Creation of a garden: March – Spring planting and late harvest
AT last, the warmer weather has arrived, and I can get on with some real gardening work.
I started by clearing out the last of the leeks, and as you can see in the picture, they cropped very well.
We had been eating them since early December, but I didn’t want them to become ‘woody’ so I thought it best to dig them up, and my good lady will freeze them for eating later.
The potatoes in the picture were planted in late October, in time for Christmas, but again there was some left, so I dug them up.
The lettuce is still growing, but I thought it worth showing. There is nothing like crisp fresh lettuce in a nice salad, on a winter’s day! Well, that’s what my wife insists.
On to planting, I have sown potatoes, Onions (my current crop of onions will be ready for lifting in May, so this new planting should follow in late autumn) and Strawberries.
The potatoes, a variety of reds, have been in a couple of weeks, and despite the frost should be ok. They are deep enough in the soil.
The onions, were planted last week; I went to my regular supplier to buy some white seed potatoes, but they hadn’t arrived.
However, he did have lots of onions, and I spied some strawberries, which I had been looking for, for a while.
I had prepared the strawberry a bed last month when I spread some well-rotted manure and dug it in, and
my back still aches at the thought of it!
The previous strawberry bed, was totally lacking in any nutrient, which is no doubt why the last lot died!
So, I have high hopes for this year. I have set out 28 new plants, so let’s wait and see how they harvest later in the year. I will keep you posted.
Next Time – More planting.
If you would like to send Derek a question about his garden or gardening in general, please contact him via his email and we will publish his answers in the paper.
Derek can be found at derek.lindley@ymail.com