Fork It – Down at the Veg Patch
Having been a keen gardener for many years now, I can honestly say that it’s a wonderful but frustrating past-time!
Gardening is about planning ahead, sometimes you reap the rewards quickly (annuals flower within weeks of planting) or in years (Asparagus beds take a few years to give good crops). The thing to remember is that it’s not an exact science; you’re at the mercy of so many variables – mainly due to the weather. This dictates everything from the rate of germination, to plant growth, flowering and ripening.
So, if you’re growing your own this year, here’s some advice……..
- Once the ground has thawed and is reasonably dry, mark the shape of your veg patch with sand trickled from an old plastic bottle. Remove the top layer of growing vegetation and dig the ground over, incorporating as much organic matter as possible. If you are making a bed in the lawn, remove the turf and stack it upside down somewhere out of the way – after a year or two it will rot down into fantastic compost.
- Start off with a small veg patch this year; if you find you enjoy growing your own and have some success, you can always make it bigger next year – assuming you have the space.
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Jobs for the Month of February |
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Sow Broad beans Early peas Lettuce, rocket and radishes Summer cabbages, turnips and spinach Seed onions Aubergine and peppers |
Plant Out Jerusalem artichokes Shallots |
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Harvest Leeks Parsnips Swede Turnips Perpetual spinach and chard Purple sprouting broccoli and kale Brussels sprous Salsify and scorzonera Chicory and endive Celeriac, celery and Jerusalem artichokes
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Seasonal Recipe Here’s a recipe for Parmesan Parsnips. A great accompaniment to the Sunday Roast. Takes approximately an hour, you’ll need parsnips, oil, butter and Parmesan cheese.
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Fruit Finish pruning currants (black, red and white), and gooseberries. Force rhubarb.
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Readers Tips
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General Prepare vegetable seed beds, and sow some vegetables under cover (see above) Chit potato tubers Net fruit and vegetable crops to keep the birds off Prune winter-flowering shrubs that have finished flowering Divide bulbs such as snowdrops, and plant those that need planting ‘in the green’ Prune Wisteria Prune hardy evergreen hedges and renovate overgrown deciduous hedges Prune conservatory climbers Cut back deciduous grasses left uncut over the winter |
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