Veg Journal - 2010 March
Apart from sowing lots of different veg, one of the main tasks for this month included creating the first of two
beds for the potatoes, in front of the potting shed. This started quite well as the weather was mostly dry in the
first half of the month, but didn't quite finish in time to plant the early potatoes at the end of the month as
planned. It was too wet and cold by then anyway. We also ordered and received the Enviromesh netting and support
frames this month; after due consideration, we began the mammoth task of designing and making the tailored netting
cages.
Week ending 8th March
1st - Started clearing the ground in front of the summerhouse, and forked over the rest of the beds. Moved the
early seed potatoes into the greenhouse for chitting (in the mini-greenhouse, under greenhouse shading fabric, to
protect them from frost, hopefully).
2nd - Finished clearing weeds from in front of the summerhouse. Cultivated & raked the roots beds. Put the first
twigs in for the peas planted last November. Cleaned out the greenhouse gutters and swept all the paths.
3rd - Removed half the soil from in front of the summerhouse - enough space for one new bed (for the early
potatoes).
4th - Started double-digging the new bed.
5th - Ditto. Also dug over the triangular bed near the greenhouse doors.
6th - Continued double-digging the new bed. Re-planned the planting plan to accommodate the Enviromesh netting.
7th - Continued double-digging the new bed. Finished the planting plan. Ordered 5 Enviromesh cages
(£217.34).
8th - More double-digging (3 slab lengths to go). Decided against doing any seed sowing as the weather is still
so cold.
Click on a photo to see a bigger version:
Week ending 16th March
9th - Nothing done in the garden. Bought 2 packets of broad beans (Aquadulce) and 1 packet of broad beans
(Bunyards Exhibition) from our local Wilkinsons - £1.50 for 3. Also bought Wilko's herb collection
seeds - £2.47. Received the Enviromesh cages.
10th - More double-digging; unearthed the bottom of the wasps' nest whose occupants had been preventing us from
getting on with these beds last autumn!
11th - Still double-digging. Sowed 110 ordinary onions & 66 red onion seeds, and planted 11 garlic cloves. Put
some Growmore on this bed first and also on the parsnip bed.
12th - RAINED most of the day; nothing done.
13th - Sowed parsnip seeds in 56 stations, 3 in each station. Cultivated & raked the empty beds. Pulled out quite
a few emerging weeds. ½ ton of sharp sand delivered for the path foundations.
14th - Nothing done in the garden. Sorted out the seeds for sowing next week.
15th - More double-digging of the new bed. Cut all the poles to length for the netting cages.
16th - Did some more double-digging. Sowed calabrese & leeks in the seed bed (after lots of soil-raking), spring
onions, radishes, peas (Meteor) & spinach. Put Enviromesh net on the pea cage - needs adjustment to tidy the net at
the corners.
Week ending 24th March
17th - More double-digging. Sowed peppers & celery inside in the propagator. Worked out a way to make the netting
more workable. Decided to sow the rest of the brassicas in their main beds, rather than in the seed bed.
18th - More double-digging; just the soil under the new path to go. Took the net off the pea cage for
adjustments.
19th - Bought PVC and velcro for modifying the nets (from Dunelm). Bought more cement and half slabs for the path
from Wickes. Moved the slabs down the garden.
20th - Rained all day. Nothing done in the garden.
21st - More double-digging - nearly finished!
22nd - More double-digging before it started raining again. Started modifying the netting for the pea bed.
23rd - Finished the double-digging and flattened the ground for the paving slabs. Completed the long strip of
netting for the pea cage.
24th - Nothing done in the garden - too wet. Went to Dunelm and bought more white vinyl, velcro, ribbon & thread
for the netting. Still need to sort out a supply of eyelets. There are definite signs of little green shoots on the
early seed potatoes! Nothing else coming up yet from seeds planted this month.
Week ending 31st March
25th - Nothing done on the new bed (too wet), but first sowing of turnips made, and tomatoes sown in a seed tray.
Remaining beds raked over, and lime put in the brassica bed. First shoots on garlic appeared. More stitching done on
the netting.
26th - Nothing done on the new bed (Ian's birthday!), but spotted the first calabrese seedlings coming through,
and the first pepper seedling. More done on the netting.
27th - Slabs laid at each end of the new bed. Radishes coming through. Nothing done on the netting.
28th - Slabs complete & corner posts for the bed put in. More done on the netting. Main crop potatoes put in the
greenhouse for chitting - quite well sprouted already.
29th - Completed the raised bed, despite heavy rain showers. Started putting velcro on the netting.
30th - Rained almost all day. Finished the pea netting and put it on the cage during a brief break in the rain.
Garlic doing well. First plum tomato seedlings showing through.
31st - Put double layer of Enviromesh on the calabrese to try & protect them from frost. First peas coming through,
also first cherry tomatoes & onions. Too wet to sow anything else or plant the potatoes.
Click on a photo to see a bigger version:
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