Medwyn Williams is making starting preparations on his celery bed a priority
It's my priority to start preparing the area as soon as the weather gives me a dry spell!
The weather has been so abysmal this year that it has been almost impossible to do any work outdoors and certainly any work involving digging or cultivating the soil. So my priority now, as soon as I get a dry spell, is to start preparing some of the growing beds, with the first one being the raised concrete block bed where I grow my celery.
I always empty out this bed at the end of the season every year and wheelbarrow it inside the polytunnel where it’s piled up in a corner. This is brilliant soil as it had layers of manure incorporated into it last year and makes wonderful material to use in my various potting mixtures.
The first thing I do is really turn over the bottom of the bed, then add fresh topsoil from another area of the plot. I'm lucky I can get some farm manure and this will be forked on top of the soil in a couple of layers and well worked in. If you can’t get hold of any manure then use some well composted material or any old growing bags with spent peat that you have left over from last season.
Between every layer I'll scatter a small handful of Nutrimate to the square yard, which in itself is hugely beneficial as it contains humic and fulvic acid. Both of these acids are essential for healthy plant growth. They help to increase the nutrient uptake and can condition soil for a more efficient use of fertilisers. Nutrimate also helps to establish healthier roots, increase yield and is beneficial for overall better development.
The main reason for incorporating plenty of organic matter is that celery, in its natural habitat in the wild, can be found in boggy areas so you want the bed to be fairly moisture retaining. After I've filled the bed I'll scatter some garden lime on the surface to sweeten it up a little, this will be washed down in plenty of time before I actually plant up during mid to late May.
■ Why not follow me on Twitter throughout the season as I grow vegetables for my display at Malvern – @medwynsofangles.