Ready, steady… GROW but don’t to prep forget
Get soil and timing right and you’re on track for a bountiful harvest
IT IS time to get ready for vegetable and fruit growing. Success in home-grownn produce is dependent on the management of the soil and the management of the growing season. If things are done too late, the season can never be caught up properly. So it is important to anticipate what needs to be done and to do it in good time.
Pruning of apple and pear trees is essential to keep them to a manageable size and this needs to be completed before the end of February or earlier.
Dig over the ground for vegetables in good weather or break it up with a hired rotavator if the area is large.
Weeds on vegetable ground must be controlled. This can be done by hoeing and digging in, or covering with old carpet or cardboard.
Test the soil pH every few years to see if it needs a dressing of garden lime — most vegetables like a slightly alkaline pH while fruit prefers slightly acidic soil.
Keep out hungry pigeons by covering all members of the cabbage family with netting to prevent damage. Bullfinch damage to the fruit buds of apple and cherry trees, as well as blackcurrant bushes is on the increase each year and these fruit trees might need to be netted.
Sow summer cauliflowers and cabbage under protection of a greenhouse or cold frame to give the plants an early start.
Asparagus benefits from a good dressing of old manure or garden compost to maintain vigour and increase the yield of shoots.
Herbs that are coming into growth can be tidied up now, removing old shoots and any weeds that have appeared.
Sow first-early peas and broad beans in light open soil outdoors, or under a low cloche to give them a good start.
In milder coastal areas, early varieties of seed potatoes can be set out to sprout in a warm, bright place, planting in February if soil conditions allow.
Rhubarb and sea kale can be forced before growth begins by covering with pots, straw or black polythene.
Raised beds tend to sink after a few years and might need to be topped up with compost or well-rotted manure. They also need relatively more watering.