HomeblogGreen Lane Allotments {April#4} Green Lane Allotments 28 April Another week where a major challenge was to decide whether to leave a sweater on or take it off. When the sun was shining it was quite hot and summery but as soon as it disappeared behind a cloud the temperature chilled and it was back on with the sweater. Things on the plot are moving on at a fair pace now, with changes noticeable between the morning and later in the afternoon. The plot is looking far less barren now. • A frame has been made to cover the carrot bed with Enviromesh which is our tried and tested method of keeping carrot fly at bay. We have used the same sheets for several years. The green algae that had developed was pressure washed away. It was also noticed that some holes had developed which would provide an entrance for the pests and so it was a case of putting a needle and cotton in amongst the garden tools and carrying out a quick repair job. The stitchwork wouldn’t pass the dressmaking test but has sealed the holes which was the objective. • The parsnips are now germinating well and a regular row has formed which is always satisfying. Some twigs were placed over the rows to prevent any wandering animal from ruining then chance of good germination. Now it’s fingers crossed that the seedlings survive any pest searching for a quick meal. • Some pea plants are waiting in the greenhouse to be planted out but we have also sown some pea seeds- Greenshaft & Kelvedon Wonder - directly into the ground this week. It will be interesting to see how they compare. - Young plants which were planted out on the plot this week were: - Broad bean – Witkiem Manita - Cabbage – Primo 2 - Broccoli - Olympus • Also sown was radish – Rainbow Mixed, just to continue this year’s coloured vegetable theme. The seeds were different colours and so I made sure I sowed some of each colour. A sowing of spring onion – Guardsman was also made and we are still harvesting spring onions ( not a very apt name in this case) that were sown last year and have overwintered. • Seed sown in the greenhouse this week were: - Sweetcorn – Sweet Nugget - Squash – Crown Prince - Courgette – Clarita (pale green), Zucchini, (darker green) and Floridor (a round yellow variety) - French parsley - Gourd – Turks Turban - Cosmos- Versailles Palace. - Aquilegia – Songbird, Mesembryanthemum & nemesia – Carnival Mixed were resown as the ones in the heated propagator still haven’t shown a single leaf. - French Marigold – Dwarf Single Naughty Marietta & Disco Mixed - Nicotiana - Roulette • Another overwintered addition to our salad bowl is Blood Veined Sorrel which is a perennial. We harvest the fresh young leaves as older leaves become tough and unpalatable. • Other crops providing a harvest at the moment are purple sprouting broccoli and spring cabbage. • For a couple of years now we have had some cranberry plants which have just done nothing – also their spreading growing habit makes weeding difficult so this week they have been dug up and moved into tubs. The roots of the plants still hadn’t really made any effort to spread out into the surrounding soil so hopefully they will be happier in the tubs of ericaceous compost. They will also be able to trail down the sides of the tubs rather than spread across the soil. I am afraid it could be their last chance to earn a permanent home. • The black polythene covering that has been protecting the dahlia tubers over winter has been removed to expose some pale yellow straggly growth which indicate that the tubers have survived. The straw has been left in place to give some protection should the weather turn cold. It also seems to be providing a haven for toads, one of whom emerged from the straw blinking once the polythene was removed. The dahlias may look weak and straggly now but will soon green up and develop into strong plants. The two dahlia beds have been merged into one by removing a path and so the plants will have more space in which to grow. For the complete diary entry and lots more photographs click here Share this:Share Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published. Name* Email* Website Comment Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email.
