Our Spring Show is on Saturday 23rd March in the village hall from 2.00pm. Entries should be with me by 6.00pm on the Friday before or between 7.30 and 8.30 at the village hall. Schedules and entry forms are available from committee members and The Five Bells. Also available at the show will be the buckets , instructions and seed potatoes for childrens potatoes in a bucket competition .
After 14th February we start to get more than 10 hours daylight per day and this with the increasing warm of the sun stimulates growth.
Last month I mentioned tomatoes for growing in the greenhouse and I would like to add one more. This is Shimmer F1 which produces small plum shaped tomatoes with a green and red striped skin. What is slightly unusual about them for a small tomato is their firm texture which I think adds to the flavour.
Now for tomatoes to grow outside. Due to the widespread danger of blight combined with the fact that there is now no fully effective prophylactic available to the amateur gardener I only grow blight resistant varieties outside. Fortunately there is now a great choice available. The seeds can be difficult to find in garden centres but are readily available on line and many can be sourced as plug plants.
Firstly I will deal with cordon or intermediate types which need support and the removal of side shoots. Mountain Magic is probably the best variety for medium sized fruit and is reliable and trouble free.
For larger fruit try Crimson Crush , Crimson Blush and Oh Happy Days. Crimson Cocktail produces medium sized fruit whilst Crimson Cherry does what its name suggests. Also worth a go is Crimson Plum which produces a heavy crop of medium sized plum shaped fruit.
Blight resistant bush varieties include Lizzano and Losetto which both produce small cherry type fruit. Summerlast F1 produces slightly larger and firmer fruit and is said to crop over a long period.
The end of March is the time to plant parsnips. Choose a canker resistant variety such as Gladiator and using a dibber make a hole about 8 inches deep and fill this with fine well sieved compost with added sand. Water and place 4-5 seeds on top and cover with vermiculite. Protect from slugs and as the seeds germinate and grow pick the strongest and discard the rest.
During March I tend to start salad crops , spinach , chard , beans and peas in the greenhouse as the weather can still be a bit un predictable but by next month , April it’s all go!
Please remember our Spring Show and come and admire the exhibits and enjoy a pleasant afternoon or better still, enter!
Good gardening
Peter Estcourt