Busy Week in the Kitchen Garden

[Harrod Horticultural]

There has been a lot of activity in the Kitchen Garden over the last week or two as the weather has improved. I’ve opened up the greenhouse during the day to ensure it doesn’t over heat and to allow some air to flow through. I’ve also put the shading on during really hot spells. The tomatoes are either growing in Tomato Success Kits, or in the greenhouse border with plant halos, which means they need less watering as their reservoirs last for longer. I’ve also laid out soaker hoses in the veg beds around my newly planted out brassicas, peas and beans.

I’ve earthed up the potatoes this week as they are appearing thick and fast through the soil. Use a draw hoe to pull up the soil to cover the emerging shoots.

Due to the lovely weather, the weeds are also putting on lots of growth! Keep on top of these with regular hoeing with a sharp dutch hoe on dry days; one of my favourite jobs. Watch out for the new Royal Dutch Hoe from Sneeboer. I’ll be trying this out in the Kitchen Garden this week!

This week I’ve sowed more salad leaves, courgettes, peas and beans and also started off some swede and fennel.

Whats everyone else up to??

[VirginVegGrower]

Salad leaves sown, constant hoeing, watering the poly and greenhouse, fed fruiting bushes, chopped comfrey into water butt, mown lawn and clippings into compost.

[Beanz]

Potatoes growing strongly now - earthed up. Onions, garlic & shallots hoed, asparagus bed weeded, alpine strawbs planted out. Courgettes getting big now but still too early to consider planting out (IMO). Growing fennel this year, started off in greenhouse in small pots but now hardening off outside. Leeks also hardening off before planing out. Managed to get the runners out a week ago against a south facing wall and they are growing strong. Just need more sun!

[Mikey]

I'm busy trying to get ahead of myself, I've got a row of broad beans in flower, even though they are a little short, 3 rows of peas at 18 inches and again 2 rows just popping out of the ground, my over wintering garlic is going strong, carrots about an inch, parsnips about 3 inches in length, beetroot looking good, onions all bedded in nicely, pots all earthed up, swedes putting on good leaf growth, runner beans starting to climb nicely, strawberries all in flower, I'll have to net them in a week or so, kale, calabrese, purple sprouting broccoli and cauliflowers all in and waiting for me to construct a temporary cover, leeks moved into final positions and gradually filling out their holes. Forced rhubarb has now been uncovered and given a good mulch.

In the greenhouse tomatoes are a little behind last year but thats not such a bad thing, in pots I have 2 courgettes varieties ready to go out, my sweetcorn are all coming through, my three pumpkins varieties are in second leaf and will go out next week, turnips are ready to transplant on into bigger pots.

I'm sure there's something I've forgotten, but then thats not unusual, time to start doing some swapsies with the neighbouring plot holders, I have far too many onions, sets and seeds, and the pumpkins will be gifted in thanks for some netting. Got to keep on top of things now, we are only 6 weeks off best allotment competition.