MY WEEK 14 : ( APRIL 3RD )

Hi all, another week goes by so quickly. The weather here has been a bit better, however the wind has been cold and the direct sown crops are taking there time to germinate as a result.

This week I have prepared the ground ready for my Brassicas, as you can see i've marked out the paths using a roller, the soil where I will plant the Brassicas I have left uncompacted at this stage and added lime to sweeten the soil and increase the ph level to suit the Brassicas, because I haven't compacted the soil, the lime will get washed into the soil by any rain that we have, in about a months time I will rake in Growmore fertiliser and then compact the soil with the roller as Brassicas prefer a nice firm ground to grow in.

This week I planted my Gladioli, I used a trowel to dig the planting holes 6" deep, I find that if you use a dibber you compact the soil at the bottom of the hole which results in poor drainage and can lead to the bulb rotting, also to help prevent this I add a bit of Horticultural Grit to the bottom of the planting hole to give it a sharp drainage. I space the Gladioli about 6"- 8" apart and at a later date will erect a support frame for them to grow in, hopefuly straight.


This week I potted on my Chrysanthemum cuttings into single pots and they have put on about 1" or more of growth, when they are about 8"-10" tall in about a months time I will then pinch out the top 2" of growth to encourage them to produce more sprays, before finally planting them out at the beginning of June when hopefuly the danger of frost has passed.


This week I have sown on the plot some Early Carrots ( Market Horn ), Turnips ( Purple Top Milan ) and Spinach Beet ( Perpetual Spinach ). At home I have sown Brussel Sprouts ( Bedford Fill a Basket ) and also some Rocket which is a nice addition to salad.
The Fennel, Kohl Rabi, Butternut Squash and Webbs Lettuce that were sown last week have germinated also the Celery which was sown 2 weeks ago.

Next week will be a busy one in the greenhouses as there are quite a few crops and flowers ready for pricking out and potting on, I will obviously update you in next weeks update, until then have a good week on your plots and gardens, speak to you all again next week, thanks Steve.