Readers’ gardens
We’ve had a spell of dry weather – no rain for nearly two weeks and it’s been quite warm. Watering all my plants takes a while every morning!
I’m still busy in the greenhouses but I’ve been doing planting on the allotment. First up was shallots – they’ve been growing in pots since last December. Then onion sets, which were planted in pots in early March and growing well. Next were the potatoes. I put lawn mowings in the bottom of the trenches, which helps to prevent scab. Apart from those in the beds, I also grow some in large buckets and potato bags, some of which are on the allotment and some are at home. Fish, blood and bone was raked into the onion and potato beds a week or so before planting. Rhubarb is doing well and we’ve been picking it since mid-April. However, this is the only crop we have for harvesting at present. Overwintered crops of onions, cabbages and broccoli didn’t grow well at all, which is unusual. I’ve sown carrots in tubes made from builder’s damp proof material at home and some in large buckets in boreholes in large drums on the allotment. I also have parsnips growing in tubes at home. Cabbages, cauliflowers and sprouts are growing in small pots and I’ll pot them on into larger ones before planting. This helps to prevent clubroot, because the roots have more compost to occupy before they reach the soil. In the greenhouse I’ve sown all the tender veg that can’t be planted out until the danger of frost has passed. These are runner beans, French beans (dwarf and climbing), marrows, courgettes, squashes and sweet corn. Tomatoes have been potted on into bigger pots and will soon be ready for their final pots. Leeks are hardening off in cold frames, along with chrysanths. Rooted dahlias are potted up and will be going into the frames soon, too.
I’ve been busy pricking out bedding plants and annuals that I grow for cutting. These will also be going into the frames to harden off. I’ve taken a lot of cuttings from overwintered basket plants and also got some from my local garden centre and taken cuttings from them, too.
Containers are very colourful but soon they’ll be replanted with summer plants. I’ve a lot of plants grown from plugs, many of which will be going into these containers.