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Another gardening year has started and with the nice, mild weather of December, some gardeners took advantage and dug their plots. There is nothing like an early start, as it gives the soil time to break down and take in oxygen from the air.
Here in our garden the winter veggies are still going, with plenty of savoy cabbage and brussels sprouts, as well as leeks, turnips, celery and parsnips.
With the savoy, the plot will have to wait for a while before it is dug. Wait until the soil has dried out and it will be easier to work on nearer the end of the month.
Some plants’ seeds can now be sown in trays. Tomatoes benefit from early sowing. I usually prepare the pots and use good seed compost.
Later on we will sow some vine yellow and cherry varieties. These are great for producing vines of sweet-tasting fruit and continue all summer
About six small pots are used and they are then placed into larger containers to keep the soil moist. The containers underneath will catch any extra moisture. Sow about two seeds in each pot. Money-maker is a good general variety to start with.
Later on we will sow some vine yellow and cherry varieties. These are great for producing vines of sweet-tasting fruit and continue all summer.
These are sown outside as the greenhouse is small and we only have enough room for the money-makers.
When the sowing is finished, the containers are placed underneath a radiator to get them started.
Also the seeds of summer lettuce can be sown indoors for an early start. Butter-head is a good variety as it produces fine, big, white heads.
Growing potatoes is coming back into fashion again and not only in large gardens, but also in small gardens where they can be sown in containers and produce a good crop
To get early potatoes off to a good start, now is the time to set them in shallow boxes to sprout. Some call this ‘chitting’. Store in a cool, dry place to produce strong shoots about 1-3cm high. They will then be ready to plant in drills about 30cm apart. Here in the midlands we can get cold weather until May, so we cannot sow them too early as the frost destroys the green plant and it finds it difficult to recover.
Growing potatoes is coming back into fashion again and not only in large gardens, but also in small gardens where they can be sown in containers and produce a good crop.
The main crop of earlies takes about 15 weeks to mature, so get sowing as a fresh, new potato cannot be beaten for taste.
Plant a combination of these so you can be harvesting fresh tubers all summer long.
Flower seeds can also be sown now as no garden should be without a few flowers to brighten up the borders all summer.
We collect most of our seeds from the garden; they are sown in containers outdoors and transplanted as soon the daffodils are finished. Happy gardening year to everybody.
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