Pages

Saturday 6 February 2010

Initial plot and planting

Lured out by the sun I marked out the Square Foot Garden (SFG) on a bit of allotment I had dug over in the autumn. I reused some old door frame, chopped into sticks, and a length of redundant clothes line (reusing things to ensure sustainability of resources).


I’ve avoided a wooden frame as I find that these get wet, remain damp in dry times and provide a lovely home for slugs and snails!

Then the sun really went to my head and, maybe foolishly, I planted 3 broad bean plants that were getting too big for their pots (roots about 8 inches/ 20cm long and out of the bottom of the pot) and have left room for a few broad bean seeds in case the plants are frosted beyond recovery.


As the ground is still quite cold I‘ve covered the rest with a bit of black sheeting which will help the soil to warm and discourage the weeds from germinating. (Black dustbin liners or similar will do). I’ve held this down with wood etc. to avoid it being blown away by the wind.


When the seeds arrive I may well plant a few French beans, some rocket and lettuce in pots on a window sill, ready for transplanting when it’s a bit warmer (broad beans are hardier).

Don’t worry if you can’t start yet, there’s plenty of time and you may well miss another cold spell.