We’ve had good gardening weather again this week – and I think we all really need it! There’s so much to do in the garden at this time of year, and because bad weather has delayed us, there’s a lot of catching up to do.
Here at Normanby we’ve finished digging over the big vegetable beds. They’ll now be left to dry out for a few days before they’re rotavated prior to planting; this breaks the soil down to a nice crumbly texture (or fine tilth) which is ideal for planting and sowing. The first plot to be planted up is the onion, pea and bean bed. The broad beans and peas are growing on nicely after being sown in modules in a frost-free greenhouse, and the garlic and shallots have been planted in modules.
We find this way of starting off most vegetables indoors really gives us a start on cold, wet weather in spring, and makes for more reliable seed germination. Sown outdoors, pea and bean seed in particular is vulnerable to theft by mice or birds, and rotting off in the ground when weather conditions are poor. Because garlic, shallots and onion sets have papery tops, they tend to get pulled out of the ground by birds looking for nesting material. By planting them in modules, they not only develop green shoots quickly, but they have a good root system too.
We grow our onions from seed rather than sets, because they’re all historic varieties, and only modern kinds are available as sets. The seed is sown in pots or trays, then each plant is pricked out into a tray of modules until it’s large enough for planting out. All our plants are hardened off, that is gradually accustomed to cooler conditions by putting them into a cold frame outdoors, before planting out. Many gardeners don’t bother with this step, but it is quite important because plants moving straight from a greenhouse to the garden can suffer a shock to the system, which can set back their growth by a week or two.
If you want to join the thousands of people who are beginning to grow their own vegetables for the first time, start to plan now. Start with a small area to begin with – you can always extend it if you get the ‘grow your own’ bug, and choose crops that are easy to grow. These include potatoes, onions, runner beans, broad beans, mange tout peas and lettuce. Potatoes can be planted out at the end of the month, and onion sets as soon as the ground is dry enough. Lettuce seed can be sown on a windowsill now, but leave runner beans until mid-April before sowing them in modules. An even easier way to do it is to buy vegetable plants from your local garden centre – many more are offering vegetable plants alongside bedding now. We should have surplus plants for sale here at Normanby too in a few weeks time, which will give you the chance to try some of the older varieties.
Elsewhere in the garden, it’s easy to see the effect of warmth and sunshine. In the glasshouses, lots of plants are coming into flower; the heady perfume of the climbing jasmine and the purple heliotrope fills the display house. One plant, which we grew from seed a couple of years ago is in flower for the first time too. A double-flowered, pure white variety of Datura, or Brugmansia, sometimes known as Angel’s Trumpets, has taken its time to flower, but the effect is well worth while; our other daturas, a variety called ‘Grand Marnier’, have been in flower all winter and look fantastic. Let’s hope the new one follows suit.