Page 11 - ALG Issue 3 2018 (printable)

Pea Avola
Sweet Peas
Tunnel Plot
Broad beans
and Romance, sown under Enviromesh to deter carrot fly, have also germinated well and will provide some tasty roots this summer.
There was plenty of Rhubarb Fulton Strawberry Surprise, and the strawberry bed planted last year has a bumper crop of berries that were ready to harvest in June, delicious on their own or with cream. The sweet peas sown in October and planted on the plot early April were in bloom and will give a few flowers to cut for indoors. I also have Statice, Aster, Rudbeckia and Chrysanthemums planted, and a few dahlias, sunflowers and Zinnias, all ideal for cutting. Sweetcorn was sown under glass in April and were ready to plant out in early June along with marrows, courgettes and outdoor tomatoes. I also made late sowing of Carrot Eskimo in June which will be ready to harvest as finger carrots by Christmas. In the polytunnel on site the tomatoes and peppers have been planted. I deliberately sowed my cucumbers a little later this year so they crop later in the season. These were planted in the tunnel in early June.
Once all planting is completed, the main job will be harvesting and watering crops, plus I like to keep my plot as clean as possible with cut grass paths and edges and keeping the hoe moving to prevent any weeds from growing. Now off to harvest a fresh lettuce, some radish and spring onions for tea; what could be better? If
the summer remains warm with regular showers of rain a bumper harvest should be enjoyed by us all. 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!
Andrew Tokely, Horticultural Director for Kings Seeds
11
Runner bean planted