Each vegetable has an ideal time for planting .
* It’s *biological clock* will encourage it to germinate at this time.
* The *temperature* of the soil will also have an affect. If it is
an early spring, and the soil has warmed up, planting can be
earlier than normal.
* The *dampness* of the soil is important. If it is very wet, the
soil will tend to glue together when the seeds are planted. The
air will be squeezed out of the soil & the seed will be unhappy.
Wet soil is also colder.
* The planting *location* should be considered. A windy spot will be
colder, and therefore later. A protected walled garden will be
warmer, so sowing can be earlier.
* *Frost* pockets should be considered.
Click the image below to see a chart of vegetable planting dates.
- veg-planting-dates
The chart shows:
* planting dates
* weeks between sowing & harvest
Comments Off
Planting depth is important, because the seed has to be able to push its
shoot out into the light before it runs out of energy. But the seed also
has to be deep enough for it to remain damp, and for the roots to be
able to grow into soil & reach nutrients and water.
As a rule of thumb, the seed should be covered by a depth of soil equal
to the thickness of the seed.
Before measuring the depth, the seed bed should be level and firmed
down. This may be done with a light roller, or tapping it down with a rake.
Vegetable planting depth
Vegetable Planting depth cm
Bean – broad 5
Bean – broad 5
Bean – french 5
bean – runner 5
Beetroot 3
Broccoli 1
Brussel sprout 1
Carrot 1
Courgette 3
Leek 1
Lettuce 1
Onion – maincrop Tip showing
onion – salad/spring 1
Parsnip 1
Potato 10
Radish 1
Spinach – summer 3
Turnip – summer 1
Turnip – winter 1
Comments Off
Spring is a good time to clean the greenhouse. Give it a good wash out,
then fumigate to kill any remaining bugs and fungi. Make sure
everything is out of the greenhouse before fumigating.
Garden centers sell tins of fumigant which contain a touch paper.
greenhouse-fumigation
The tin is placed in the greenhouse, light the paper with a match,
this causes smoke to fill the green house. Close all doors and windows
& leave the smoke to fumigate all the cracks and crevises. Follow the
instructions on the label.
Comments Off
Watch out for slugs, and control them in the vegetable garden!
* Slugs eat young seedlings and will completely destroy your plans.
* Slugs like warm, moist conditions. So this spring has been perfect
for them.
* Assume you will have slugs and be prepared.
a-slug
*Keep the vegetable garden tidy.
* Slugs will make camp under anything:- weeds, old leaves &
branches, stones & plant pots, soil clods.
* So remove all potential hideouts.
* Keep the soil raked, so that it is small crumbs and no clods.
Think biological control:
* hedgehogs will fight the battle for you
* guinea fowl & other birds help
* dry, fine dusty material sticks to the slug & turns them away. Put
a ring of soot around the seedlings
* rosemary needles deter slugs
* small cups of beer dropped into the ground act as traps
If all else fails invest in some slug pellets to control slugs in the garden.
