Green Lane Allotments
21 April
Although the greenery says spring, winter is still challenging the idea and sending some cold winds. When the sun pushes through it is lovely and warm. It’s the sort of weather that the plants and wildlife must find confusing.
The greenhouse in the garden is gradually filling up. This week has seen plenty of seed sowing:
– Even more tomatoes – Shirley & Moneymaker
– Calabrese – Green Magic & Samson
– Cucumber – Burpless Tasty Green
– Oregano – True Greek
– Basil – Sweet Genovese
– Beetroot – Blankoma, Boltardy, Golden & Chiogga
– Nemesia – Carnival Mixed
– Mesembryanthemum
The seeds of the Mesembryanthemum and Nemesia are tiny. Many tiny seeds need light in order to start germination and so they are sprinkled on top of the tray of compost and then covered in Perliite.
Many seeds that have already germinated, and produced their first true leaves, have been pricked out:
– Brussels sprouts – Wellington & United
– Cabbage – Picador
– Chilli Peppers – Cayenne
– Aubergine – Black Beauty
– Sweet Peppers – Sweet Sunshine
– Salad Leaves – Provence Mixed
– Lettuce – Balloon
In the garden greenhouse the potatoes planted in pots earlier in the year are growing well – it’s the first time we have tried doing this so fingered are crossed for at least a few early potatoes.
– The carrots in the greenhouse are also continuing to grow well.
– Some young plants have been moved into the cold frame where they can harden off. Hardening off is to provide a half way house between the cosseted environment of the greenhouse and the unprotected environment of the open garden. Moving young plants straight from the greenhouse to the open garden would be too much of a shock to their systems. Young plants that have been moved into the cold frame to join other young plants there this week are:
– Broad beans – Witkeim Manita
– Turnip – Aramis
– Cabbage – Primo 2
• The plot greenhouse has been tidied ready to receive the new season’s plants. As a start we have planted some lettuce and salad leaf plants to give us some early leaves for our salad.
• The garlic that overwintered in the greenhouse has been moved outside where it is often mistaken for leeks in a tub. I just hope that cloves will form as the plants look great.
• We are still managing to harvest spring onions planted last year. Most are rather large but are still perfectly acceptable in salads. We were going to pull them out but never actually got around to it. Next year we will probably leave some in on purpose as it was a happy accident.
• We are still tidying and weeding the beds on the plot. We go for a system of beds surrounded by grass paths. We like the more natural look and in our opinion nothing sets off a planting area better than green. It’s also good for wildlife but is not everyone’s choice. Grass does take some looking after and this week many beds have needed the edges cutting back to prevent the grass from encroaching and reducing their size.
• We have, however turned the corner on the plot and are beginning to fill up beds rather than just clearing them. This week we have completed our potato planting with the varieties Anya, Juliette, Charlotte & Nicola. We generally grow a few varieties in the hope that at least one or two will do well in whatever conditions prevail.
• Also planted were some broad bean plants – Bunyards Exhibition and the remaining onion sets. These onion sets were planted in clusters and should produce smaller onions. The onions and shallots planted last autumn were weeded this week and are now growing really well and the shallots planted this spring are also beginning to make good growth.
• Carrots – Yellowstone, Early Nantes 2, Autumn King 2 & Baby Carrot Ideal Red have been sown in shallow trenches filled with compost as our clay soil isn’t an ideal medium for germinating seeds.
• Early in the year we were bemoaning our waterlogged soil and now the soil is really dry and in places quite hard and lumpy and we now have to water our young plants.
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