[Nigel Bolton]

A new year approaches, and for interested parties, thoughts about what to grow.

Likely to be more popular than ever this year due to financial pressures and rising prices.

A bit of mild and at times dry should allow those seed beds and borders to be prepared nicely in preparation for those veggies.

Hopefully too, will nurture my little lad into understanding the importance of growing and appreciating fruit and veg.

N.

[Dave K]

I am overwintering a chilli plant for the first time as an experiment, I normally grow them as annuals.

The 'fatalii' has been in a bedroom for about 6 weeks now, not much daylight at this time of year but temperature is reasonably consistent from 13 - 19 °C and after cutting back hard it just about fits on the windowsill to get what little low sunshine makes it over/around the house opposite. It's already producing healthy new branches and leaf growth, so I hope that this head start will mean it will be good and productive next year.

Next month it will be time get to some seed potatoes which should be available by the end of January, which can then be chitted in the garage.

[Nigel Bolton]

All my raised beds are ready for planting. Buried a great deal of leaf mould deep within during the late Autumn, and judging how the soil level has fallen during the winter, the worms are doing their bit. Might just shallow fork over them this afternoon to turn up some tit-bits for the birds, and to disturb the slugs.

Have not been able to extend the main veggie patch by much due to the ground being too wet.

After last years successes will opt for muc of the same, though with the necessary rotation. Might plant a few more courgettes this year. Some of the neighbours sold off surplus last year using the honesty box method, and might try the same myself this year.

N.

[Bazmundo]

Amid concerns over new shoots appearing in the previous mild weather and the prospect of extended snow cover, at least there's good news for fruit growers - the freeze should aid flowering tips come Spring:

http://www.mirror.co...15875-23734037/

Didn't know that the RHS had a LRF!

Quote

Guy Barter, RHS chief horticultural adviser, said: "Looking at the long-range forecast, it looks like we are now going to have the right conditions to help fruit-tree buds develop."We had been worried that the mild winter so far might cause problems to fruit development. Most hardy plants need a period of chilling during winter in order to encourage timely flowering.

"Evidence from previous years shows that without this cold effect crops may be reduced."

[Dave K]

The chilli plant I am overwintering thinks summer's arrived - it's producing some new flowers...

[Nigel Bolton]

Given the mild westerly run as offered by some of the models, will start to get some seeds off next week. Will hopefully get some tommys on their way along with some spinach.

Have at last expanded the main veg bed, though will need another dig and a liming to get the soil to peak perfection. Will lay to brassicas this summer, just hope I will have time to create some net cages to ward off the pigeons.

N.

[Dave K]

Some of my chitting seed potatoes were damaged by the very hard frost last weekend and had to be chucked. My own fault as I should have moved them from the garage into the conservatory for a while knowing that would happen in advance. Not all were damaged, just the ones nearest to the window which is left slightly open for ventilation....lesson learned.

[Paul Domaille]

Mowed the lawns for the second time this year ! I can't remember mowing in January or February before, but took a good couple of inches off today just a month after the last mow.

[Halo]

Just filled my muck bins and covered my rhubarb bed with last years manure. One of them was just beginning to shoot. I've got a patch about half full of Savoy which I left ot overwinter and it seems that the broccoli has survived the cold snap. I even have a flower head on one. Also leeks, also overwintered, have been slowly growing as well. Still plenty to do.

[Nigel Bolton]

Chives are now coming up nicely.

N.

[John Mason]

Had a good day today, the expected rain being a little later in on the act. "Limed" the beds with 3 months worth of wood-ash (handful/sq foot roughly), giving P, K, Na and Ca, stamped another 10kg of charcoal and scattered it in the top, brown beds (the soil is naturally an acidic, stony loam). Raked it in in both cases. All is good-to-go!

Cheers - John

[Dave K]

Model output looking fairly encouraging for the next couple of weeks to have a chance of planting the seed potatoes in the containers outside. I am trying Red Duke of York and Belle de Fontenay this year for second earlies. Frost is alway a possibility here though into April so a degree of caution is necessary in case of another cold snap.

[John Mason]

Just waiting for the soil to warm up a little more. Browsing model output this morning suggests that next week should help with that and planting from mid-March onwards can go ahead as hoped.

I might try French beans again this year: I've been plagued by poor germination-rates but they are delicious!

Cheers - John

[Nigel Bolton]

Early carrots, salad onions and radishes are now in. Broad beans are going in this afternoon.

Have a great little helper. My son who is soon to be two, loves picking up stones and putting them into a bucket. Thus while forking over the beds, he will amuse himself for ages by collecting stones, a great way for keeping him outdoors, and for reducing the number of jobs for me to do by one.

N.

This post has been edited by Nigel Bolton: 10 March 2012 - 14:14

[Dave K]

Really nice day today and have been able to do a bit of preparatory work for the new season, getting all the containers out in the sun to warm up the soil a bit and adding some suitable fertiliser (organic of course!). I don't really have any "open" soil areas to use as beds though so not too much digging required. Tidying up in the garage is the worst chore, as I just tend to chuck everything there in early winter willy-nilly and forget about it until it's warmer and drier.

I'm hoping the prospects for frost free conditions as the models suggest remain viable for sowing the radishes and spring onions soon but discretion seems the better part of valour until after the weekend. Just may be possible to plant the seed potatoes later this week, as I managed it in late March last year and only had one near frost to worry about, that would mean new pots ready for June all being well.

Tom seeds will be sowed indoors by the end of the month. Will try some baby carrots this year for the first time, should be able to get a decent number in a 10 or 12 inch pot but it will be a long time until I risk sowing those outdoors without protection. Also going to try a florence fennel in a pot too just for the hell of it!

[Nigel Bolton]

Broad beans are in and tommies are seeded, also trying my hand at some leeks this year. Have also planted some asparagus. Hopefully will get the onion sets in this week.

One worrying factor, my water butts are almost empty and it is only mid March.

N.

[Dave K]

Decided to take a risk and plant one lot of seed potatoes today, though we have risk of frost into April. Good looking shoots about an inch on them, proper colour and not white or spindly at all. These are the Red Duke of York for first earlies, being in a container they should be OK unless we get a really hard frost but even then some bubble wrap and fleece should prevent frost getting into the soil and it will be a couple of weeks before the shoots appear which I can put a mini cloche and fleece over if late frost threatens. To be on the safe side I will keep the second batch (Belle de Fontenay, for second earlies) back for another week or so.

[John Mason]

just been over to the garden as it was a pleasant (though not especially warm) afternoon. Due to gales knocking them about last year, a lot of my shallots had root-breakage and so I had many small ones. Have planted over a hundred of these this afternoon in double-rows around some of the beds as a fringing plant. The idea is to substitute them for spring onions May-July: have had odd bunches in previous years and they are excellent. Got another hundred or so that I might as well do the same with, leaving just a few dozen larger ones.

Also collected a series of samples of cultivated and uncultivated soil in order to run pH tests to see if there has been any change due to cultivation in the 4 years I've been growing there.

Cheers - John