Firstly three dates for the diary. Firstly on Friday 17th April we will be holding a question and answer session about gardening matters at The Five Bells. The session starts at 7.30 and a team of experts will hopefully be able to answer your queries. Entrance is free though contributions to society funds would be appreciated. It would be helpful if questions and queries were submitted before hand. These could either be left at The Five Bells or texted to me or via email.
Secondly there is our plant sale on Saturday 23rd May from 10am to midday in the village hall car park. If you have spare plants please bring them along and we will sell them to help with our finances.
Finally at The St. George’s Day Fete on 25th April which will be held in the field opposite Markstakes Corner, South Chailey, BN84BD. We will have a stall selling various horticultural related items and we hope to see you there.
Now to matters horticultural.
April and early May are hectic times in the garden as seeds have been sown and plants are growing but still need protection from the dangers of a late frost.
I feel by min April it is safe to plant in the borders of the greenhouse or poly tunnel. This of course will be mainly tomatoes. You will hope to get six trusses on each plant so place as deeply as possible which means up to the first true leaves. Saturate the hole before planting to encourage deep rooting.
Also under cover chillies, aubergine and sweet peppers can be potted up. However it is wise to keep an eye on night time temperatures and if they fall below about 5* try and add a little extra heat. By mid May it should be fine to harden off plants for growing outside.
The big question, especially if space is limited, is what to grow. Some fruit and vegetables are infinitely better home grown and eaten fresh at optimal ripeness. Also some vegetables, even now, are quite difficult to buy fresh such as garden peas and broad beans.
Also it is worth remembering that commercially many crops are picked slightly under ripe to prolong shelf life. This applies particularly to tomatoes and soft fruit. It’s difficult to say that home grown onions, shallots or garlic are any better than their commercial rivals , but then I just like growing them!
Also the amateur gardener has a far greater choice than the commercial grower and therefore some experimentation is well worth it.
So grow tomatoes, broad beans, peas,chard, sweetcorn and soft fruit. With potatoes it’s a bit more difficult. Over recent years it has become much easier to buy new named varieties the exceptions being Sharpes Express and Red Duke of York which as first earlies are well worth growing. The best second early is Charlotte which is now widely available. I see little point in growing main crop potatoes unless you have lots of space.
Now is the time to plant carrots and parsnips. I’ve dealt with parsnips in previous articles. Carrots need light well drained soil with no added manure. The main problem is carrot fly which lays its eggs at the base of the root and then the larvae burrow into it. The main danger times are May to June and August to September. Protection is usually via a fine mesh fleece as there are no licensed chemical treatments available to the amateur gardener. However the carrot fly is very low flying so I have taken to growing carrots in deep window boxes and then placing them on staging out of reach of the carrot fly. There are of course carrot fly resistant varieties but I don’t think these have as much flavour and with Eskimo it will stand through the winter.
Every year I suggest that you try something different so this year why not give Hamburg Parsley a go? It’s been bred to produce a root about six inches long which is sweeter and less woody than those of a parsnip. It is frost hardly and the leaves are parsley. It can be roasted like a parsnip or grated it salads. It’s grown in the same way as parsnips and the seeds are widely available and it is not grown commercially.
Leave daffodil foliage to die down naturally. Stone bearing fruit trees will be in blossom and may benefit from a bit of hand fertilisation using a fine paint brush. The trees can also now be gently pruned and shaped.
Please remember our events and good gardening.
Peter Estcourt