Over the FENCE
Rhubarb’s ready to harvest now
I’ve done a lot of weeding in the garden and on the allotment. On the plot, the beds are ready for planting and I’ve planted potatoes and shallots. The rhubarb is growing very well but it’s the only crop that’s ready for harvesting now. The winter onions are growing but won’t be ready for a month.
Onion sets are growing in pots at home and I also have cabbage, caulis and sprouts growing in pots and lettuce in cell trays. All these will be planted out in the next few weeks. The tender veg is sown, including runner beans, French beans, marrows, courgettes and sweetcorn.
These, of course, can’t be planted out until late May when there’s no risk of frost. The tomatoes are growing well and ready for planting into 10cm (4in) pots. About 30 plants will ll be planted in the polytunnel at our local primary school, where I help to run the garden club for the children. The chrysanths are already in the cold frames. Before I put them in, I potted all those that needed it into 12½cm (5in) pots. They’ll be planted out next month. The same will happen to the dahlias. These are still in the greenhouse in 3½in (9cm) pots.
I’ve been busy pricking out annuals into other boxes. My wife, Rosemary, helps me with this. These will go into the frames next month to be hardened off for planting in June. Plug plants have been arriving by post for my hanging
baskets and other containers. I usually transfer these to cell trays to grow on. I’ve bought some basket plants such as surfinias and calibrachoas from my local garden centre and taken a lot of cuttings from them as I have a lot of baskets to plant next month. At home, the tubs in the garden are at their best with daffs, tulips, polyanthus, pansies and bellis.