Page 23 - ALG Issue 3 2016

two weeks in modules and transplant into the plot, often used as gap llers or intercropped with my onions and leeks to save space. Spring onions were modular sown in March and planted out; they are already large enough to pull and will accompany the rst picking of radish ‘French Breakfast’.
Brassicas that are sown under glass and pricked out into trays before transplanting into the plot have never looked back and grow very well under the tunnel of bird protection netting. This structure takes a while to construct but is worth it to keep the population
of pigeons away from my greens. It won’t be long before I cut
a cabbage ‘Cara ex’, which is the replacement for ‘Hispi’ that
will sadly disappear after this year due to being dropped by the breeder. Later on I will have more summer cabbages, cauli owers and Brussels sprouts to harvest. In June I will be sowing sprouting broccoli and savoy cabbage to continue my brassica harvest throughout the winter months.
The sweet peas that were sown in November started to ower by the third week of May and look attractive on the plot. They are regularly cut and put in a vase indoors where the perfume quickly lls the air.
One crop that has grown very well this year is rhubarb. I like the
variety ‘Fultons Strawberry Surprise’ as it has rich red stems and can be cropped all through the summer. This variety was voted the best avoured in the RHS Trials.
At the end of May we had heavy rain with 33mm falling in one
day. This helped replace any lost moisture and help those plants that were already growing to thrive. I always think a good rain is far better than any watering done by hand.
The tomatoes are growing well in the polytunnel and the all- female cucumbers were ready to plant out at the end of May. The end of May and early June is always a very busy time planting out sweetcorn, courgettes, squashes, outdoor tomatoes, runner beans and French beans. Any spare time is used to keep the plot clean, as the best time to hoe is before you get too many weeds, and I nd an hour spent hoeing once a week keeps the plot looking tidy. Next it will be harvest time, and then time to think about late summer and autumn sowings. There are plenty of ideas in your NSALG catalogue and on the website, plus don’t forget if any NSALG member has a seed problem and needs some advice, the team at Kings Seeds are always at the end of a phone to help.
Happy Gardening!
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