Page 18 - ALG Issue 4 2021

seasonal jobs to do...
Try and keep ahead of winter jobs; if the FRUIT
December
Clear any debris or old foliage from rhubarb beds
soil is neither frozen nor wet enough to stick to the boots, digging can continue, if you still dig. Some slightly tender crops such as celery still in the ground will benefit from protection, as will a covering of crops such as swedes, and parsnips benefit from a few hard frosts to convert starches into sugars, thus sweetening them.
You can also use the time to turn compost heaps, move manure into heaps about the plot ready for digging in or clean out water barrels – many of the jobs that we generally don’t get time for through the rest of the year!
• Clear any debris or old foliage from rhubarb beds, and source some fresh manure for forcing early next month.
• Continue to prune fruit trees, especially apples and pears.
• Outdoor figs may require some protection in the form of fleece or straw screening to protect the young growth and immature figs.
GREENHOUSE
• Where plants are being overwintered in greenhouses, vent the house carefully on days where the sun shines to allow the air to circulate and remove moisture.
• Checkoverwinteringplantsregularly, removing dead material to prevent
January
This is a great time to start to look over tools and equipment. Any cutting implements should be sharpened, cleaned and oiled, and any spades, forks, hoes etc. should be given a similar treatment. Wooden shafted tools will also benefit from a clean, light sand and thorough rub over with linseed oil to give them many more years’ service. A general tidy through of sheds and stores is always a good idea, and often a good way of finding otherwise ‘lost’ items! Check over supplies of canes, nets and so on, and repair or replace as necessary.
Greenhouses, polytunnels, cold frames and cloches should be checked and cleaned if you have not done so already. Clean glass allows much better light penetration, and the reasons for destroying pests, diseases and fungus are obvious. If heaters, propagators etc. are used, these should also be checked over and all pots and trays should be washed in readiness. Stock up on seed labels.
All winter digging should be completed by the end of the month.
VEGETABLES
• Sowonionsandleeksundercover, especially if required for exhibition/ showing.
• A few early potatoes can be planted in large pots and kept in a greenhouse or polytunnel. No extra heat is required, but a little heating will certainly speed things up.
• Feed and mulch asparagus if not done last autumn.
• If a slightly heated greenhouse is available, dwarf French beans can be sown4or5toadecentsizepotfor early crops.
• Continue to check over stored crops. • Continue as per last month to force
chicory.
February
Where cloches are available, these can be put onto vacant prepared ground to start and warm the soil
Where the soil is heavier and naturally wetter and colder, sow undercover, but do not give too much warmth or the young plants will quickly become drawn and leggy.
• Early cauliflowers can be sown undercover.
• Plant Jerusalem artichokes into well prepared soil.
• Lift remainder of last year’s parsnips, swede etc. if not already done so.
• Sow a self-blanching celery undercover for an early crop.
• Plant more early potatoes in pots in colder districts; in milder areas, the earliest planting can be made outside under cloches.
• Sow early tomatoes if good conditions
For many, this month can be one
of the coldest of the year, but any remaining sorting and organising
jobs not completed last month can be finished. Where a heated greenhouse, polytunnel, conservatory or even a good sunny windowsill is available, some
of the earliest sowings can be made. However, light levels are still low, and young seedlings can easily get drawn and leggy.
Where cloches are available, these can be put onto vacant prepared ground
to start and warm the soil for early sowings in a few weeks’ time. Early peas, beetroot, carrots, lettuce are ideal candidates. Choose varieties that are quick maturing, suitable for early sowing, or in the case of root crops, varieties that produce small, tender roots.
VEGETABLES
• Wheresoilisfreedrainingandthe plot very sheltered, broad beans can be directly sown under cloches.
18 Allotment and Leisure Gardener