GROW FASTER CROPS
Hungry for harvests? Here’s how to get ahead
MARCH BRINGS WITH IT the sensation that we’re limbering up for the start of a race. The desire to sow is never stronger and we’re counting down the days to our first carrots, crisp salads or teeny potatoes. Either wait for the days to turn mild and the soil to warm, or organise yourself for a little crafty queue jumping. There’s no point in sowing into cold soil, but there are a number of ways to cheat the season: 1 Warm your soil using cloches and clear plastic sheeting. This will create a cosy spot for planting out. 2 Sow crops into modules so they’ll transplant happily. Grow them under cover in a cold frame or greenhouse and you’ll have sturdy seedlings ready to go out in a month. If you don’t have a greenhouse and intend to sow direct, find a south-facing bed that’s sheltered from cold winds. Cover the ground with cloches or minitunnels and you’ll start to warm the soil as well as keep off rain; wet soil is cold soil. 3 Use raised beds and improve the soil in it. Clay takes longer to warm up than free-draining loam, but using raised beds and improving soil within it, digging in well-rotted organic matter and grit, all help to speed up the drainage and warming of heavier ground. 4 Keep seedlings nice and warm under the cloches. Remember to ventilate them on sunny days or cover with a layer of fleece to keep them protected from cold winds. 5 Choose hardy crops that are swift to grow from March. See our panel of fast crops, right.