This Month On The Plot

A huge thank-you to Rhys, who has contributed this months article. Sometimes it’s a struggle to write something new for our webpage, so it is refreshing when someone else writes something interesting. And if this tempts you, please feel free to write something up … whether it’s the monthly article, or something different, say ‘my experience as a new plot-holder’, ‘how to grow perfect carrots’ or ‘eradicating mares tail!’ or anything else, please get in touch. Anyway, over to Rhys …

Ready, steady, go! Wait a minute… It’s unusually cold for this time of year, so if you’re ready to rush over to the allotment with tomato plants then please wait until the nights are warmer. If, like me, you don’t have access to a heated greenhouse then I’d suggest placing tender plants on your window sills.

As this is my first contribution, I’d like to give my bit of wisdom, ‘ask questions’. We are fortunate to have experienced neighbours, and as helpful as books are you can’t beat experience. Anyway, if you haven’t thought about what you would like to plant this year then now would be a good time – but read the packet!! If you’re busy or behind then buying plants can improve your yield.

Ideally, you would have turned over your plot by now ready for planting. Last year due to weather I wasn’t able to start until May, so you still have time. A tip for this month, if you like Parsnips then try grow tubes. The tubes are biodegradable, so can be planted as is. It can help prevent damaging the tap root, but chit the seeds for quicker germination.

Propagating parsnip seed in ‘grow tubes’ or toilet roll inserts

Coffee Morning & Other Social Updates

Last Saturday we held our annual coffee morning in the Church Hall in Creigiau. As usual we gave the proceeds to charity and this year we nominated the RNLI to receive the money raised.

We sold cakes and plants and despite being a bit down on numbers this year we managed to raise just under £600. A huge thanks to the social committee who put in a lot of hard work to make the coffee morning a success and to all those who supported us by making cakes or giving plants or just popping in for coffee and cake. Tesco donated a fantastic hamper for the first prize in the raffle and there were other great prizes on offer donated by members. We also benefitted from Gill Roberts’s generosity in bringing her greetings cards for sale with all the proceeds going to the charity.

There were some plants left over at the end and we have taken them to the allotments – please make a donation if you take any from the table where you will find a container for the cash.

We are planning a skittles night sometime in July with a possible BBQ in the summer (weather dependent) and the Open Day on Sept 8th. After a successful evening at the Golf Club in March there are plans afoot to repeat the night sometime before Christmas – we will keep you posted. Meanwhile don’t forget to sow your sunflowers for a floral display at the Open Day.

Terry Walton – Plotcast

Are members aware that Terry Walton is continuing with his radio programmes? They can be found on BBC Sounds and new episodes go out on a Friday. Each episode lasts about 15 minutes. Don’t worry if you miss one as BBC Sounds have all the episodes conveniently listed for you to browse or continue listening. Click here to go to the Plotcast page.

For newcomers and experienced gardeners alike Terry is worth listening to as he has over 60 years of gardening experience on his allotment in the Rhondda.  Listeners can pick up numerous tips to try out on their own plots.

Jobs for April

April and the clocks have moved forward, so longer days to work on your plots. There’s plenty to do, and we all need to take advantage of the dry days and catch up – because of the rainfall the ground is still very wet and hard to dig so fingers crossed for some dry days and dare I say, sunshine.

Plenty of crops can be sown direct now, including beetroot, carrots, salad crops and spring onions. You can also sow peas direct, but as Mike Pickard will tell you the mice love them and you may lose out, so best to bring them on at home and plant out when they are well established.

Many of you will be sowing runner beans and climbing French beans to plant out later, so it is a good idea to get your plant supports in place – a quick walk down the old railway line will provide plenty of straight hazel – ideal for supports.

Hopefully your potatoes have been chitting for the past month or so, and it is time to plant them out.

If you have cabbage plants on your plot, which have been growing over winter, it is a good idea to protect them with some fleece, to avoid feeding the local cabbage white butterflies which will be putting in an appearance soon.

Cabbage White Caterpillars

One job on my list is to empty my compost bin, and spread this on the plot – it has been rotting down for the past year so should add plenty of goodness to the soil.

Finally, our first social event takes place next Saturday 6th April, fundraising coffee morning at Creigiau Church Hall 10.00am to 12.00 noon, supporting the good works of the RNLI which is celebrating its 200th Anniversary this year. Hope to see you there.

This month on the Plot

Happy St David’s Day, let’s hope that the weather improves in March so that we can catch up and do all the jobs that have been ‘rained off’. First on my list is weeding, and then start to plant out when the seedlings in my greenhouse have grown a bit more – maybe cover the soil to warm it a bit when I have finished the weeding.

When it has warmed up a bit, you can sow beetroot, broad beans, salads and Swiss chard direct, and maybe try an early sowing of carrots, peas, and spinach.

Potatoes are chitting well, so hope to plant them out some time in March.

I put a forcer over one of my crowns of rhubarb a couple of weeks ago and harvested my first crop of sweet forced rhubarb on the weekend – lovely!

And it’s not all about veg, there’s plenty to do in the flower garden as well; lift and divide large perennials, pot up over-wintered dahlia tubers ready to plant out later in the season, and of course March is the peak month for sowing flower seeds. And if it ever does dry out, give your grass a first cut, and don’t forget to adjust the mower blades to their highest setting for the first few cuts.

Finally a reminder that our boundary/hedge cut back is organized for the end of March so can you all please tidy any areas of your plot adjacent to the boundary to give easy access for this work to be carried out.

Garth Gardeners – Propagation Workshops

I know that many of you go along to Garth Gardeners meetings, but for those of you who don’t, you might be interested in their Propagation Workshops taking place in March, see details below.