Friday 21st March 2014

We had some discussion about veg growing before venturing out into the garden. One suggestion for protecting seeds until they are established is to cover the seed drill  with a piece of guttering after sowing - this can help protect the seeds from cats, mice, birds etc. It is often difficult to grow carrots and parsnips on chalky soils so it is important to ensure the ground has been well raked over to a fine tilth before sowing , or grow shorter stumpier varieties of carrots/ parsnips. Another suggestion is to make a hole in the soil with a dibber and fill the hole with good quality compost and sow the seed into that. Suggested companion planting for carrots are coriander or onions as the strong smell of these plants helps protect against carrot fly. Carrot seeds could be mixed together with onion seeds and both sown together ( Ms Raven suggests using North Holland Blood Red onion seeds for this). Another suggestion from her is to plant broad beans in the valleys between the earthed up potatoes. Now is a good time to start beetroot off in modules and then transplant once the soil is warm enough and the plants are established.Calcified seaweed is good to add to vegetable beds and do consider crop rotation especially in allotments as this can avoid the build up off disease and improve yield.

Plant identification:

• Chionadoxa - which means Glory of the snow in Greek They are easy to grow in well drained soil in grass or under shrubs. They also make a small focal point around the base of a tree and flower in Feb/March

Chionadoxa

• Muscari or grape hyacinth. We looked at a special variety called Muscari macrocarpum 'Golden Fragrance' which is larger and has a lovely gardenia like scent, buds emerge as dusky purple turning to yellow

  

  Muscari macrocarpum 'Golden Fragrance'

  
  

• Anenome blanda - which is a delicate blue anenome and can thrive in partial shade to full sun

Anenome blanda

Activities in the garden this week:

• Creating beds for veg, erecting a runner bean frame and planting carrots and beetroot
• Tidying the yellow bed by the shed
• Continuing the work on the path
• Working underneath the arches to sort and clear
• Working on the herb bed to cut back and plant