Middle of winter and we’re enjoying our brassicas. As they come out I’m replacing them with new seedlings, not expecting any real growth until mid- to late-August but then these new plants (bit hard to see!) will fill the gap, until the lettuces come on.
This is a good time to prune grapevines. Here’s ‘the before’ of our grapevine.
Fortunately Rob visited at just the right time and he’s taken all the new shoots back to their first node. A grapevine can be cut back very hard.
Keep in mind that the pruned branches should all end up pretty much the same height so energy is dispersed evenly when the growing season starts.
It’s also a good time to prune subtropicals once fruiting is over. And plant any new bare-rooted fruit trees you have planned.
I’m starting my seed potatoes off by chitting them.
For us that means giving them a good soak in liquid seaweed – 30-odd minutes suffices.
Then placing them in egg cartons and labelling them.
We find the early potatoes like Cliffs Kidney, Jersey Bennes and Maris Anchor need an extra month in the ground (3.5-4 months in total) compared to the quick-growing Rocket and Swift (3 months). I’m just going to do Cliffs Kidney and Jersey Bennes this year, partly because I’ve got 1kg bags of these seed potatoes (more than enough) and secondly, because they taste the best. These guys will be planted out next month, when their chits are nice and developed. I’m also putting my Agrias (main season potatoes which can take up to 5 months to mature) in earlier this year as I’ve struggled to get good-sized potatoes when I put them in in October/November (probably due to available water). Rob says they may not store as well as main season potatoes started later because they’ll have had a lot of water, so it’s a balancng act between getting a good size and longevity.
Now, don’t waste your liquid seaweed solution. The whole garden can do with an application of liquid seaweed at this time of the year, but especially your root crops – to maintain high health and give the plants a boost.
(This allium bed needs a weed, but this is just to show how a good dose of nitrogen – in our case chicken manure – on planting has meant above-the-ground growth is good. Later when the bulbs start to develop we’ll focus on feeding the bulbs.)
You can use a commercial blend of liquid seaweed like Agrisea’s Ocean Organics range, or make your own. If you’re not sure if you’re allowed to gather seaweed up from the beach, I understand the rules are that if the seaweed is already detached from the rocks then it’s legal to gather it. But you can’t pull it off rocks as that upsets the ecosystem.
Put seaweed in a big container and fill with water to cover it. Leave for a couple of weeks, then strain off the liquid, dilute it to the colour of weak tea and apply. A monthly application of liquid seaweed to the whole garden is a good habit to get into.
And don’t forget to give some to your seedlings. You might be surprised how much they like it.
Finally, a green manure crop can be a thing of beauty as well as a bonus for your soil. This is mustard and looks very pretty in the winter garden.
Happy winter gardening!
From Jan and Rob ❄️❄️❄️
