Page 16 - ALG Issue 4 2020

seasonal jobs to do...
Try and keep ahead of winter jobs, VEGETABLES
December
especially the winter digging. If the soil is neither frozen nor wet enough to stick to the boots, digging can continue. 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!
• Check all stored crops and remove any that show signs of decay.
• If seakale is grown, clear around the crowns of debris and lightly prick over the soil in readiness for forcing.
• If chicory is grown, lift some roots and take into a warm dark place for forcing.
• Check over tall growing brassicas, such as Brussels sprouts, kale
and sprouting broccoli; they may require re-firming with
Check all stored crops and remove any that show signs of decay
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.
• Check overwintering plants regularly, removing dead material to prevent fungal problems.
• If not already done so, thoroughly clean greenhouses, polytunnels, cold frames etc. with warm soapy water and a little disinfectant.
•
the boot, or staking. Whenever the soil is dry enough, carefully hoe
through rows of over- wintering onions, garlic
and spring cabbage.
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 place 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
• Sow onions and leeks under cover, especially if required for exhibition/ showing.
February
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 can be provided to germinated seedlings.
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
• Where soil is free draining and the plot very sheltered, broad beans can be direct sown under cloches. Where the soil is heavier and naturally wetter and colder, sow undercover,
16 Allotment and Leisure Gardener