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VEGETABLE GROWING

SOME VEGETABLE GROWING TIPS

·         Plan your allotment in different areas so that you can grow different crops in each area each year – rotating your crops to prevent disease

·         If you are planning to plant potatoes buy them now and start them ‘chitting’ in a box

·         1^st or 2^nd early potatoes will be ready earlier but may not give such a heavy crop.  However they are less likely to get the disease blight which can attack the main crop plants in a wet summer

·         Also buy onion and shallot sets as they are available now.  Store in a cool dry place until ready to plant

·         A good idea is to buy seeds / potatoes / plants resistant to common disease / pests e.g. carrot seeds resistant to carrot fly – the fly burrows into your carrots

·         Leeks come in a range of varieties – some of which are ready earlier in autumn and some stand through bad winters, others do not.  I previously had a problem with rust – orange dust on the leaves – with leeks, but now grow the variety ‘Malabar’ – no more rust and they are still good to eat after this long hard winter.

·         Start some seeds e.g. lettuce, beetroot, swiss chard (similar plant to spinach), in March / April in a warm place in the house thinly and shallowly sown in small trays of compost covered with a piece of glass / plastic.  Then when they have germinated move them to a bright window ledge.  Turn plants regularly as they grow to the light.  Once two sets of leaves have formed, ease out each plant with a fork and plant in small pots / plastic cups with holes pierced in the bottom.  Bring on plants until strong enough to go outside during the day to harden off (bring them inside or cover at night) and then eventually leave them out 24hrs (once risk of frost passed) for a week or so before planting in soil.

·          When reading planting times etc in gardening books remember we are quite far north and the soil is not warm enough until up to a month later than the south of England

·         Water all small plants well before planting out in the soil and then regularly until established

·          Beetroot and chard (plant similar to spinach) grow really well in this geographical area

·         Crops like courgettes, tomatoes, need to be started in warmth e.g. in house or covered

·         Runner beans do really well if seeds are planted / plants are brought on in the house/greenhouse first and dig compost if you have it in the ground where they will be planted out

·         Runner Beans – choose a stringless variety

·         Crops like courgettes, tomatoes benefit from being protected all summer – e.g. plastic cold frame

·         Tomatoes can be grown as small bush plants in pots or with protection in the earth, as well as the tall tomatoes grown in a greenhouse

·         Brassicas – cabbage plants – need firmly planted and also get attacked by the cabbage white butterfly resulting in caterpillars eating the leaves.  Prevent this with a fine net cover.

            Susan E. Jenkins

            Stonehaven Allotment Association      March 2011