Plot 205: April 2012

Monday, 30 April 2012

Wettest April on Record

Still raining and officially the wettest April since records began. Quite a contrast to the heatwave we had last April. The ground is completely saturated and cold. Some plots are flooded after the big storm we had at the end of the month. One end of our plot flooded badly in April 2007 but we have been raising the beds there ever since.

We haven't been able to do anything for a couple of weeks so we are quite behind. The parsnip seed should have been planted by now. The early carrots in the cold frame haven't germinated; probably washed away. We planted some peas, broad beans and sweetcorn indoors at home in an attempt to catch up.

Sunday, 22 April 2012

Rained Off

There has been a lot of heavy rain this week, culminating in hail and thunder on Sunday. The rain is much needed but the soil is too wet to do anything. We will need to work hard for the next few weeks to get up to date with what needs to be done.

Sunday, 15 April 2012

Early Potatoes Planted. Digging & Hoeing. Last of the Leeks

It was mostly dry this weekend but cold and windy with frost on Saturday night.

We have planted out the early potatoes; two rows each of Foremost and Rocket first early, and two rows of second early Charlotte, 12 - 14 seed potatoes to the row. We did some more digging but still have a lot to do before we can plant the main crop potatoes.

There were a lot of annual weeds sprouting in the onion bed so we hoed and weeded it, and we harvested the rest of the leeks to make room for peas.

Wednesday, 11 April 2012

Potato Trenches & Chicken Manure. Lots of Purple Sprouting Broccoli

On the new plot we have finished digging over where the early potatoes are going, worked in a generous sprinkling of chicken manure pellets and made trenches. We will be able to plant the first earlies on Saturday, even if the weather is bad.

Each time we go to the plot at the moment there are plenty of new side shoots of purple sprouting broccoli to harvest. It should keep going well into May as long as we keep cutting it.

Monday, 9 April 2012

Cold & Wet Easter Weekend. Seed Planting Begins

Last year we had the warmest April on record and one of the driest for a century. Quite a contrast so far this year with Easter weekend being cold, wet and windy. The Winter was very dry and there is a hosepipe ban so the rain is much needed.

We had planned to get the early potatoes in the ground but we only managed to get some digging done on Friday before the bad weather arrived. No need to panic yet. The early potatoes weren't planted until 10th April last year and we planted the last of the main crop on 15th May. We had a fantastic harvest.

The main crop onions (planted over a month earlier than last year) are growing well so we took the netting off and hoed between the rows. The shallots haven't come through yet and we still have a few more rows of onion sets to plant out.

At home we started planting seeds; cucumber, cabbages, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, courgettes and pumpkins.

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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.