Vegetable growing is easy and can be very successful. You don’t need a large garden, or indeed any garden, because it is possible to grow some kinds of vegetables and herbs in pots or even in a window box.
Vegetable plant families
The commonly grown vegetables can be divided into a number of family groupings. The cabbage family contains cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, green broccoli, sprouting broccoli, radish, Swede turnips, summer turnips, kohlrabi, mustard, Chinese mustard leaves, horseradish and rocket.
The onion family contains onions, spring onions, garlic, chives and shallots. The pea family has garden peas, French beans, runner beans, climbing French beans and broad beans. The lettuce family contains a diverse group of vegetables including lettuce, Jerusalem artichoke, globe artichoke, chicory and salsify.
The carrot family contains carrots, parsnips, parsley, celery, celeriac, dill, lovage, coriander, fennel and spices such as cumin and caraway. The potato family has potatoes, tomatoes, sweet peppers, chilli peppers, cape gooseberry, aubergine and tomatillo. The cucumber family has cucumbers, melons, courgettes, pumpkins and summer and winter squashes.
Sweetcorn is related to grasses, as is lemongrass. Rhubarb and sorrel are related. Beetroot, Swiss chard, spinach and perpetual spinach are related. Practically all of the mentioned vegetables and herbs can be grown in an Irish garden, either outdoors or with the assistance of a greenhouse or polythene tunnel.
It is useful to know which vegetables are related by family for a number of reasons.
In general, members of the family tend to have similar growing requirements and are affected often by the same pests and diseases.
This fact is the basis of the principle of rotation – moving vegetables of the same family away from each other.
Vegetables that are related have similar flavour chemicals and their taste can be complementary.
Which vegetables to grow?
lt is safe to say that very few home gardeners will have grown all of the vegetables and herbs listed. Equally, there are vegetables listed never seen for sale in supermarkets. So home growing of vegetables and herbs has a lot to offer both in cost and variety. Another important aspect is freshness – homegrown vegetables and herbs can be on the plate within minutes of picking.
Some vegetables are easy to grow and succeed always, while others can be difficult, requiring experience and perseverance.
For instance, rocket, Chinese vegetables, bulb fennel and celery are all inclined to go to seed, bolting as it is known. Usually when this happens, the growing energy of the plant goes into flower and seed production and the crop can be useless.
Sowing vegetables
To grow vegetables successfully you need good soil in full sunshine. Apply some vegetable fertiliser if the soil is not good. The size of the area does not matter and vegetables can be grown tucked in between flowers and shrubs in a mixed bed. If you have never grown vegetables before, start with some very easy kinds, such as radishes that will be ready to eat in six weeks or lettuce that can be used even when still small, taking leaves as they are needed. These can be grown easily in pots too. Early success, even tiny scale, will encourage further efforts.
Most vegetables are grown from seeds sown in the open soil – peas, broad beans, French beans, carrots, beetroot, broccoli, lettuce and white turnips. All of these are sown where they are to mature and do not need to be transplanted. These can all be sown, and repeat-sown to extend supply, between March and June. Cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts need to be transplanted to wider spacings when the plants, raised from seeds, are about 15cm tall.
Appropriate spacings for each kind are suggested on the seed packet. Plants of these can be purchased in garden centres too. Onions can be grown from seeds sown in March but are easier to grow from sets planted in April. Sweetcorn, courgettes, pumpkins, squash and runner beans cannot be planted out until the danger of frost has passed at the end of May, the seeds being sown indoors about mid-April.
Prune apple and pear trees
Apple and pear trees can be pruned now to keep them to a manageable size, reducing disease, and to produce quality fruit of a good size. Plum and cherry trees must not be pruned in winter as there is a risk of very damaging silver leaf disease entering the pruning wounds. This disease can also attack apple trees but not as virulently.
Close-up of apples on trees that are damaged.
Begin by cutting out dead, damaged and diseased branches and those growing towards the centre of the tree. Then aim is to remove a few old branches each year and allow younger wood to replace the removed parts, which are usually part of a larger branch. Then shorten much of the remaining smaller branches by half their length, or so. Stand back from the tree occasionally to get an overview of its shape.
Trees, shrubs and roses
The ground is still very wet for planting. If small trees have been purchased, they can be kept for weeks before planting by being heeled in, after opening out the bundles. This is a good time to prune the lower limbs of garden trees that are spreading too much. Roses can be pruned at any time.
Fruit, vegetables and herbs
Seed potatoes of early varieties can be put to sprout, as this gives a three weeks’ earlier harvest. There is still time to sow seeds of early varieties of cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce and onions. These will give an early crop but have to be started off in warm conditions indoors, and grown on in a greenhouse or tunnel.
Flowers
Perennial flowers can be lifted and divided, if necessary, but not if the ground is sticky, and it has been very wet and not suitable for lifting and dividing. Perennial flowers can be planted but only if the soil is in good condition. Seeds of geraniums, lobelia, busy lizzie and bedding begonias can be sown in a heated propagator.
Lawns
After weeks of wet weather and frosty conditions, there is little chance of giving the lawn a light topping. If a lawn area is being prepared for sowing in the spring, it cannot be cultivated until the ground dries. Do not walk across a lawn if the ground is still soft or frozen as it causes soil compaction.
Greenhouse and house plants
Greenhouse grape vines and peach trees will soon break bud as the temperature warms up. The sooner these greenhouse fruits come into flower the better, because the earliest flowers bring the earliest harvest. Give a heavy watering.
Read more
Understanding mosses & lichens, sprouting seed potatoes and jobs for the week.
Mary Keenan’s Garden: it’s almost snowdrop season
Vegetable growing is easy and can be very successful. You don’t need a large garden, or indeed any garden, because it is possible to grow some kinds of vegetables and herbs in pots or even in a window box.
Vegetable plant families
The commonly grown vegetables can be divided into a number of family groupings. The cabbage family contains cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, green broccoli, sprouting broccoli, radish, Swede turnips, summer turnips, kohlrabi, mustard, Chinese mustard leaves, horseradish and rocket.
The onion family contains onions, spring onions, garlic, chives and shallots. The pea family has garden peas, French beans, runner beans, climbing French beans and broad beans. The lettuce family contains a diverse group of vegetables including lettuce, Jerusalem artichoke, globe artichoke, chicory and salsify.
The carrot family contains carrots, parsnips, parsley, celery, celeriac, dill, lovage, coriander, fennel and spices such as cumin and caraway. The potato family has potatoes, tomatoes, sweet peppers, chilli peppers, cape gooseberry, aubergine and tomatillo. The cucumber family has cucumbers, melons, courgettes, pumpkins and summer and winter squashes.
Sweetcorn is related to grasses, as is lemongrass. Rhubarb and sorrel are related. Beetroot, Swiss chard, spinach and perpetual spinach are related. Practically all of the mentioned vegetables and herbs can be grown in an Irish garden, either outdoors or with the assistance of a greenhouse or polythene tunnel.
It is useful to know which vegetables are related by family for a number of reasons.
In general, members of the family tend to have similar growing requirements and are affected often by the same pests and diseases.
This fact is the basis of the principle of rotation – moving vegetables of the same family away from each other.
Vegetables that are related have similar flavour chemicals and their taste can be complementary.
Which vegetables to grow?
lt is safe to say that very few home gardeners will have grown all of the vegetables and herbs listed. Equally, there are vegetables listed never seen for sale in supermarkets. So home growing of vegetables and herbs has a lot to offer both in cost and variety. Another important aspect is freshness – homegrown vegetables and herbs can be on the plate within minutes of picking.
Some vegetables are easy to grow and succeed always, while others can be difficult, requiring experience and perseverance.
For instance, rocket, Chinese vegetables, bulb fennel and celery are all inclined to go to seed, bolting as it is known. Usually when this happens, the growing energy of the plant goes into flower and seed production and the crop can be useless.
Sowing vegetables
To grow vegetables successfully you need good soil in full sunshine. Apply some vegetable fertiliser if the soil is not good. The size of the area does not matter and vegetables can be grown tucked in between flowers and shrubs in a mixed bed. If you have never grown vegetables before, start with some very easy kinds, such as radishes that will be ready to eat in six weeks or lettuce that can be used even when still small, taking leaves as they are needed. These can be grown easily in pots too. Early success, even tiny scale, will encourage further efforts.
Most vegetables are grown from seeds sown in the open soil – peas, broad beans, French beans, carrots, beetroot, broccoli, lettuce and white turnips. All of these are sown where they are to mature and do not need to be transplanted. These can all be sown, and repeat-sown to extend supply, between March and June. Cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts need to be transplanted to wider spacings when the plants, raised from seeds, are about 15cm tall.
Appropriate spacings for each kind are suggested on the seed packet. Plants of these can be purchased in garden centres too. Onions can be grown from seeds sown in March but are easier to grow from sets planted in April. Sweetcorn, courgettes, pumpkins, squash and runner beans cannot be planted out until the danger of frost has passed at the end of May, the seeds being sown indoors about mid-April.
Prune apple and pear trees
Apple and pear trees can be pruned now to keep them to a manageable size, reducing disease, and to produce quality fruit of a good size. Plum and cherry trees must not be pruned in winter as there is a risk of very damaging silver leaf disease entering the pruning wounds. This disease can also attack apple trees but not as virulently.
Close-up of apples on trees that are damaged.
Begin by cutting out dead, damaged and diseased branches and those growing towards the centre of the tree. Then aim is to remove a few old branches each year and allow younger wood to replace the removed parts, which are usually part of a larger branch. Then shorten much of the remaining smaller branches by half their length, or so. Stand back from the tree occasionally to get an overview of its shape.
Trees, shrubs and roses
The ground is still very wet for planting. If small trees have been purchased, they can be kept for weeks before planting by being heeled in, after opening out the bundles. This is a good time to prune the lower limbs of garden trees that are spreading too much. Roses can be pruned at any time.
Fruit, vegetables and herbs
Seed potatoes of early varieties can be put to sprout, as this gives a three weeks’ earlier harvest. There is still time to sow seeds of early varieties of cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce and onions. These will give an early crop but have to be started off in warm conditions indoors, and grown on in a greenhouse or tunnel.
Flowers
Perennial flowers can be lifted and divided, if necessary, but not if the ground is sticky, and it has been very wet and not suitable for lifting and dividing. Perennial flowers can be planted but only if the soil is in good condition. Seeds of geraniums, lobelia, busy lizzie and bedding begonias can be sown in a heated propagator.
Lawns
After weeks of wet weather and frosty conditions, there is little chance of giving the lawn a light topping. If a lawn area is being prepared for sowing in the spring, it cannot be cultivated until the ground dries. Do not walk across a lawn if the ground is still soft or frozen as it causes soil compaction.
Greenhouse and house plants
Greenhouse grape vines and peach trees will soon break bud as the temperature warms up. The sooner these greenhouse fruits come into flower the better, because the earliest flowers bring the earliest harvest. Give a heavy watering.
Read more
Understanding mosses & lichens, sprouting seed potatoes and jobs for the week.
Mary Keenan’s Garden: it’s almost snowdrop season
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