GARDENING WITH THE EXPERTS
The world's finest share their tips for success
Now’s the time for planting them out in final spots, whether that’s in pots or in the ground
John Peace (earlies)
May is a good time to plant out, once the frosts have gone. I plant 40cm between plants and 40cm between rows. I prefer the freedom for the roots in the open ground, but you can plant out in pots too.
Before planting out, I stopped (pinched out the centre) of the plants during April. I do this so I can get my timings right for flowering and to let two breaks come on one plant.
In the first part of April, I stopped the incurves and intermediates; varieties such as ‘Joyce Frieda’ and ‘Billy Bell’. Then, in the middle of April, I stopped ‘Millennium’ and ‘Rita Fox’. The reflexes were stopped plants for planting out from the beginning of May onwards.
These stopping times, for me, are to ensure the bloom is ready for the national show, around the middle of September.
The other thing I do before planting out is a soil test. This is to check that you haven’t got a build-up of fertiliser in your soil. You may need to adjust the pH of the soil too. I like mine around 7. If the test results show that your NPK (nitrogen, phosphates, potassium) is low, you’ll need to apply a good balanced fertiliser, such as Vitax Q4. This should be added to the soil as recommended on the tub.
Ivor Mace (lates)
I ‘ll be doing my final potting from midMay to early June. Before starting, I like to spray the plants with a good systemic insecticide while they are close together in the cold frames. If it rains, I can pop the tops back on the frames. The idea is to h
