SPRINGTIME for our resident gardening expert, JOA GROWER, means it’s a busy time of year for planting all those fresh vegetables.
Spring at last! The clocks have gone forward and here at Growers that means more time in the veggie garden. Just what we need, as this can be the busiest time of the year! The first early potatoes will be coming through, so don’t forget that the more you mulch and earth up, the more potatoes you will harvest. Grass clipping, well rotted manure (at least a year old) or home produced compost will do the job. It’s always a good idea to water first if the ground is dry, so that the mulch will lock the moisture in. Once the frosts have all gone (don’t get caught out like a lot of us did back in late February) it will be time to plant out the more tender plants such as cucumbers, courgettes, squashes, outdoor tomatoes and French and runner beans. We always give them a little bit of protection by covering them with their own little greenhouse, using old plastic bottles that have had the bottom and lid removed, just until the plants get settled in. [This reminded me of a great eco friendly idea the plastic bottle and bamboo greenhouse I keep meaning to make one day, pictured – Scott ] Sweetcorn can also be planted outside in May. Choose a good sunny position in the garden and work in a general organic fertilizer such as chicken manure pellets or seaweed meal a week or two before planting. Always plant your corn in a block of at least 3 x 3 as this allows the pollen from the male flowers (that’s the one at the top of the plant) to fall down on to the female flowers (that’s the tassel on the end of the cobs) this then causes them to start to fill out and produce lovely sweet corn on the cobs. If you planted broad beans earlier in the year or maybe even late last year (and they survived the arctic conditions), you might want to check them for blackfly. If they have set 4 or 5 flowers, the best way to avoid this is to pinch out the fleshy top section where the blackfly like to gather. April and May are also ideal months to sow root vegetables. If you’ve not tasted freshly pulled carrots, you must give them a go. Choose an area of the garden that isn’t too stony and rake it thoroughly. Carrot seed is very small and it is very easy to over sow. A tip that I was given, many years ago, is to mix it with some very dry horticultural sand and then sow into trenches 1-2cm deep and 15cm apart. This helps to spread the seed a bit further apart. When the seedlings start to appear and are large enough to handle you can thin them out to about 7-9cm apart. To protect your carrot crop from the Carrot Root Fly, create a barrier over or around the crop. This can be done in various ways, probably the easiest is to cover with horticultural fleece. Happy Growing!
Comfrey – an organic gardening top tip
ONE of the great secrets of the organic gardener is growing and feeding with comfrey, a member of the borage family (no organic garden is complete without a bit of comfrey growing in a corner somewhere!). Firstly make sure you get the right comfrey plants. Please don’t be tempted to dig up the wild variety as it will self seed all over your plot and be rather difficult to get rid of. Look for the variety ‘Bocking No.14’ (*we sell it at Growers Organics) which is sterile and although it still flowers it will not produce seeds. Once your plants are established cut them down to the ground and soak the leaves in water or press the leaves to make your own rich, dark fertilizer. This you can do up to 3 or 4 times a year. Try it, it really is fab stuff! If you already have comfrey growing and you still haven’t got around to planting your seed potatoes. Pop a few wilted comfrey leaves in with each seed potato. You just might find it improves your spud harvest. Enjoy your evening time in the garden!