Page 18 - ALG Issue 2 2015

Feature on...
The Kings Plot in March & April
Well, winter has long gone and this year
in East Anglia we got off very lightly. We only had a dusting of snow, but some very cold frosty nights which have done a good job in breaking down the winter dug soil. Once we got to March, as often is the case, the weather changed. A few drying winds and bright days started to dry out the soil and the allotment site once again became active. The fine weather plotters started their digging or rotovating, whilst those all-weather plotters who dug their ground last autumn started to pull it down ready for sowing or planting.
I always pull down my soil with a crome; this is a tool that was given to me by
my Uncle Bill, who had it made at the
local blacksmith. Basically, a crome is a fork head that has been bent at a right angle and the traditional handle has been replaced with a long pole. Pushing and pulling this through the soil soon transforms dug soil into a workable structure.
During March the soil can still be quite cool so I did not start sowing too many crops too early in the soil. This is a common complaint and one we must all try to resist until the soil temperature is at a minimum
of 7C (45F) otherwise there is always a high possibility of germination failure.
A good early test to see if the soil is warm enough is to sow a few early radish seeds. These are cheap to buy and will germinate
at lower temperatures than carrots or beetroot. I sow these in shallow drills across the plot and lightly firm them in with the back of a rake once covered. Once these come through, it is a good indicator that the soil is warming up.
F1 so they are ready for Christmas. It is also the ideal time to sow tomatoes, so the plants are strong and of a good size for planting under cold glass or outside later in the year once all risk of frost has passed.
Many plotholders also grow a few flowers to enhance the look of their plots or to use for cutting, or maybe even to grow in the garden at home. March and April is when I sow many of my bedding plants like Aster,
April is a very busy month on the plot, first planting potatoes, shallots and onion sets. These are followed by a row of the larger seeded vegetables like peas and broad beans. Once I am
happy that the soil is warm,
I sow my parsnips, which
some gardeners may
consider late as traditionally
they were always sown in
February or early March.
In recent years with the
introduction of hybrid
varieties like Gladiator
F1 these germinate and
grow much quicker, so it
is now possible to harvest
good roots from sowings made as late as early May. Later in April when the soil has warmed up sufficiently, I make an early sowing of carrots, beetroot and spring onions under a fleece cloche. These will be followed by a second sowing in May.
Under glass in March and April I sow a few lettuces in modules for planting out later. I also sow my summer brassicas along with some Brussels Sprout Maximus
Petunia, Marigold, and Cosmos.
Talking flowers, there is great excitement at Kings Seeds as we are introducing a bigger range of flowers to our range for 2016. These have been specially selected as proven winners, guaranteed to give outstanding garden performance combined
with a sprinkling of brand new and exciting varieties, like the first UK flowering yellow Cosmos. The good news is all these will feature in your 2016 NSALG catalogue, along with the latest New Vegetable varieties and all your old favourites that you expect to find at Kings Seeds.
Happy Gardening!
Andrew Tokely, Seed Purchasing Manager for Kings Seeds
Once I am happy that the soil is warm, I sow my parsnips
ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
May at Ross-on-Wye Community Garden
The last month at the Community Garden has been tremendously busy with large amounts of seed sowing and pricking out. Our garden tunnels are now overflowing with plants and we are looking forward to planting out soon.
This month we will continue sowing crops in open ground, such as Radishes, Spring Onions, Lettuce and Salad leaves. For those crops already sown, we will be thinning out and weeding, including Spinach, Carrot and Beetroot. We are also sowing and hardening off crops such as Courgettes, Marrow and Pumpkins and we hope to plant these out towards the end of the month or early June.
Throughout May, if the weather is kind to us, we hope to plant out the many members of the Brassica family and plant out French and Runner Beans. Our Potatoes are starting to look fabulous and with regular earthing up we should have an excellent harvest.
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