What to do now - April
It's that time of year...
The days will certainly be getting longer, offering a bit more time to tend our plots. It’s time to prepare our seed beds for the coming year and grow seedlings under cover. In April there’s not much to harvest and the focus is on growing seedlings and digging/weeding beds; applying organic matter (compost/manure) and apply fertilisers and/or plant feed.
the first seedlings start to appear and established plants will need feeding and watering. Seeds need to be sewn, and young seedlings will need potting on and, finally, planting out. But be wary of frosts, pests, weeds and forthcoming plot inspections.
It’s a good time to think about how to prepare beds so that they can retain moisture and require less frequent watering throughout the coming summer months.
There is also a chance to erecting climbing frames while the ground is still soft. Or preparing cloches and cold frames to extend the growing season and grow more exotic crops. It’s also time to re-establish borders and undertake regular mowing – the grass clippings provide valuable nitrogen to revitalise our compost heaps.
Late spring is the time to make successive outdoor sowings of peas, chard, root crops and salad crops – they won’t all be successful but at least some will get a chance to grow when the soil is not too cold/wet/dry and there are fewer pests.
There are some important dates on the horizon with work parties at both sites on Saturday 18th April and the LAA’s Annual General Metting on Wednesday 22nd April.
Finally, the allotment shop at the Digswell site has re-opened between 09:30 and 12:30 for one Saturday each month until October – the place to stock up on canes, compost, fertilisers, grow-bags, slug pellets, and other essentials..
For meal ideas for the time of year see our Seasonal Recipes.
Allotment tasks
Sow Now
Outdoors - second earlies and maincrop potatoes, carrots, beetroot, parsnips, squashes, French & runner beans, sweetcorn.
Under cover - tomatoes, aubergine and other fruiting veg.
Seasonal Recipes
Longcroft Allotment Association's Seasonal Recipes web page
Jobs
Erect pea-sticks and bean supports, prune cherry and plum trees. Keep an eye on pests – slugs/snails, aphids
Harvest
Rhubarb, spinach and chard, spring cabbages, asparagus
Crops to Fill the ‘Hungry Gap’ (January – May)
Parsnips, Brussels sprouts, Kale, Chard, Leeks, Cauliflower and Winter Cabbage – harvest from January.
Rhubarb – harvest forced rhubarb from January, outdoor crops from March.
Purple Sprouting Broccoli – harvest from March to May.
Spring Greens, Salad Leaves, Spring Onions – harvest from March.
New potatoes, Radishes – harvest from April.
Asparagus – harvest From end April.
Leaf Salad Crops
Salad crops develop quickly, and there are a wide variety – sorrel, lettuce, endive, kale, radicchio and mustard leaves - to suit various conditions.
They can be grown in seed drills, broadcast over an area of ground or grown in containers. Either way, they offer a fresh and tasty alternative to bags of supermarket salads.
As salad crops can outgrow weeds, watering and pests are the main concerns for salad growers. Watering every two days may be necessary during long dry spells if salad crops are grown in compost rich beds (daily watering may be necessary if they are grown in small pots).
Slugs are the main pest, and can be treated with pellets, nematodes, or regular picking off. Ants and aphids can also be a problem – ants can be kept in check if the surrounding soil is kept moist. Aphids can be squashed by hand if they are not tackled by ladybirds or beetles.
Regular collect leaves when they are ready to harvest. If leaves start to sag after harvesting they can be recovered by soaking in cold water.
Protect Winter Brassicas
A well planned plot will have some well-developed brassicas as we head towards winter: various types of kale, cabbage, sprouts and broccoli. Give them a helping hand by:
- Fitting mesh or netting to protect them from pigeons
- Stake out taller Brussels sprouts and broccoli plants
- Remove any yellow leaves to discourage white fly and improve air circulation
- Apply soft soap solutions to help protect against pests the following spring
Chitting Potatoes
February is time to prepare seed potatoes for planting by ‘chitting’ them – storing them in such a way that they start to sprout before being planted in the ground.
The potatoes should be spread out over a single layer in a cool, dry place which is free from the risk of frost. Large, unused egg boxes are ideal for this, allowing air circulation between each seed potato.
Ideally the storage area should be bright but the seed potatoes should be out of direct sunlight. After a few days the potatoes will then grow short stubby shoots which will help the potato plants to grow when they are planted out to get them off to a fast start when planted out. St Patrick’s Day is the traditional day of the year to plant potatoes.
There is some evidence that you can grow larger potatoes by breaking off the weaker shoots just before planting, leaving only the three or four stronger shoots to grow.