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Friday 8 April 2011

Seedlings, planning and planting

March passed in a whirl. The leeks fattened a bit and some came to the open meeting.  Now the seedlings are growing and becoming big enough to plant out in the warm weather.
However, before planting there needs to be a plan for spring and summer. I’ve taken the plan from January 2010 and added the summer, winter 2010 and spring 2011 to show a rotation. No strict rotation, just trying not to grow the same family of vegetables in the same place for at least a year.
In the photo above there are mixed salad leaves (free from the National Trust last summer) in the foreground. Then mid right are some celery seedlings. Back left in red pots are sugar snap peas with red broad beans (Thanks June) beside them. Right at the back, hardly showing yet, are leeks in two green trays.
For information all these seeds were planted in Horizon Peat free Organic compost.  This has the ‘Which?’, Best Peat Free Compost award.
Square foot garden plans: January 2010(top) to Spring 2011 (bottom)
    North                                                                                           East

Broad Beans 1/10
Rocket
Rocket

S Snap Peas  3/11


Onions
Runner Beans
Winter lettuce

Perpetual Rocket

 Lettuce
 Leeks
 Leeks

Celery

French Beans
Chard
Chard

Coriander


Beetroot
Beetroot
Broad Beans

Broad Beans

Radish
Lettuce
Garlic

Garlic


 Potato
Potato
Onion sets

Onions


Rocket
Rocket
Carrots

Carrots

Carrot
Carrot


Mixed leaves

   West                                                                                           South

So today I’ve planted mixed leaves in the southern corner.  Just to be safe I’ve given them mini-greenhouses and surrounded them with small gravel to deter the slugs. The broad beans are looking a bit nibbled so I might cover them. I’ll plant the peas and celery when they’ve grown a bit more and hardened off (and after I’ve harvested the last of the leeks). Below, the SFG as it was today after planting the salad.

Another Transition St Albans, Grow your Own Food Group venture started a few weeks ago.  Given that Green Drinks takes place at a pub with its own Micro Brewery, The Framer’s Boy, (to recognise the low ‘beer miles’) I thought it might be fun to try to grow some hops to add to a brew. The Brewer, Kevin, got really excited suggesting that when we harvested the flowers (may take two years) he would add them to a brew to give it a special ‘Transition’ flavour, and introduce the beer at a St Albans Beer Festival.
All we needed were some hop plants and a few folk with space to grow these rampant vines.  A chance comment to Amanda in the Education group resulted in her digging up some roots on her allotment which have now been planted on three other member’s allotments and at the Farmer’s Boy.
Mine have only been in a few weeks but they’ve already grown about a foot (300mm) as seen below in front of the folder.
Bye for now, lots to do in the garden!  Enjoy the warm weather, Peter.

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