Early Spring in the Garden

This year the cold weather has delayed progress in the garden. The wet weather means the vegetable plot is not fully dug. While it is tempting to get out onto the soil when it is this wet it would damage the soil structure. In a warmer moment I have planted out some onion and shallot sets but there is still lots of work to be done.

Greenhouse Gardening

There is always something happening in the greenhouse. I have started planting various seeds in my home made propagation area. 

There are a few early herbs like Basil, Coriander and Spring Onions. This year I started the Tomatoes a little later in Mid March. I have limited the varieties this year to Tomato Meccano (ideal for shows) , Tomato Akron and a couple of others. I have found these produce a great harvest in the greenhouse. 

This is the time to start a few of the annuals flowers that benefit from a longer season. The Lobelia trailing plants are starting to germinate along with the Bacopa and Antirrhinum seeds.

Early Carrots

If you like early carrots here is an idea I was shown by an experienced grower. Take a 30 litre pot and then use cross sections of down pipe as shown in the picture. This stops the seeds moving around. I use Levington's F2 & S Seed Compost and also reused compost from last year. After germination you can thin the carrots to 1 plant per section and later remove the pipe. I grow Carrot Sweet Candle and will start harvesting when they are young as they are one of the sweetest varieties in my view. A few pots of these early in the season is a tasty addition to the greenhouse.

A look around the garden

At this time of year there are always lots of early flowers. To finish the article here are a few pictures of Autumn planted Hyacinths, Wild Primroses and in the greenhouse Cheiridopsis