Your GARDENING FORTNIGHT
Lucy explains how to make the most of the next few weeks
Are you gazing at a vast pile of seed packets, eagerly waiting to rip them open and get your 2024 veg growing season off to a flying start? Me, too!
As tempting as it is to sow in earnest now, some cold-sensitive crops will fare better if left in their packets until April, or even May. However, many aren’t so delicate so here’s the green light to start them off, now.
Here’s what can be sown now
I sow celeriac and parsley, in mid February (celery, too). These slow-to-grow crops appreciate a long season. Beetroot, annual spinach, ‘Little Gem’ and ‘Tom Thumb’ lettuces, turnips, American land cress, mustard, kohl rabi, Texsel greens and mizuna are all hardy edibles that I start off now, in modules. These can then be planted under tunnel cloches or glass frames in a sheltered spot, for early crops. You can also start off a tub of baby carrots (‘Amsterdam Forcing 3’ is perfect for this). Just ensure the pot is at least 30cm deep. If you fancy sowing an early batch of radishes, the trays can be far shallower (8-10cm).
Hardy herbs like dill, chives, sage and thyme, coriander, rocket and mint can be sown, and if you didn’t sow broad beans in autumn, look to start quick-to-crop varieties like ‘De Monica’ and ‘The Sutton’ in deep pots or root trainers. Onions and shallots both perform brilliantly from February sowings – sow two or three seeds per module (you can thin out the onions for large bulbs, or leave them multisown for smaller ones).
Sow chilli peppers now (even earlier if you read my piece in the Jan 06 issue) because many take ages to bulk up – but give them the protection of a heated propagator, plus you must have an appropriately warm area to grow them on until conditions warm up outside. Only sow tomatoes now if you plan to crop them under glass (keep outdoor crops in their packets until mid March). Hopefully that’s enough to quench your propagation thirst!
Warm the soil for early sowings
Starting crops off early on the plot is one of the more exciting jobs – knowing that you’ll be tucking into the delicious tender leaves of spring greens and annual spinach, alongside baby turnips, beetroot and carrots, is great motivation for donning your hat, gloves and boots, and braving the chilly weather.
For early crops let nature help you by choosing a sheltered, sunny corner of your plot. Check over the soil to remove weeds, then cover it with black polythene. On top of this, place glass or polycarbonate tunnel cloches.
Get ready to remove the polythene, then plant transplants or sow drills of your favourite crops in 3-4 weeks time.
Force rhubarb
Once you own a mature, vigorous clump of rhubarb you’ll soon make
