Plot 205: April 2011

Saturday, 30 April 2011

Warmest April Ever. Spring Planting

It has been the warmest April since records began 350 years ago; and the the fourth sunniest and sixth driest for 100 years. The risk of frost has more or less passed now which is a good thing as there has been lots of growth because of the hot weather, including the early potatoes which need to be earthed up already.

We have been kept busy throughout April and the plot looks good. May is set to be a very busy month for us.

Since the last post there has been lots of activity on Plot 205 - weeding, watering, strimming and hoeing. We have also planted some celery seed. The main crop potatoes have mostly been planted now. We still have three rows of Pink Fir Apple seed potatoes which can go into the front bed without messing up our rotation.

We still haven't dug in the green manure so this is our most urgent task as we we will need to be planting there in just a few weeks time.

We have all been busy at home planting seed for transplanting later on:
cucumbers (Marketmore 76 - very successful last year)
yellow courgettes (Gold Rush F1)
marrows (seed saved from last year)
chillies (Heatwave- mixed colours and Naga Jolokia "World's Hottest")
runner beans (Celebration)
dwarf beans (Nomad)
leeks (Autumn Mammoth 2 - Snowstar)
purple sprouting (Red Arrow)
kale (Black Tuscany)
broccoli (Autumn Green Calabrese)
cauliflower (Andes)
cabbage (Savoy)

Seed we have that needs to be planted directly includes beetroot, sweetcorn, Florence fennel, pak choi and swedes, and we need to continue with small successional sowings of spring onions, peas and carrots every couple of weeks to ensure a steady supply. We will grow salad leaves at home rather than leave them to the slugs on the plot.

We are still harvesting leeks, purple sprouting and spinach, although this is beginning to bolt - probably because of the hot weather.

Tuesday, 19 April 2011

Maincrop Onions, Purple Sprouting and a Scarecrow

A very pleasant and sociable weekend on the plot. We also took part in a work party with other allotments holders for a couple of hours on Sunday.

The unseasonable hot and sunny weather continues with temperatures as high as 25C. We have had no rain for two weeks now so we have been watering where we have planted seeds.

A rather realistic looking new scarecrow dangling shiny strings of recycled CDs from his arms is now watching over the currants, raspberries and gooseberries, all of which seem to have responded well to pruning.

We have started to dig in the green manure on the front bed and need to finish this as soon as possible. We should also get the main crop potatoes in the ground before the end of the month. We planted four rows of main crop onion sets (Sturon) which will be harvested in late August or September for winter storage. 400g of smallish sets was exactly enough to plant four rows with the sets planted four inches apart.

Our neighbour gave us a horseradish plant which is looking very happy at the front of the plot.

There is still a row of leeks left which need to be eaten by the end of the month. There is also some purple sprouting which is a pleasant surprise as it didn't seem to be doing too well after the hard winter. We have harvested the central stems so will hopefully get more side shoots.

Sunday, 10 April 2011

Apple Blossom, Parsnips and Early Potatoes

It was a beautiful warm sunny weekend with temperatures reaching as high as 20C so we spent quite a bit of time on the plot.

We planted three rows of early potatoes (Arran Pilot). There is still a risk of frost so we planted them quite deeply and drew some earth up over them to make ridges. Once we have planted the early potatoes it really feels like another growing season has started.

In the roots bed we planted four rows of carrots (Chantenay Red Cored and James Scarlett Intermediate), and four rows of parsnips (Countess F1). We had great success with parsnips last year by planting the seed very thinly during April. We also planted a few more broad beans (Bunyard's Exhibition) and a handful of Petits Pois.

We chopped back the green manure ready for digging in as soon as possible so that it can rot down and release its nitrogen. We will be needing the bed for brassicas and sweetcorn in about six weeks.

We will need to build a new structure to net the cabbages so were grateful to acquire some long straight alder from our friends who have been coppicing at the nature reserve adjoining the allotments.

The annual weeds have started to grow so the endless process of hoeing has begun, and our little lawn got its first strim.

Not much to eat at the moment, just leeks and a few spinach leaves.

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Nothing you read in this blog should be taken as expert advice!

We don't restrict ourselves to buying organic seed, but do grow everything organically. For us that means crop rotation, green manures, composting, and feeding with comfrey and organic chicken manure pellets.

We don't use any chemicals but have conceded to using slug pellets that are approved for organic farming.

We collect rainwater and try to recycle as much as possible; the shed and paving slabs came from Freecycle, and we rescue useful stuff from skips.

Scroll Down for Crop Rotation, Planting Diary & Harvesting Calendar

Our Crop Rotation

There are five beds in all.

One is a permanent bed for things like raspberries, currants, fruit trees, hops, strawberries, rhubarb and other perennials.

The other four beds have a simple rotation:

Year 1:

Potatoes. They are hungry plants so they like plenty of manure and compost. Later on, we plant out leeks in the space left after the early potatoes are harvested.

Year 2:

Peas, beans, onions and garlic. They like soil that has been previously manured. We plant a nitrogen fixing green manure such as Winter tares (vetch) once the onions and garlic are harvested.

Year 3:

Brassicas (including swedes) and sweetcorn. These like the nitrogen left in the ground by the previous crop. Lime is added in early Spring (or a sprinkling of crushed egg shells in the planting hole for cabbages). The brassicas need to be permanently netted because of the wood pigeons.

Year 4:

Roots such as carrots, parsnips and beetroot. These don't like rich soil.

Other things have to go in wherever we have space and we tend to grow things like tomatoes, herbs and salad at home.

Harvesting Calendar:

January The winter months are the time to enjoy root vegetables and stores of local fruit. Being harvested this month are leeks, green cabbages, parsnips, turnips, sprouts, celeriac, jerusalem artichokes, shallots, mushrooms and forced rhubarb. From store, apples and pears, beetroot and potatoes are available. Main crop carrots are either stored in the ground or kept in cold store to be available from September till the end of May. Onions are available most of the year.

February Winter root crops are still going strong. This is the month for early winter cauliflower, leeks, turnips, protected spinach, swede, celeriac, chard, forced rhubarb, and carrots. Potatoes, apples and pears are available from store. The sprout season comes to an end. Mushrooms are available most of the year.

March New crops of vegetables planted previous year come in to season, including purple sprouting broccoli, more cauliflower, spring greens, radishes, parsley, early rhubarb, and leeks. Carrots are available both from the ground and from store but beetroot from store is finishing. Potatoes, apples and pears are available from store.

April The stored crops start finishing in the middle of the month, but the new crops are not in full flow. Between mid-April and mid-June is the leanest time. But new season's lettuce and watercress come in, along with some overwintered spinach, radishes and purple sprouting broccoli. Rhubarb is in too. Carrots and potatoes are still available from store but apples and pears are finishing.

May This is the gap month, as winter crops finish and stores decline. But coming in are the first new potatoes and asparagus. Radishes available. Carrots and potatoes are still in store but winter cauliflower and spinach comes to an end. Rhubarb is available.

June By the middle of the month, there is a wealth of fruit and vegetables to choose from. New potatoes are more plentiful, asparagus continues. New carrots come in at the end of month as do soft fruits including blackcurrants, strawberries, gooseberries, cherries. Tomatoes are in, broccoli is beginning, cauliflower comes at the back end of the month. Lettuce gets into full flow as do fennel, peppers, broad beans, Chinese leaves, and green beans grown in tunnels. Herbs coming in.

July Another peak month, with strawberries, loganberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, tayberries, summer cabbage, spring cabbage, new potatoes, courgettes, broad beans, fennel, the first outdoor french beans, tomatoes, watercress, new cauliflower, carrots, lettuce, cucumber, broccoli.

August The vegetables and soft fruits continue. Tree fruits come in at the end of the month. Lettuce, peppers, new potatoes, courgettes, leeks, sweetcorn, peas, aubergines, strawberries, loganberries, gooseberries, herbs, chard, courgettes, fennel, main crop carrots, broccoli. Onions and garlic are being harvested and will be stored through the winter. The first apples, and Victoria plums are picked at end of month.

September A good month for fruit, and summer vegetables are joined by the earliest of winter ones. Blackberries, early apples, damsons, early pears, plums, spinach, figs, onions, all of the cabbages, curly kale, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, french beans, courgettes, red onions, peppers, aubergines, marrows, sweetcorn, leeks, red cabbage, beetroot and broccoli are in. Swedes come back and sprouts begin. Main crop potatoes are lifted in September and October and stored until the beginning of the summer months.

October This is the main season for apples and pears. The first bramleys are in season. Also available are sweetcorn, marrrow, mushrooms, beetroots, squash, watercress, onions, and leeks. The Jerusalem artichoke season begins, while cauliflowers are at their peak, as are main crop potatoes and carrots, sprouts, and broccoli. Lettuce is running out by the middle of the month, and courgettes finish towards the end.

November Tender vegetable crops are disappearing as the frosts come, but still going are cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, leeks, swede, parsnips, apples, pears, quinces, and sprouts.

December It's back to winter vegetables and stores, with sprouts, turnips, swede, and parsnips available and potatoes, carrots, red cabbage, beetroot, apples, pears coming from store.