Page 50 - Simply Vegetables Spring 2021

Dahlias hardening off in the frame
may be ready for planting but, as I said earlier, whether it will be safe to plant them depends on where you live. If you do live
in a cold area and the plants are ready for planting I would pot them on into larger pots and wait till June before planting.
In the greenhouse, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and aubergines should be planted if not already done.
So what about flowers? I told you before that even though hardy annuals are normally sown outdoors I sow mine in the greenhouse with the half hardy ones. The hardy ones can be planted this month if they are ready but I don’t plant the half hardy ones till June. The same applies to dahlias because they won’t stand any frost. I always pot these up into 5 inch (12.5 cm.) pots before they go into the cold frames and plant them in June. If you haven’t taken any dahlia cuttings, there is still time to plant the tubers, as I said last month. Chrysanths are not as tender as dahlias and I always plant then in mid-May because I take the cuttings early the plants are getting pot bound before this so I pot them on into 5 inch (12.5 cm.) pots as I do for dahlias.
Both dahlias and Chrysanths need “stopping” by pinching out the tops of the plants when about 6 inches (15 cm.) tall. This causes the plants to produce side
Climbing French beans
shoots, called laterals, which will carry
the flowers. Before planting I rake general fertiliser into the ground and I always put in the canes first then tie the plants to them.
I plant Chrysanths 18 inches (45 cm.)
apart and dahlias up to 24 inches (60 cm.) depending on the type from small blooms to giants.
Gladioli should be planted now if not done last month, as I described then, Sweet peas can also be planted if not done before. They can be grown up trellis or netting. I grow mine on the cordon system which means growing them on a single stem up 8 foot (2.4 metre ) canes. Before planting I put in the canes 9 inches (22.5 cm.) apart in a double row a metre apart tied to horizontal canes along the top with short canes between
the two rows every few feet and diagonal canes across the two rows to strengthen the structure. I also grow my runner beans on the same structure of canes.
This is the month I apply shading to the greenhouses, I use the type that you paint on and at the end of the season it just wipes off with a cloth when dry. Greenhouse doors and ventilators should be opened during the day. Next month they can be left open all the time. Also if you grow tomatoes in your greenhouse on the cordon system you need
Hardy annuals ready for planting
to remove the side shoots that form between the leaf joints.
If you planted your potatoes in April they may be ready for earthing up .This means drawing soil up round the stems which protects them from frost and also keeps the tubers away from the light which causes them to turn green making them inedible.
It also increases the root system which, in turn, increases the yield.
A job in the fruit garden is to put straw under the strawberries to keep the developing fruit off the soil.
Now that the weather is warming up, pests will be increasing so you need to keep your eyes open for them and take the necessary action.
Sweet peas planted
Runner beans planted alongside sweet peas
June
This is the month when, no matter where you live, hopefully all risk of frost is passed. This means that all the tender veg and flowers can be planted.
Many of the seeds mentioned for sowing last month can still be sown. It is rather
late for sowing the tender veg mentioned except for dwarf French beans. These are quicker to mature than the others. It is also a bit late for summer cabbages so choose a winter variety such as January King (most suppliers), Tundra (most suppliers) or Noelle (Dobies, Fothergill’s).
Keep sowing root crops such as turnips, Swedes carrots and salad crops like lettuces, radishes, and salad onions but don’t forget what I have said before about sowing in small batches so that too many are not ready for cropping at once. For peas choose an early variety such as Douce Provence, Kelvedon Wonder or Early Onward, all these are available from most suppliers.
So what about planting as I mentioned at the beginning? Rake the ground before planting and rake in some general fertiliser
50 Simply Vegetables