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Preparing for Planting

It is nearly mid april but the weather is still very cold and wet. This is not helping with germination but some things are beginning to move now. The photograph on the right shows the ditch I've dug out since last year to aid drainage. There's no excavator access to the plots and so it was all hand dug, but because of its location, it needed doing.

Being close to a river, the level of the water table is high and the old hands down here have told me that watering is unnecessary, unless we have a very dry and hot spell. The constant battle is to provide adequate drainage, and I think clearing the existing ditches and digging this new one has helped to firm the soil up no end.

The onion sets are all shooting and looking very good but the shallots are making a slow start. There is no sign of the parsnips or carrots at the moment but hopefully we will see some movement soon. Four rows of early potatoes have been sown with the next four rows of second earlies going in in the next few days, weather permitting.

I have been busy in the greenhouse at home and the broad beans are progressing well in their individual pots. I have sown red onion, tomatoes, courgettes, cucumber, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts and lettuce. These will be followed up by runner beans, dwarf beans and sweetcorn in about a weeks time.

I am always conscious of frost which can appear any time into mid May, so it is essential not to rush things now. Nevertheless there is a need to get some things going to give them the growing time that they need. Parsnips are an example of this.

We now have four rigid upright frames built for the runner beans and sweet peas. I prefer these to the cane pyramids because I think they give a greater coverage and even a higher yield. However there is nothing wrong with the pyramid if you are short of space.

The rigid frame is easy to construct with two upright poles 2.5m high, joined by two cross members top and bottom to support them. Two or three vertical splines are then added to give extra strength and the outside poles are supported to give even more strength. The above photograph shows the construction. Cup hooks are then screwed around the framework and the plastic netting drawn across the front of the frame and fitted tightly over the cup hooks.

In the photograph on the left I am digging the trench to plant the runner beans into. I filled it with 12 large bags of manure, which required 2 car journeys and an afternoons work!

The next two to three weeks is going to be very busy with planting and no doubt a lot of weeding. We are almost a year on since taking on this allotment and the progress has been exceptionally good.

 

Now we are looking forward to the growing period...

Bryan

Posted 17th April 2006