Some more seeds sown

Having finished work a bit earlier than expected and after some decent rainfall had softened the ground, I thought it was a good opportunity to sow some seeds direct in the ground. I've done a fair bit of digging in preparation recently so I simply ran the hoe through the surface to create a nice fine tilth perfect for sowing seeds.

I am yet to plant anything in my raised beds so I decided a few rows in the traditional side of the plot would be best. Spacing the rows 30-40cms apart and sowing thinly in shallow drills, I have now sown Carrot 'Autumn King', Beetroot 'Boltardy' and 'Burpee's Golden', Scorzonera and Swede 'Brora'.

One of the things that was noticeable when I covered the seeds was how much the soil had warmed up from only a few weeks ago, when it was cold to the touch. As gardeners we are always looking to steal a march on the seasons by planting early but I sometimes wonder whether it's worth the effort. The seeds sit in cold, damp soil and their later-sown counterparts nearly always catch up. Maybe it's time to relax a bit more and accept that, outside at least, there's no need to rush things.

With the warmth and moisture now available I'm expecting rapid germination, particularly of the beetroot. Having never before grown Scorzonera I'm not sure what to expect - the seed was certainly interesting!

In other news, the first sweetcorn seedlings have popped their heads through the compost in their root trainers and are now reaching towards the light. There's no action thus far from any of the cucurbits but I expect this will change in the next couple of days. At the plot the Pentland Javelin potatoes are showing through and the first of the asparagus spears have appeared.

Sunday Update

It was another fine day today so I managed some time at the plot to fit the plastic cover to the polytunnel. After a bit of jiggling to stretch it over the framework it seems to be quite snug, pinned to the ground with metal pegs and some wooden batons for extra stability. I've decided to plant directly into the ground, albeit through some black weedproof membrane, mainly to take advantage of the extra water/ dampness that will percolate through the ground. I'm hoping the plants' roots will seek out this water, supplemented by a crude irrigation system I'll rig up to a waterbutt, meaning fewer visits to the tunnel will be required and I can rest easy that my plants won't wither and die. Before the membrane goes down I need to improve the soil as it's an area only recently reclaimed from the bindweed and couch grass which hasn't been cultivated before. A mixture of composted manure, organic soil improver and chicken poo pellets should do the trick.

Here's a couple of pictures showing the almost ready tunnel.

Seed sowing frenzy!

After the balmy (or should that be barmy?) weather of the past few days, with temperatures and sunshine well above average for the time of year, I thought it was time to get a wriggle on and sow some of my tender crops. The tomatoes and chillies have been enjoying the sunshine and warmth of my mini greenhouse and so it's time they had company. Talking of which, the mini greenhouse has been a real bonus to me this year, with seeds and small plants having room to shelter and grow without me incurring the wrath of my wife by using virtually every window sill and spare surface area for my seedlings. Here's how it looked a few days ago.

So on to the seeds. I pricked out and potted on about 25 celeriac seedlings and finished off the remaining small pots in the tray with a couple of rows of summer red cabbage 'Kalibos'. In larger pots I have now sown, in no particular order: Atlantic Giant pumpkin, Cobnut squash, Potimarron squash, Jaspee de Vendee squash, Hearts of Gold melon, Burpless Tasty Green cucumber and One Ball and Kojac courgettes.

In root trainers I have sown 32 x Honey Bantam F1 sweetcorn seeds and in another tray of root trainers 8 x Painted Lady runnerbeans, 8 x Cobra climbing French beans, 8 x Purple Teepee dwarf French beans and 8 x Borlotto Lingua di Fuoco (Borlotti beans). Here's hoping for a full and speedy germination and no sharp cold snaps between now and the end of May.

The greenhouse and its mini plastic companion will soon be stuffed full. With space at a premium it will be handy to have the polytunnel available to relocate some of my larger plants, such as the tomatoes, which have now been hardening off for a week or so. The framework is up and I have the base ready to anchor it down. A dry and calm day tomorrow should see me finish off the outer polythene sheeting and weed mebrane inside and it will then be ready for action. I'm still undecided as to whether large containers/ growbags or direct into the ground is the way forward - need to be decisive and quickly!

On a final note, I'm trying sweet potatoes for the first time this year. They are a bit of a gamble in our short, cool summers but some plastic protection for warmth and an early start might give them chance to produce a fair crop. Unlike normal potatoes, which are planted direct into the ground, sweet potatoes are grown in this country by producing 'slips'. These are shoots that grow from a mature tuber once is is placed in water. They are then potted on at about 7-10cms in length with a view to establishing a good sized plant to go out once all risk of frost has passed. The slips can be bought from online seed suppliers but they cost a fortune, so I've been growing my own. Here's a picture of the sweet potato and its fledgling slips taken a week or so ago, the largest of which has now been potted on and resides on our kitched windowsill.

There are about 4 or 5 more to come, although at this time they're still a bit small. It will be interesting to see how things progress and whether I can manage a worthwhile crop later in the year.

Easter weekend update

Well the weather finally decided to play ball today after three days of grey dampness. The rain was needed but it's a shame it had to fall over a bank holiday weekend which offered plenty of opportunities to get down to the plot. Still, after a grey start the sun began to shine late this morning so it was off to the allotment with my remaining seed potatoes, onion seedlings and fledgling broad beans.

Although there is still plenty of bare earth around the site is starting to green up now and on a suuny spring day it's a wonderful place to be. I therefore spent a pleasant hour of digging and turning soil before getting down to the real job at hand - planting!

The King Edward potatoes had been chitting in my attic for a long time now and had developed nice stubby chits just waiting to burst forth. There is some debate as to whether it's actually worth chitting maincrop spuds but I always have done and there doesn't seem to be any harm in continuing in this way. I managed two rows spaced about 60 cms apart and they went in with a handful of chicken manure pellets to give the new shoots a boost when they get going. In all I've managed six rows of potatoes so I anticipate a good crop and a steady supply from late June onwards.

The onion seedlings went in the bed next to my over wintering onions. That way I can keep an eye on them as they develop and compare the size of bulbs to those I planted in late September. The idea is to start harvesting the over wintered crop from about June, which should be finished when the Kelsae onions are ready in late August. There was space at the end of the bed so this is where the broad beans (The Sutton) now reside. I started them off in root trainers about a month ago and they have grown into sturdy little plants with strong roots. Having never before used root trainers but having read the blurb, they do seem to produce a healthy root system so I'll be using them for my other beans and sweetcorn later in the year.

The final job for today was to get the first of my 'direct sown' crops into the ground - Parsnip 'Cobham Improved Marrow'. The seed packets always say sow from February but I usually like to hang fire to make sure the soil has warmed sufficiently to speed up germination, which can be notoriously slow with parnsips. A double row 30cms apart should be sufficient for our needs this coming autumn and winter. During my next visit I also hope to get some Autumn King carrots and my beetroot (Boltardy and Burpee's Golden) in, again sown direct, followed in a couple of weeks by my first attempt at swedes.

I'm starting to get itchy fingers now in terms of sowing the tender crops, such as courgettes, squashes and runner beans, but I know it's still too early so will hang fire until at least the end of the month. I like my plants to be established before they are left to fend for themselves on the plot, so they'll have a month, or thereabouts, to germinate and grow in the relative comfort of my house or greenhouse, before being hardened off and planted out at some time after the late May bank holiday. Still plenty to do between now and then!