This month is yet another busy one and it’s about making sure everything is sown.
Let’s start with the cucurbits – zucchini, cucumber, pumpkins and melons. They’re big seeds so we sow them in the pot they’ll be planted out of and we use straight potting mix.
I have a lot to sow as I’m doing them for our community garden as well. So, a reminder to wash your pots out well with a splash of white vinegar in the water. This is especially important if you’re picking up used pots from your local garden centre.
This image shows the seeds placed on top of the soil, just because they’re quite lovely seeds. We’ll push them into the soil just a few millimetres, water them and place on a windowsill or similar to germinate.
Planting for cucurbits is around the beginning of November.
I’m also sowing beans,
and lettuces – Iceberg-type and Cos. We have to go back to sieving the potting mix now as these are finer seeds, creating rows, then sowing, and these seedlings will be pricked out individually into their own cells when they get their second leaf.
We do the same with basil and marigolds as companion plants for our tomatoes.
Later in the month we’ll sow our sweetcorn seeds.
Now, as far as direct sowing is concerned, our carrots came up and then disappeared. I’ve had this happen before and feel like it might be slugs or snails. So I’ve re-sown the carrot rows and put a yeast trap in, just in case. Remember yeast traps are 1 cup of warm water, 1 teaspoon dried yeast and 1 teaspoon white sugar.
The radishes are up, the spring onions are just showing, the parsnip is not up yet but often, just as I’m about to give up and re-sow, up they come, so holding off for now. And the beetroot is up. They’re tiny but I’ve transplanted them out to spare spots in the same bed. You can transplant beetroot, unlike other root crops.
Our Jersey Benne potatoes are mostly doing well – there are a couple of stragglers, showing but not bursting forth yet. Time to hill these guys up, turning your mounds into trenches as you go.
Then I give the Rocket and Swift potatoes (the super-quick growing varieties) one last soak in liquid seaweed,
create trenches for them alongside the Jersey Bennes, and in they go. A handful or two of Neem granules to ward off psyllids,
then cover over as best you can (these guys have super long chits), a handful or two of Morganics, a water and net. These will be enjoyed at Christmastime!
In a week or so’s time I’ll be putting the tomato seedlings outside to harden off for a couple of weeks before planting. This is a good practice to get into with all of your seedlings, preparing them for conditions outside.
And lastly, it’s a good time to give your onions a feed with a Fish and Seaweed solution. They’ve been in the ground a good long time and this gives them a boost as they close in on the finish line.
Happy Spring gardening!
From Jan and Rob
4 Responses
Amazing information, thank you so much.
😊
So clear! Ideal for some of my friends who are not so experienced.
I’m reading this on last leg of time away, so very keen to get home and catch up as I can.
Lovely. A great time to be in the garden 😊