Page 18 - ALG Issue 3 2021

on the...
Kings plot
January to
the end of May 2021
Well, this year has been a real challenge; cold and wet in January
and February, followed by a very cold March. The seasons definitely seem
to be getting later. April, when we all should have been getting on with sowing and planting, turned out to be one of
the driest Aprils on record here in East Anglia, with night temperatures well below freezing for the majority of the month. Despite the cold nights in April, as soil conditions were dry and ideal for sowing and planting towards the middle of month, I decided I had to get cracking. Potatoes were planted and, despite being chitted, with the soil and nights
so cold they did not emerge for many weeks – more on this problem later.
Onion sets and shallots had been raised in modules in March in the cold frame as soil conditions were poor and, rather than wait, the modules allowed time for improvement in conditions and not delay the crop; these were planted out in early April. Seeds of radish were sown first
in early April as a soil tester; these took over two weeks to emerge, giving a good indicator on how cold the soil was. Once these emerged, I decided on sowing other seeds. Peas Hurst Greenshaft and Avola were sown direct into the plot which emerged well, followed by a second sowing of Hurst Greenshaft two weeks later for a successional crop. Next, I planted out some module sown Beetroot (sown under glass in March) and sowed some seeds direct in the plot again for a continuous crop. Parsnip Gladiator and Warrior were sown into holes punched 45cm deep, filled with compost then the seed sown just below the surface to get straight roots later in the year. Three to four seeds were sown at each station
and a few radishes sown in between as row markers as these germinate quicker. These have all germinated very well and will be thinned out to a single seedling once a little larger.
Carrots Eskimo F1 and Romance F1 were sown in drills filled with compost,
so they can grow without stones near the roots or in my cold clay soil. These were covered with a framework of enviromesh to keep any carrot fly away. The Carrot Eskimo germinated first, two lovely rows, but there was no sign of the Romance. We then had a good shower of rain one weekend at the beginning of May and then they all appeared; it just shows all varieties germinate at their own speed and patience is something all gardeners must have before thinking something is wrong with the seed. I always sow Spring onions in clusters of three to four seeds in modules under glass and then plant out. These were sown in March and planted out in April, and it won’t be long before I will be pulling a few to go with the radishes. Lettuces are sown every two to three weeks under glass and pricked out
into modules and then planted on
the plot. The first lettuces were sown at the end of March and planted out under enviromesh cloches for a little protection, and I should be cutting
my first lettuce in early June. Sowing little and often keeps the plot full and productive and cuts down on waste and keeps the salad supply continuous.
Brussels sprouts, Summer Cabbage, Calabrese and cauliflowers were all sown under glass in March and planted out in April under a large net framework that my son and I erected one weekend. This keeps the pigeons off the plants, and I can keep the plot clean, easily standing up to hoe rather than crawling around on my knees. These were
only watered once, and then a good downpour a few days later settled them in and they have never looked back.
In early May, the large Onions Globo were planted out; these were sown at Christmas under glass and grown on and hardened off before planting out, next to my leeks grown from pips, again all only watered once.
May has been a real washout, raining most days a few millimetres but it all
In early May, the large Onions Globo were planted out; these were sown at Christmas under glass and grown on and hardened off before planting out
changed on Sunday 16th May. Between 9pm and 8am the next morning we had 50mm of rain. Everywhere was saturated and it rained every day on and off for a week afterwards. Hence
if you look at my potato picture, these were not earthed up as too wet and they were slow to emerge until we had the showers of rain; when this image was taken, it was the third week of May and too wet to stand on the ground. Happy to say now they have been earthed
up and look well. It was even too wet
to cut grass paths. Other crops are also looking well and hopefully some dry weather is forecast soon as I have cold frames with runner beans and sweetcorn ready to go out, along with outdoor tomatoes. Then these will be followed by courgettes and marrows sown a little later this year because of conditions; these will be ready to go out in early June. I have got some Dwarf French beans Safari germinating that
I sowed as a gamble crop outside just before the heavy rain. It is always worth a gamble and hopefully frosts will be
18 Allotment and Leisure Gardener