Some activities are described in more detail on our blogs - links below
1-8 April
The apricot tree may have set a handful of fruity either due to the efforts of early pollinators or my attempts at hand pollination. Now it will be a tense wait to see whether the fruit will develop. Other fruit trees are still either at the blossom or pre-blossom stage. The plums and gages on the plot have surprised us most by being loaded with blossom. They have always been biennial fruiters in the past and this year were due to have a rest.
Small fruits are developing seeming out if nowhere on the fig which lives in our garden greenhouse.
Seed sowing has started in earnest - the more tender plants being raised under the grow lights indoors and the hardier specimens in the garden greenhouse. The seeds sown are listed here
The indoor cyclamen seeds that were sown at the end of February are now germinating.
Last year I ordered a collection of erysimum or perennial wallflower which arrived and have been potted up until I want to plant them out in the garden.
Also in the greenhouse the dahlia tubers and Himrod grapevine are beginning to produce shoots.
9 - 12 April
An improvement in the weather means we managed to get quite a lot done in this period.
We are continuing to prepare the plot for the new growing season which in the main involves taking up the weed control fabric, giving the soil a gentle tilling and fertilising before laying the fabric with holes appropriate to the plants being grown in each bed. The weed control fabric has cut down on so much work that we are able to tidy up areas that in the past have been neglected,
Some of the autumn and the newly planted summer raspberries have been tidied and given a dressing of fertiliser.
We have also made a start at planting the summer onions and shallots. More here on my blog
We are also trying growing potatoes under weed control fabric for the first time and have made a start with planting - read more here.
Seed sowing is continuing - a full list is here. The tomato seeds indoors under the growing light have already germinated.
13 - 19 April
The fruit blossom has certainly been spectacular this year with all the trees and bushes in the plot and in the garden producing masses on flowers. Whether this will result in masses of fruit is anyone’s guess at the moment but at least we know there is a chance of a good harvest. On the plot the apples and the quince are the last of the fruit trees to flower. The quince has lots of buds and the apple blossom is beginning to open with a marked difference in that exposed to full sun and the blossom in the shade..
The garlic and autumn planted onions are growing quickly now. Unfortunately the garlic had the misfortune to be flattened when a fence panel blew onto the bed but I am pleased to sat that it was battered but not beaten and is on the mend.
Planting is now well underway. The onions that were grown on in modules are now planted with the reamining sets used up by close planting to produce some small pickling onions.
More potatoes have been planted but this time we haven’t used weed control fabric - we don;t want to put all our eggs in one basket until we see how this works.
Tender seeds are being raised under our grow lights and being moved into the cold greenhouse once pricked out. There is fleece on hand to offer some protection as temperatures are dropping considerably on a night.
20 - 30 April
We have been busy sowing lots of seeds - the full list is here. As well as continuing to sow vegetables we have started sowing annual flowers. A few seeds have been sown in small pots and will hopefully when planted out form a clump.
On the plot the carrots and parsnips have been sown using our tried and tested method. It’s worked for us so far so let’s hope this year it doesn’t let us down. The enviromesh tent has been constructed over the carrots. For explanations of our carrot and parsnip growing methods see here for carrots and here for parsnips
Lots more potatoes have been planted - some through weed control fabric and some not. We want to hedge our bets.
Young cabbage and calabrese have also been planted out and covered with butterfly net as double protection from pigeons and white butterflies both which will devastate brassica plants given half a chance.
The first lots of broad beans have also been planted out
The first lot of potatoes and the spare onions sets that were close planted are now pushing through the soil
Fruit trees and bushes are at various stages. The pears, plums, greengages and cherries has set immature fruits. The apples and quince are in full flower and looking beautiful. The strawberries and tayberry are starting to produce their first flowers. In the case of the strawberry the cold night temperatures have caused some flower centres to blacken so no fruits will develop from affected flowers. The female kiwi us starting to produce flower buds but as usual no signs of flowers on the male!
In the garden the apricot is managing to hold on to a small handful of fruits which are swelling but on a more disappointing note the bordeaux mix treatment didn’t work and the peach and nectarine have developed peach leaf curl.
Last year I bought a collection of phlox and another of dianthus which have overwintered in the cold frame and these were planted in the garden so I look forward to seeing a good display if not this tear then next.
