Plans for planting

[JamezF]

Planted out my peas for shoots today and covered them with fleece -- we're not forecast frost, but the wind is quite chilly. I really need to get my peas for pods out too. They're about 4" tall now and are supposed to reach eight to ten feet when fully grown. I deliberately chose a tall variety to try to maximise the crop from less space than is required for the dwarf varieties.

A friend also dropped by with a perennial kale plant -- Taunton Deane, which is most appropriate given where we live. I don't know how fast they grow, but it's only about a foot high or thereabouts at the moment. Just need to work out where to plant it now. I was very pleased to be offered it, as I've been thinking about getting one for a couple of years.

I also received notification that my asparagus plants have finally shipped so hopefully I shall be planting those later in the week.

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

I also received notification that my asparagus plants have finally shipped so hopefully I shall be planting those later in the week.

James

The first thing we did in the veggie patch was to dig an asparagus bed with industrial quantities of compost and grit to a depth of two feet; best thing we ever did

 

[Nannysbees]

I took the chance and started to plant out in the pots and flower beds, the young plants were outgrowing their pots and starting to yellow, I assume they were running out of nutrients
They had two chances although I was worried
that all the work I'd put in that they would die because of the cold. Seem to be thriving at the moment thankfully. Peas are up, they were planted straight into the ground, as are the lettuce and carrots. Runner beans up in the pots,majority for my dad.
Great to have perennial kale, how many asparagus plants have you ordered? Week that area be just for asparagus?

 

[JamezF]

how many asparagus plants have you ordered?

I bought thirty plants, ten each of three early/mid/late varieties, the intention being to extend the season for as long as possible. They'll be in a permanent bed just for them.

James

 

[Nannysbees]

I bought thirty plants, ten each of three early/mid/late varieties, the intention being to extend the season for as long as possible. They'll be in a permanent bed just for them.

James

How lovely will it be when you start harvesting!!

 

[Erichalfbee]

How lovely will it be when you start harvesting!!

And the bees love the pollen

 

[JamezF]

The asparagus crowns arrived on Wednesday, but I've had little opportunity to do anything with them until today. People kept asking me to do work! I mean, can you imagine?

Anyhow, they've been sitting in buckets of water for the last few days and today I decided that I needed to crack on with getting them in the ground, so I actually did some proper digging in the veggie plot for the first time in a couple of years. I've decided that not digging is way easier All done now though: a seven metre double row of plants, which means a quarter of my outdoor plot is already full of plants that have gone into the ground this year. It looked such a huge space a scant few months ago

I also happened to catch sight of a pair of moths in flagrante delicto in my greenhouse. The cheek of it! In a greenhouse of all places! Have they no shame? Possibly Cinnabars, though I'm not aware that there's much ragwort around here. Not Cabbage Loopers, anyhow. Cabbage Loopers ate huge amounts of my basil last year and would have found themselves concussed and relocated to the compost heap had I caught them apparently intent on a repeat performance.

James

 

[Nannysbees]

A lot of work planting, going to be worth it. Do they need feeding or do you leave them to it?

 

[JamezF]

I've not entirely decided how I'm going to manage them long term. For now I've spread some compost over the top of the bed (more of which in a moment). In the future I might cut down the stems at the end of the year when they've dried out and just leave them on the beds with more compost over the top, or I might shred the stems and add them to the compost bins. Either will probably work. It will probably depend on how much compost I have available at the time.

The compost I've added today isn't specifically to feed the plants. I knew I was going to be making a new bed in the plot late last summer when my wife suggested that she'd like some asparagus, so early in the winter I lay cardboard over the grass alongside my existing beds and put a thick layer of compost on top of that (easily 4" deep, perhaps a bit more). Over the winter months that has killed off most of the grass and weeds and there's absolutely no sign of the cardboard any more. There was just a bit of couch grass and a few dandelions that were still trying to come through. I've cleared whatever I could of those whilst I digging. As I needed to dig through the compost layer and into the soil underneath to plant the crowns at an appropriate depth, I may well have brought dormant weed seeds to the surface as well as exposing some of the couch grass to light. The new compost is therefore mostly there to create a "clean" surface that makes it easy to see any weeds that do come through and also to smother as many as possible of the seeds that do germinate. As I've effectively now dug in the original application of compost I'd guess that's mostly what will feed the plants initially, with the soil life slowly dragging down top dressings of compost to feed them in the future.

The top layer of compost also seems to help retain moisture in the soil during dry weather as unlike bare soil, when it dries out it doesn't draw up much moisture from the ground below (and it doesn't form a hard "crust" either).

James

 

[JamezF]

Oh, I also have a bit of a glow about the face this evening, so it looks like my farmer's tan should be coming on nicely

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

We bought three year old crowns and left them unharvested for the first year and took a small crop the second. We crop till mid June then let the ferns grow and flower. They go in the compost heap after being cut down when they have withered away in the autumn. Bees love the flowers and collect the most vivid orange pollen.
The bed gets a decent top dressing every spring. I do a lot of laborious hand weeding.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The bed gets a decent top dressing every spring. I do a lot of laborious hand weeding.

yes, sparrow grass do not like weeds at all

 

[Wilco]

Forecast looking good for growth- planting out today plus, depending on inspections, hoping for a 'super' week.

 

[drex]

Too late now, but you can never put too much muck in when making an asparagus bed. Like Dani, a good thick top dressing every year is a must and will compensate.

 

[Murox]

Yes it is improving

 

[rossbyjove]

Planted out my peas for shoots today and covered them with fleece -- we're not forecast frost, but the wind is quite chilly. I really need to get my peas for pods out too. They're about 4" tall now and are supposed to reach eight to ten feet when fully grown. I deliberately chose a tall variety to try to maximise the crop from less space than is required for the dwarf varieties.

A friend also dropped by with a perennial kale plant -- Taunton Deane, which is most appropriate given where we live. I don't know how fast they grow, but it's only about a foot high or thereabouts at the moment. Just need to work out where to plant it now. I was very pleased to be offered it, as I've been thinking about getting one for a couple of years.

I also received notification that my asparagus plants have finally shipped so hopefully I shall be planting those later in the week.

James

Net the kale and any brassicas.
Lost the lot to Cabbage whites last year. Never again!
Are the peas the Telephone variety?
They grow tall.
One of my Asparagus plants gives me seed ever year.
Green house has about 30 overwintered in pots.
Probably sell them.

 

[JamezF]

Net the kale and any brassicas.
Lost the lot to Cabbage whites last year. Never again!
Are the peas the Telephone variety?

Yes, I intend to net my brassicas this year. I bought a large amount of netting when it was on sale at the end of last summer. Two years ago I didn't have that many problems with caterpillars, I think because wasps were taking a lot of them. Last year however wasps had quite a tough time and the caterpillars were a real pain, so this year it's nets for the brassicas and I'll plant some sacrificial nasturitiums that they can have if they want.

I did look at the Telephone pea, but in the end went for Champion of England. I can't recall why I chose one over the other now. I'm sure either would have done the job.

James

 

[Nannysbees]

Forecast looking good for growth- planting out today plus, depending on inspections, hoping for a 'super' week.
View attachment 31301

Thank goodness I have shed loads to go into the ground!!

 

[JamezF]

Thank goodness I have shed loads to go into the ground!!

I've got a fair bit that needs planting out, too. Not just because it needs planting out, either. I'm also running out of space in the greenhouse for more plants.

Spent a fair bit of today putting a couple of trailer loads of my council green waste compost on the beds that I'd not managed to cover with my own before I ran out, which hopefully means I can get some planting out done tomorrow. I'm not quite done with the compost yet though -- the greenhouse and polytunnel need doing along with a few bits of the veggie beds that are still occupied by winter veg. We really are down to the scrag end of the kale and PSB now though, and I think there are a couple of swedes and a cabbage left (both planning to flower shortly by the looks of it).

I've also sown some basil, celery and leeks, all in module trays. Oh, and Romanesco cauliflowers, because as a family we are quite keen on our fractal vegetables.

James

 

[Nannysbees]

I've got a fair bit that needs planting out, too. Not just because it needs planting out, either. I'm also running out of space in the greenhouse for more plants.

Spent a fair bit of today putting a couple of trailer loads of my council green waste compost on the beds that I'd not managed to cover with my own before I ran out, which hopefully means I can get some planting out done tomorrow. I'm not quite done with the compost yet though -- the greenhouse and polytunnel need doing along with a few bits of the veggie beds that are still occupied by winter veg. We really are down to the scrag end of the kale and PSB now though, and I think there are a couple of swedes and a cabbage left (both planning to flower shortly by the looks of it).

I've also sown some basil, celery and leeks, all in module trays. Oh, and Romanesco cauliflowers, because as a family we are quite keen on our fractal vegetables.

James

Do you keep your basil in pots or in the ground. The compost we got from the council smelled of chemicals and was very woody , haven't bothered since but could do with a few loads