We typically make two sowings of French beans and sweetcorn, although we are making three of the latter this year. The first batch of French beans will be grown under cover for an early crop. For this purpose a dwarf bean is ideal. We are growing Beurre de Rocquencourt, a very nice yellow podded bean.… Continue reading Sowing sweetcorn and French beans
New polytunnel
When we renovated the kitchen garden last year, we lost our large polytunnel. We had to take it down as the new fence was going to go through it. We could not then find a sensible position for it in the new layout – it was either too wide or not wide enough to suit… Continue reading New polytunnel
Early potato harvest
For many years now we have grown our first potato crop in 15 litre pots in the greenhouses. The warm, more or less south facing, wall provides reasonable protection from the cold, and fleece keeps frost at bay on especially cold nights. We often try to secure our first harvest by the end of April,… Continue reading Early potato harvest
Maintaining a peach fan
Spring brings three important tasks involving the peach fans. The first is hand pollinating and protecting the blossom – this was covered in a recent post. Then comes the first, and arguably the most important, stage in pruning and training – the pinching out of young shoots. These start to emerge with blossom, and the… Continue reading Maintaining a peach fan
Grafting tomato plants
Grafted plants appear to be increasingly common, particularly tomatoes, but also peppers, chillies, aubergines, cucumbers, and so on. They offer two potential advantages – vigour and disease resistance. Depending on the sort of rootstock used, a grafted plant may be much more vigorous than a non grafted plant. This vigour may be directed towards increase… Continue reading Grafting tomato plants
First direct sowings
Aside from the early sowings of cime di rapa and radish in the cold frames, we have held back from direct sowings until the weather conditions and soil temperature improved. Sowings that might otherwise have been made at the start of April, or even the latter half of March in a warm spring, have waited… Continue reading First direct sowings
Running out of space
The extensive renovations of the kitchen garden last year left the garden much smaller than before. This was quite deliberate, as the larger version had become rather more to manage than we wanted. The new layout may be smaller, but it is, in most ways, I think, better. There is still more than enough space… Continue reading Running out of space
Early harvest of cime di rapa
In February we sowed some cime di rapa in the cold frames. This is a crop perhaps best suited to growing and cropping through the cooler parts of the year, and may run to seed rather too quickly during the summer. We also need the cold frames for melons, which should be planted out in… Continue reading Early harvest of cime di rapa
Planting onion sets
I have planted far too many alliums. Last autumn I set out a ridiculous number of shallots, lots of garlic, and overwintering onions. In late winter I sowed onions from seed, and I have leeks growing in a container to be transplanted later in the year. I really do not need any more onions, but,… Continue reading Planting onion sets
Frost damage
Like many gardeners, I suppose, I am always tempted to make early sowings, hoping for mild spring conditions. This often results in early harvests but can go wrong when the weather turns nasty. This year has been particularly challenging. Winter storms battered our overwintered peas and broad beans. Their fleece covers were ripped away and… Continue reading Frost damage