Rhubarb (Latin name – Rheum rhabarbarum) often sends up flowering shoots at this time
of the year.
rhubarb-flower
The rhubarb flowers should be removed as soon as they are seen. Hold the
flowering-stalk close to the ground, and then pull upwards twisting the
stalk. If left, the flower will weaken the root, which will then produce
weak thin stalks.
The tendency to bolting depends on:
* the rhubarb variety – Victoria is more prone to flowering than
other varieties
* maturity – older plants are more likely to flower than younger ones
* weather – prolonged high temperatures and drought promote flowering
* poor nutrition
To encourage leaf growth and discourage flowering of rhubarb:
* divide the crowns every 4-5 years to keep them young
* water during the harvesting period if in drought conditions
* feed with well rotted manure or fertiliser in early spring and autumn
* do not totally strip the root – always leave 4 or 5 stalks.
* stop pulling stalks after July, to allow the leaves to feed the root
* do not force each crown more than once every two years
* provide an open, sunny site in the vegetable garden
The Honeyeye Strawberries in the kitchen garden are covered in flowers.
strawberry-in-flower
In spite of the dry time, the soil under the black polythene is still quite moist.
strawberry-row
The brassica seeds have gone in to a dry seedbed, so have been watered.
brassica-seed-rows
The vegetable garden is suffering from cold easterly winds. The onions
seem to be blown about more than the other vegetables.
onion-bed-in-wind
The polythene has been taken off the potato bed. The early potatoes are
looking very well, and the main crop potatoes are now all emerged.
potato-bed
fresh-picked-asparagus
A basket of fresh picked asparagus is a real luxury. These spears are a
Dutch hybrid variety called Gjinlim. This is their third year, so they
are just coming into their prime.
Asparagus should not be cut in the first two years, to allow the roots
to build up in the bed.
Click on these photos to enlarge them:
asparagus-spears2
asparagus-spears
Today is St George’s Day, an ideal time to try a traditional english recipe.
Peas pudding can be served chilled on toast with salad, or heated up with roast beef and gravy!
Ingredients
* 1 pack of bacon
* 475gm split peas
* salt & pepper to taste
Method
* place split peas in a large oven proof dish
* cover with water
* add salt and pepper to taste
* leave soaking overnight
* chop the bacon and add to the mixture
* place in an oven heated to 150C until just set
* cool and then put in the fridge
Moles (latin name – Talpa europaea)
are a pest when they come into the vegetable garden and disturb the
roots of the vegetables by tunnelling underneath them. They push up
heaps of soil at intervals, and if this is in a row of seeds, the seeds
will be pushed all over the place.
mole-hill
The mole hills are made up of soil with a beautiful texture. It has very
small crumbs and is often collected to put in pots to grow seeds. The
mole hills are produced when the mole pushes the soil out of its tunnel,
or run. Under the mole hill is the hole leading to the run. A long metal
object, like a scewer, can be used to push into the surrounding soil to
look for the run. If the scewer goes in easily, it will be entering the
tunnel. The soil can be removed to expose the run. Mole control items
can be left in the run, before covering it up again, to exclude all the
light.
under-mole-hill
Moles eat earthworms and other small animals. A healthy garden will have
a lot of earthworms, which help improve the soil and keep it in good
condition. The vegetable gardener needs to encourage earthworms, but the
worms attract the moles. Moles just appear out of the blue, and the
trick is to send them off to another feeding ground as soon as they
arrive, by making your patch unattractive to moles.
Mole Control
Bad smells – will send the moles off to fresh places! Place
smelly objects in the run, such as moth balls, pickled onions,
Now is the time to get the children interested in gardening. Give them
a small patch – let them define the shape with string and put stones
around the border.
Choose easy-to-grow plants and as many different ones as you can get
into the small space. Carrots, radishes, spring onions and beetroot
are good vegetable choices.
Help them prepare the soil:
* remove all stones and clods
* dig the patch
* break the soil into small crumbs – they can jump up & down, or use
a fork
Let the young ones design the planting scheme. Do they want:
* plants in rows
* or blocks of plants in different shapes
They can plan it on paper, draw out the design with a stick on the soil,
then sow the seeds.
Keep an eye out for pests, & develop a strategy together for keeping
pests out of the garden patch. Put up bird scarers made from CDs or
ribbons hanging from sticks.
Find a small can or jug which can be used to water the seeds regularly.
Oversee the project to ensure rapid results – which will encourage
further vegetable gardening!!
Capping of the soil is a major problem in the vegetable garden at sowing time. It happens when the soil particles on the surface melt together to form a hard cap or crust.
Effects of capping:
* the cap is so hard that the vegetable seedlings cannot break
through it and are unable to push the shoot above ground
* the cap shrinks when it dries, and forms a crazy paving effect of
hard soil lumps
capped soil
shrinking soil cap
capped soil wedge
Causes of capping:
* soil particles in the seed bed are too fine
* large droplets of water (heavy rain, or a coarse watering can)
* kitchen gardens with clay soils are particularly at risk from capping
Avoid capping by:
* keeping small crumbs of soil on the surface – do not overwork the
seedbed. Fine soil is needed around the seed, but the rest of the
soil between the vegetable rows should be made up of small crumbs
soil crumbs on seedbed
* watering with small droplets – do not water the seeds in with a
bucket, or strong hose. Use a gentle spray from a rose with small
holes
Renovate capped soil in the vegetable garden by:
* gently keeping the cap damp, to enable the vegetable seedlings to
push through
* carefully hoeing either side of each vegetable row, to break the
cap. Then the next lot of water will be able to drain into the
soil, & will not sit on the cap & spread the crust over a larger
area of the vegetable patch
breaking soil cap
*Frequency of watering, or how often to water, depends on:
*the age of the plant
*Older plants will have well developed roots, usually quite deep, which
can reach out and obtain soil water. So older plants do not need
watering as often as younger plants.
*Seedlings and young plants will have fewer, shorter roots and will need
frequent watering, usually daily, but in hot weather they may need twice
daily watering.
* soil type
*Different types take different times for the soil to go from full
capacity to water deficient. Sandy soils will need watering more often
than clay soils
*the weather
*If there is plenty of rain the soil will not need extra water. A rain
gauge will indicate how much water has fallen as rain.
*
*If there is a drought, the garden will need watering before the soil
becomes water deficit, & plants wilt.
*If it is very hot, the plants and the soil will loose more water into
the atmosphere, & so need watering more often.
How much water to apply depends on
- the size of the plant – the larger the plant the more it will need
- the sort of leaf – different types of vegetables require different amounts. Runner beans like a lot of water, sweetcorn & carrots rarely need watering.
- the type of soil – sandy soils need more water than clay
- soil capacity – it is very important to give enough water to bring the soil up to full
capacity, but not to overwater & make the soil waterlogged. The little & often approach is bad because the soil at the top will be dampened, but the roots deeper down will be in soil which has a deficit. These roots will die & surface roots will be encouraged
which will dry out in the sun & not be able to use the soil nutrients to the full.
Where to water – The leaves form a canopy which usually covers the
width of the root ball. It is thus sensible to water an area which is
the same size as the leaf canopy. This means that the water is being
placed directly over the root area.
Place the water under the canopy, so the leaves are not wet. This will:
- prevent the wet leaves from being scorched by the sun
- keep the water out of direct sunlight, and so reduce evaporation.
When to water
Watering in early morning means that the water has time to soak into the
soil before the sun gets hot enough to evaporate it.
Watering at night results in the leaves remaining damp. Damp leaves
will be vulnerable to fungal attack, which will weaken the plant.
Application methods. Small droplet size:
* *prevents damage to leaves
* *avoids washing small seedlings out of the soil
* *prevents damage to soil structure
*If a heavy stream of water is poured onto clay soils, a pan (thick
crust) is produced, which will reduce drainage in the future & stop
water getting away. The pan forms cracks in hot weather which exposes &
damages the roots.
*The droplet size can be varied by attaching a rose to the end of the
watering can spout. The rose will have holes of a particular size. The
smaller the holes, the smaller the droplet size.
Drainage is the passage of water through the soil. The drainage in the
vegetable garden will differ from one soil type to another. Sandy soils
drain quickly, clay soils drain slowly.
Gardeners should do everything possible to help drainage. If the
drainage is restricted, the water will not be able to get away. Water
will collect on the surface of the soil. The fruit and vegetables will
die and the soil structure will be ruined. This means that it will be
difficult to create a seedbed in the future.
To encourage drainage in the kitchen garden:
* avoid walking on the garden, particularly when wet. Make narrow
beds, which can be worked from the path. Use a wooden plank to
stand on if on the bed.
* keep drains clear and free, so that they take water away
* do not overwater
*The water holding capacity of the soil is the ability to hold the
water in the soil. It is held by surface tension around the soil
particles. The water holding capacity of each soil will vary. Sand is
not able to hang onto the water as easily as the clay. So sandy soil
drains easily & will need watering more often.
If the gardener understands his own soil he will know when it needs more
water to bring it back to its full capacity. He will be able to
recognise the state of the soil by the colour, texture and feel of the soil.
Fruit and vegetables need a constant supply of water, so that they can
continue to grow happily. If water becomes short (below full capacity),
the plants will become stressed, growth will slow down and the plants
will be more susceptible to disease
