Plot 205: May 2011

Thursday, 26 May 2011

Chitting Sweetcorn

Sweetcorn hates root disturbance so this year, rather than growing seedlings at home, we are going to try pre-sprouting the seeds and planting them directly. They are chitting on wet kitchen paper in a sealed plastic container on the window ledge at the moment ( Zea Mays 'Incredible' F1).

The seeds we planted at home at the end of April are all doing very well apart from the dwarf beans (Nomad). The runner beans are ready to plant out.

On the plot we weeded the roots bed and took the tallest branches off the huge plum tree to comply with the 'twelve feet tall' rule. We haven't had much free time for a couple of weeks and the weather has been quite wet and very windy, but we intend to spend some time on the plot this weekend catching up on planting seeds and weeding.

Sunday, 15 May 2011

Seed Potatoes with Comfrey. Pak Choi. Strawberries!

We had nine seed potatoes left over (Cara), so we planted them in the front bed. We added comfrey leaves to the trench, which is supposed to be a good thing to do. It will be interesting to see if it makes any difference.

We finally dug in the green manure and added lime where we are going to grow brassicas and sweetcorn. They like the soil to be a little alkaline. We used only a small amount of lime: 2 kilos spread over an area of approximately 30 square metres. This wasn't by design; it's because we didn't know how much to buy. The recommended amount is around half a kilo per square metre, but it's getting a bit too close to planting time to add lots of lime.

Some of the peas are growing well but not many have germinated, or else they have been eaten by something, so we planted some at home to give them a good start. Also planted pak choi (red) at home for transplanting later.

Harvested the last of the leeks which are about to flower, probably the last of the purple sprouting, and two exceptionally early strawberries.

Sunday, 8 May 2011

Rain. Potato Planting Finished

It rained a lot yesterday; enough to fill the water butt. It has been one of the driest March and April recorded.

Planted the last of the maincrop potatoes at the front of the plot- 3 rows of Pink Fir Apple.

Harvested a handful of outer leaves from the spring cabbage (Durham Early), planted out last October.

Thursday, 5 May 2011

A Touch of Frost

So much for thinking the risk of frost has passed: There was a little frost earlier this week but there doesn't seem to be any real damage other than to the early potatoes. However, they will recover and new shoots are already pushing through the soil. They have now been earthed up.

Apparently spring arrived three weeks early this year. The broad beans are flowering. The spring cabbages and early onions are growing quickly now, and we will have a few sticks of our first crop of rhubarb very soon. One of the hop plants (Fuggles) is already about eight feet tall and the strawberries, currants and gooseberries look like they are going to to crop well.

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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.