pots in case any don’t germinate. They are, of course, large enough
Tomatoes ready for planting
that they can’t be planted out till late May or June, depending on where you live. They include runner beans, French beans (dwarf and climbing), marrows, courgettes, pumpkins, squashes, and sweet corn. They can all be sown where they are to grow
I mentioned last month that you could start planting potatoes, but April is when most of them are planted, starting with earlies and the maincrops towards the end of the month. I described last month how to plant them. I always plant mine this month and I put a thick layer of lawn mowing’s in the bottom of the trenches but these may not be available if planting was done earlier. This helps to prevent scab disease which affects the skin of the potatoes.
Onion sets can also be planted this month, directly in the beds but I plant mine in pots in the greenhouse to give them a start before planting out. Shallots and garlic are normally planted earlier but can still be planted now. If you planted them earlier in pots, they should be growing and ready to plant out, otherwise, plant them directly in the beds.
Earlier, I mentioned sowing broad beans directly in the beds but if they were sown earlier in pots, as I suggested in February and March to get an earlier crop , they will probably be ready for planting out now. If
Rake in a general fertiliser such as fish, blood and bone before sowing
but not till mid-May at the earliest. However, I sow them all this month in pots in the greenhouse, one per pot. This means that they are larger plants when finally planted out and start cropping earlier. To get them earlier still you can sow the seeds in a propagator or on a warming bench, as I do.
Don’t forget that these, and any other plants raised
in greenhouse need hardening off in a cold frame in May before planting out. If you haven’t got a frame, you can buy them or make your own with timber. The ones that I have dismantle when not in use and store behind the greenhouse or shed.
Asters pricked out
Planting potatoes with lawn mowings in the trench
Rhubarb soon be ready
Simply Vegetables 47