SOW SOME ANNUALS

SOW SOME ANNUALS

Hardy annuals grown from seed is one of the best ways to bring in summer colour to the new garden where newly planted landscape plants have still to grow so there is plenty of empty space. Established gardens often have an area dedicated to annuals as there are so many attractive plants that can be grown quickly and cheaply from seed.

Annuals do not need rich soil and may flower better if the ground is quite poor, though to get good germination and establishment it is worthwhile ensuring the soil surface is well prepared and broken down to produce a good tilth. Do not use any fertiliser otherwise you may get lush growth at the expense of flowers. They will flower best in full sun on well drained soil even if it is a bit dry so long as they have enough moisture to get them established.

Sowing and planting

Seed sowing can be started at the end of March to mid April direct onto the ground where they are to grow. If you only have a small patch of ground then just broadcast the seeds lightly and rake them in. However if your border is a fair size and you are growing a range of annuals it may be better to mark out drifts with sand then sow each type in rows in its own patch. When these grow to a few inches they can be thinned and transplanted to where ever they are needed. This method also makes weeding a lot easier. It gives a more natural appearance when planting up drifts if the different plant types overlap. Some types such as Livingston daisies and Osteospermums can be sown in plug trays and grown on for a few weeks before planting out. They will need to be kept well watered until they get growing.

My favourite selection

They can all be grown from seed, as well as plug plants from garden centres if you want to try out something new, or to gap up if seed has given a poor germination.

Top of my list has always been the Shirley poppies as they are very easy to grow, very colourful and often find themselves the subject of a painting. Californian poppies and Poppy Ladybird are also firm favourites. The best fully double pink poppy is varieties of the opium poppy Papaver somniferum which arrived as a stray weed in my garden but put on such a fantastic show that I saved seed for future years. The Iceland poppy is treated like a biennial sown at the end of summer then overwintered to flower the following year from early summer onwards.

Godetia, Livingston daisies, osteospermums and candytuft are very showy at the front of borders and clarkia, cosmos, cornflower, larkspur and amaranthus better at the back.

If you have young kids around grow some statice or helichrysum (everlasting flowers) at the front as they love to feel the rustling flower petals.

Calendula and nasturtiums are easy and give a great show, but keep them dead headed as if left unattended they can become very invasive in the following years as the seed remains viable for years and germinates readily.

Wee jobs to do this week

Once shoots begin to grow on outdoor hardy fuchsias they can be lightly pruned to remove any shoots that have died back, or others that are a bit straggly.

Check growth on the variegated Elaeagnus and remove any shoots that have reverted back to pure green as these will take over the bush if not removed.

Early varieties of potatoes can be planted as long as the soil has had a chance to warm up.

Pinch out the tops of young sweet pea plants once they have made two to three leaves, as it helps branching, but for cordon training select the strongest shoot once they all grow.

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PEAS AND BEANS

PEAS AND BEANS

Peas and beans are found on most people’s allotment. They are very easy to grow provided you give them rich soil that was well manured or composted during the winter digging. Runner beans, dwarf French beans and later sown peas can also benefit from a green manure crop, since there is time to grow a quick clover crop before the ground is needed for sowing or planting.

Freshly harvested peas and beans can be on the dinner plate within a couple of hours of picking and there is nothing more healthy and delicious to taste. These pulses are rich in fibre, protein, vitamin A, C, E and K and the minerals copper, iron, manganese, magnesium, zinc and selenium.

Broad beans are quite hardy so it is possible to do an autumn sowing and over winter the plants to give a very early crop. However I prefer to sow early in March indoors with some heat and grow them on in cellular trays for a couple of weeks on a sunny windowsill. When they are about four inches tall I transfer them to my unheated greenhouse to harden off. They will go outdoors to harden off further before they are planted on prepared ground in early April once the land has warmed up. I plant in a double row about nine to twelve inches apart spacing the plants about nine inches apart. I grow Giant Exhibition Longpod as although it is very vigorous and grows quite tall it produces a very heavy crop. It will need good support as it grows using stakes and binder twine.

I have never been troubled with blackfly, but taking out the tops is recommended as a precaution once the plants have set the pods. They are ready to harvest in summer in a one off operation. I pick the crop in the morning then it is a family affair in the afternoon as we gather around a table on the patio and shell the beans. I wee drop of Saskatoon wine adds to the social occasion. However the work continues in the kitchen soon after as the beans are blanched so the skins can be squeezed off.

This is necessary for perfect broad bean soup with a flavour to die for, and extremely healthy.

Runner beans are not so hardy so they are sown in small pots in late April and grown similar to the beans so they can be planted out in early June. They can also be sown direct outdoors in early June.

They need a support of canes or poles about six feet tall as they will climb.

Dwarf French beans are more tender so sowing is even later. I sow direct outdoors the first week in May (provided the soil has warmed up) in a double row a foot apart spacing the seeds about four inches apart. These do not need staked and picking should be regular over several weeks in summer.

Peas can crop over a long season by using different varieties and sowing times. To get earliest crops use a variety such as Kelvedon Wonder sown indoors in a length of guttering  filled with compost then when the plants are a few inches tall slide the whole batch into a furrow in the garden.

For succession follow on with the same variety outdoors in April, then later on use a maincrop such as Onward or the very tall Alderman. Peas will need staking and protection from pigeons. I use the old fashioned, but still effective black thread tied along the rows on the pea support. It frightens off the birds as they can feel it but not see it. For a late sown crop go back to the fast maturing Kelvedon Wonder or Feltham First sown in July. All peas get sown in a six inch wide furrow, a couple of inches deep and spacing the peas about two to three inches apart in three rows.

Wee jobs to do this week

Complete any outstanding pruning of fruit trees or bushes, except plum trees liable to infection from silver leaf.

Plant strawberry runners delivered as cold stored runners. They may not have much leaves on them but as long as they have strong crowns they will soon grow once the spring gets under way.

Once snowdrops and aconites have finished flowering the clumps can be lifted, split up and replanted where they will continue to grow for a few more weeks as long as they are kept moist.

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Art Exhibition Dundee Art Society

Dundee Art Society Spring Exhibition

Exhibition starts on Saturday 21st March 2015 at 11am at the gallery at 17 Roseangle and finishes at 5pm. Open every day at the same time until Saturday 28th March 2015.
My three paintings on display are this lady in red called Warm Glow

Entry is free and there should be about 100 paintings and a lot of craft on display.
Please support us and bring a friend along to see our artwork.

I also paint a lot of views from my allotment site at City Road, including this one of The Red Shed,

 and this snow scene winter landscape of The Apple Tree

 

POTATOES FOR THE GARDEN

POTATOES FOR THE GARDEN

The humble potato has had a major impact on the British way of life. It is eaten by most people daily as boiled, mashed, baked, as a salad or as chips. It is a great source of food health and its cultivation gives us immense exercise. It is a major farm crop in Scotland for both ware and seed potato production. It holds an essential place on the allotment plot rotation. We all have our own favourite varieties depending on taste, texture and use. Some like a dry texture, others waxy or floury. Some have a strong flavour whereas others can be very bland. As my diet has evolved away from chips and now into salads, my needs are for the smaller potato cooked in their skins (the healthiest part) with enough surplus to add to a couple days salads.

Last year I started lifting my second early Lady Chrystl in mid July. It gave a good crop, and the earliest ones may not have reached full size, but they were perfect for me. However it was the smaller sized potato Maris Peer that was the perfect salad spud, though the crop weight was not high. This year I will be trying International Kidney as my first early salad potato.

My best maincrop last year was Sarpo Mira, which I still have plenty of in store so I will be planting it again this year.

Culture

Potatoes are heavy feeders so grow best on land that has been well manured in autumn and left rough over winter. It is a good practice to chit tubers as it gives them a head start. Place the seed potatoes upright, (rose end upwards) in trays or egg boxes and leave in a light frost free position for a few weeks to get them to sprout.

Planting

Planting time depends on weather, so this year as the weather has been cold it will begin early to mid March. Earlies are spaced about 12 inches apart along the rows which are 24 inches apart. For maincrops increase the spacing to 15 inches apart with rows 2 to 2.5 feet apart.

Take out a furrow six inches deep and run some well rotted compost along the bottom. Cover this with some soil and plant into this. Cover the rows but leave a slight ridge to mark the line.

Potato fertilizer high in phosphates and potassium, may be added during the covering of the tubers.

Growing on

Once the foliage emerges keep an eye on the weather and if frost threatens earth over to protect them. Continue to earth over as this kills weeds.

Hopefully earlies will escape blight, but watch out for blight on maincrops if wet weather predominates. You can protect the foliage with spays of Bordeaux mixture, but if rain keeps washing it off it may be better to cut off and remove the foliage.

Lifting

Lifting can begin at the end of June with first earlies and continue till October for lates. Lift on a sunny day and leave the spuds to dry on the surface for an hour or so. Discard any tubers that show any greening as this contains poisons. Potatoes are best stored in the dark in hessian or paper bags in a frost free shed protected from mice.

Wee jobs to do this week

Clean the glass in greenhouses both inside and outside as seed sowing will now be under way for many plants and grape vines will soon be budding up. Any vines left low to encourage even growth along the rods can now be tied back into place.

Tomatoes, onions and broad beans sown earlier in February will now be germinating and need more light to keep them sturdy. Only the tomatoes require constant heat, whereas the others can be grown as hardy as they can stand. Salads for an early crop to be planted out under low polythene tunnels can now be sown in a warm room or windowsill, unless you have a heated greenhouse.

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ONIONS AND LEEKS

ONIONS AND LEEKS

The allium family cover garlic, shallots, spring onions, pickling onions and leeks as well as onions.

However it is the onions and leeks that are the most popular. Most allotment plot holders will grow a few as they are not too difficult and are very popular in the kitchen almost on a daily basis as they can be used in so many different ways. As a healthy food crop they are just about the top of the list as they are packed with vitamins, minerals, dietary fibres and antioxidants.

They all grow best in rich well drained soil in a sunny location. During the winter digging session I allocate a very generous amount of compost to them, then about a month before planting the land gets a wee dusting of lime as they do not like an acid soil.

Onions

They both need a long season to grow so it is usual to give them an early start. Some onion types can be autumn sown and planted to overwinter then give an early harvest. Sets are also available for autumn planting. If you are into huge onions for show you will most likely be growing Kelsae which should be sown at the end of January. However, you will need to keep it warm and in the light to maintain sturdy growth. Over the years I have grown many varieties, but once you get the one that suits you best you tend to stick with it till someone shows you a better one. My favourite for the last few years has been Hytech. It is easy to grow from seed, is very tasty, and gives large onions that store well into spring the following year.

I sow my Hytech seed in cellular trays, dropping one to three seed per cell at the end of February. After watering in these are kept indoors in a dark warm place to germinate. When shoots appear they will go into a light warm windowsill for a fortnight before they get transferred to my cold greenhouse. Once they are hardened off they are quite tough so no need to mollycoddle them.

They will get planted out on the allotment about the end of April. I plant in rows a foot apart spacing the cellular grown plants about four inches apart. If cells have two or three seedlings per unit do not separate them, as they are quite happy even if a wee bit crowded along the row.

During summer keep them weeded and try to avoid any watering unless the weather is really dry, otherwise white rot fungus might infect them. If it appears remove any infected plants immediately.

Towards the end of summer allow the onion tops to bend over naturally while they ripen up. Once the leaves begin to wither lift them and dry them off in the sun before cleaning and storing in nets or tied up in ropes. The land vacated from the onions can now be sown with autumn salads, planted with spring cabbage or cauliflower Aalsmeer or a green manure to help increase fertility.

Leeks

I sow my leeks a wee bit later than the onions as I sow direct outdoors once the soil has warmed up about mid March. Using my tried and well tested Musselburgh variety, which must be two hundred years old, germination is good and soon I have a sturdy row of seedling six to nine inches tall and ready for transplanting. After carefully lifting the young leeks they get topped and tailed before planting. Prepare furrows spaced a foot apart and a few inches deep then dibber in wide holes about six inches apart. Drop in the seedlings and water the row to settle them in. As they grow the rows slowly earth up with hoeing to create a longer blanched stem.

They are ready to use from autumn and should last well into spring.

Wee jobs to do this week

Bare root trees, shrubs and roses can still be planted for a few more weeks while they are dormant. However container grown plants can be planted just about all year round, but keep them well watered in the growing season.

Once snowdrops and aconites have finished flowering they can be lifted and replanted if the drifts are getting overcrowded. They still have time to continue growing and get settled in. If either are forming seeds these can be scattered as they both spread and multiply easily from self sown seeds.

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THE GARDEN AWAKENS

THE GARDEN AWAKENS

As winter weather recedes and we can feel some warmth in the sunshine, a trip around the garden lets us know that plant growth is on the move.  The snowdrops have finished, the aconites are past their best, but crocus are now blooming and bringing life into the garden. All my roses, pruned several weeks ago, have small shoots growing, and in the greenhouse the greenfly and whitefly are in great abundance and in party mode. Recent dry sunny weather has brought out the pests. Greenfly on my chrysanthemums and whitefly everywhere were just waiting on fresh new leaves to enhance their diet.  However a wee spray of Provado on a dull day stopped all their fun.

I had purchased some gorgeous pansies and polyanthus in full bloom so I could plant up my spring flowering hanging baskets and a few tubs. I kept them in the cold greenhouse to get them established as there is a strong chance they have all come direct from a polythene tunnel. They will go outdoors after a couple of weeks.

Sweet peas sown two weeks ago on a windowsill have all germinated and have now gone into my cold greenhouse as they are fairly hardy once they get growing. They were sown at three to four seeds in each cell in a tray and will get potted up in a fortnight.

Outdoor grape vines were pruned last month. The strongest of the pruning were used as cuttings (six inches long) placed in cellular trays in a propagator with bottom heat. They are now starting to grow so will get potted up into small pots but kept in the cold greenhouse.

Three new grape vines, (Rondo, Regent and Siegerrebe) have been purchased to replace those that died last year due to phytophthora root rot on the allotment. However they are growing at home in good soil against a south facing fence, with Siegerrebe going into my greenhouse.

Geraniums grown from cuttings last autumn and kept cool but frost free on a windowsill are now putting on some growth. The tops have been removed and used as more cuttings to increase stock. Geraniums are quite hardy so the biggest plants have now gone onto my cold greenhouse to harden off. This will keep them sturdy removing flower buds as they appear to keep the plants strong.

The sowing season kicked off a few weeks ago when I started my sweet peas, but now the last week in February is when I sow my tomatoes and broad beans, then a week later I will sow my onions.

I use the variety Hytech which is very reliable giving a heavy crop of large onions which can store right through winter into spring.

Apples in store are just about finished. Last years crop was not as heavy as normal due to lack of bees for pollination resulting in fewer apples. Bramley in store suffered some brown rot, but there will only be a few left at the beginning of March. Fiesta is the only apple still in store, but now down to my last five.

Down on the allotment the strawberries have had plenty frosty days to initiate fruit buds, so I have erected a low polythene tunnel over a row of the early variety Mae. I hope this will give me my first ripe berries at the end of May or early June depending on our local weather. Picked my first strawberries last year on 30^th May, but it was a great year.

Wee jobs to do this week

Seed potatoes for planting in March are now in boxes in a light but cool room to let the shoots chit.

Potatoes and onions are still fine in store while kept cool, but I keep pumpkins a wee bit warmer. Winter cropping vegetables outdoors such as cabbage, swedes, leeks, kale, Brussels sprouts and parsnip should still be fine for using as required.

Beetroot left outdoors has now been lifted for use and was perfect even after a few frosts.

Rocket sown in autumn continues to provide plenty fresh leaves for salads, and flower spikes have been cut off as they appear to encourage growth.

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