Rewards in spades
Growing your own vegetables is a simple, but life-affirming, pleasure, writes David Overend.
Not so long ago, growing your own vegetables could earn you similar status as morris dancers. But it’s surprising what a difference a few years make. Now we’re once again becoming a nation of diggers – we are growing our own and enjoying the results.
So, if you haven’t yet taken up the spade, and you have a bit of land which would accommodate a row of potatoes or a bit of beet, perhaps it’s time.
Get out there, dig over the area, adding plenty of organic matter to any parts that are not going to grow root crops next year.
Continuously improving the structure of the soil will pay long-term dividends in better plant growth and improved drainage. It also encourages a larger, stronger root system which is able to use the extra water and nutrients held in the soil.
Parsnips taste much better after they have been subjected to a decent frost as the carbohydrates in the plants turn to sugar. Lifting some roots and leaving them on the soil surface is a good way to get them ready for the table.
Most people grow onions from sets planted out in March, but if you want a huge crop, sow seeds now. One packet can provide hundreds of new plants.
Sowing more types of seeds indoors – or at least under cover – may also be the only successful way to garden if early spring weather continues to be wet and windy.
You can improve the success rate by using cloches or protective fleece over rows.
Last year, many gardeners had to sow seeds several times before achieving adequate germination. The soggy soil encouraged seeds to rot and allowed slugs to attack any seedlings that did pop through.
So for 2022, sow more seeds in pots of compost and germinate them either indoors or in an unheated minigreenhouse.
For the seeds of root crops sown directly in the soil (such as carrots and parsnips), use cloches to increase the chances of success from the first sowing. Fit the cloches into place a few weeks before sowing time, so that the soil has time to warm up.
After sowing at the right depth and covering with fine soil, it should be plain sailing until it’s time to weed to reduce competition for wanted plants.