Here are extracts from articles by Tony Lewis which were published in The Wychwood Magazine . They contain some timely advice and personal observations for gardeners at the start of a new year of planting and planning.
Sort the Seeds: February & March
Those MUWAGA members who order their seeds through the Association know they are on to a good thing as all seeds are half price. Currently we do this through Kings, and I have to say that they provide a very good service. This is very good value as you can easily save more than the annual MUWAGA membership cost in one go.
Whether you got your seeds through the Association or not, now is the time to get them sorted. Get shot of all those old time-expired packets, because while they may germinate, often they don’t do as well, and are weaker; parsnips and parsley are good examples of this.
The other advantage of sorting your seeds is that you can put them in the order you want to sow them so you are less likely to forget to do it. Lastly, if you do have seeds that are in date but you don’t need them, why not bring them along to the MUWAGA talks where we operate a swap table.
Easy Does It
Keeping with the seed theme, I think it is best not to be in too much of a rush to sow. The soil can still be cold so that the seeds sit and sulk and may just rot rather than get going. I tell myself this every year but still feel a very strong urge to get things going as soon as possible, often with mediocre results. A bad case of not listening to my own advice!
However, if you have a greenhouse or heated propagator then it is worth sowing seeds such as those for tomatoes and peppers early so they get a long growing season and then harden them off slowly before putting them in their growing positions once the risk of frost has passed.
Sow, Sow and Sow Again: April – May
I just love this time of year. Even if the weather can still be far from perfect you can say goodbye to winter and hello to the glorious rush of spring growth and it is going to get even better as the month passes. However, there is always a catch. If you have a garden and like us you want to grow vegetables, the weeds are even more pleased with the warmth and grow with enthusiasm.
My reader will know that Linda and I are trying a no-dig approach on the allotments (or at least reduced dig) so I am pondering my approach to keep the weeds under control. Not being the tidiest of allotment holders I always have plenty of weeds (very good for the compost heap) but instead of digging them out I shall have to hoe them and pick them up to compost afterwards – it may work if I can be a bit more organised.
I find sowing seeds a very positive experience with the promise of crops to come. Many seed packets say you can sow in March (even February sometimes) but I have learnt from many previous failures to forget the dates and just watch the weather.
I have often sown in April and the plants usually catch up. You need soil that is not too damp and which has warmed up to about 7 degrees or the seeds may just rot and you have to sow again. The general advice is to sow in batches over a few weeks which gives you a good chance of beating the vagaries of the British spring.
If you are able to start your plants under cover that gives you more options and many tender plants such a tomatoes, peppers and even runner beans, squashes and sweetcorn need to be raised with a bit of protection and then put out once the risk of frost has passed. Tomatoes probably needed to have been sown in March (but you can always buy plants to save the bother) and runner beans and squashes in April to be ready to go outside in late May.
Happy gardening
Tony Lewis