We’re in a spell of what can only be described as perpetual gloom. The cloud level does vary throughout the day from light clouds almost letting sunshine through to heavy clouds with light misty rain. The forecast suggests we might have another week of this to come. After a mild February, March hasn’t got off to a very warm start. It’s good to tell that it’s the start of our gardening season.
Despite the poor weather we’ve still got out and about with Ruby at Nostell Priory, Rothwell Park and Temple Newsam but it’s been a challenge to find the least muddy route.
I’ve made a start sowing a few early seeds, although the conditions are not ideal. I used to buy in some early brassica plants but these became very expensive so I now sow some seeds instead. Last year they were sown around this time and weren’t much behind the cropping date of the bought in varieties.
Last year we began harvesting calabrese at the beginning of June and our first cabbages towards the end of June.
I’ve sown 6 seeds of 6 different brassicas, 3 cabbages, 2 cauliflowers and Calabrese. The cabbages are Attraction, Cabbice and Caraflex. The two varieties of cauliflower are Boris and Clapton and the calabrese goes by the strange name of F.1.EOS.
The seeds have been placed under our indoor grow light to germinate. Hopefully by the time they have germinated, and grown on a little bit inside, the weather will have improved sufficiently for them to be transferred to our cold greenhouse. As you can see from the table above our first sowings of onions Red Baron and Zebrune shallots have been moved from the nice warm environment of the house to the cold greenhouse.
I think they might need transplanting into more roomy containers before they’re planted out in the allotment. For that to happen we need a big change in the weather to warmer, brighter, drier and sunnier conditions.
