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 Veg Journal - 2012 April

After the very warm weather in March, April was a bit of a shock and very cold. For the first half of the month we had heavy showers, but not really all that much rain to speak of, and then when the area was declared to have drought status, it never stopped raining! We were busy sowing and harvesting as usual in April, but due to the cold, wet weather, germination of many of the seeds we sowed in the second half of the month was very slow and ultimately quite poor, particularly the carrots, peas, spinach, turnips and beetroot. On the plus side, all the new potatoes have come up and are doing well and the broccoli harvest continues to be excellent.


Week ending 8th April

1st - Planted the new potatoes - Charlotte (nearest the shed) & Nicola, five of each. Also sowed the 2nd batch of broad beans and the first of beetroot (Boltardy). There are flowers on the first batch of broad beans, and buds on the peas and raspberry, so hopefully the approaching cold spell won't kill everything off. Watered all the sown beds and covered the radishes with chicken wire as the pigeons seem to be eating just about everything that comes up. Lots of recently sown peas are coming up, and possibly one or two spring onions, but no sign of the leeks, parsnips and turnips as yet. Picked 6 carrots (6.9oz), 2 parsnips (4.6oz) and lots of broccoli.

3rd - Rain! Not an awful lot though - barely wet the surface really. Picked 3 carrots (11.5oz) and 2 leeks.

4th - Loads of heavy rain and sleet all day today. Should water things nicely.

5th - Picked 4 carrots (7.6oz) and a bowlful of broccoli. Pulled up one of the broccoli plants (which hadn't produced anything anyway) as the stem had gone rotten. Bought 3 bags of peat for £10 and repotted the tomatoes in 3" pots.

7th - The spring onions are definitely coming up now, as are the turnips. No sign yet of the leeks, parsnips, beetroot or broad beans.

8th - Sowed the first batch of carrots into rare rain wetted ground, also the first lettuces and rocket and some more radishes. The first batch of radishes hasn't done very well, so perhaps it's worth waiting a bit longer before sowing next year. Picked 2 carrots (10.4oz), 4 parsnips, some broccoli and kale.

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  • Peas in flower and emerging seedlings (1st Apr)

  • The first flowers on the broad beans (1st Apr)

  • Asparagus shoots (1st Apr)

  • Shallots (1st Apr)

  • The raspberry bush backed by the new potato bed (1st Apr)

  • Sprouting broccoli almost by the bucket load! (1st Apr)

Week ending 15th April

10th - Picked the last 4 carrots (3.6oz), 2 leeks and some kale.

11th - The parsnip seedlings could be coming up, but it's difficult to tell as there are quite a few weed seedlings coming up as well.

12th - Picked some kale, whilst dodging the heavy showers.

13th - Removed some of the top-soil from the greenhouse borders which will be replaced by compost.

15th - The first beetroot seedlings are coming through. Re-potted the peppers and aubergines in 3" pots.

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  • Pea seedlings from the 2nd batch (10th Apr)

  • A shield bug on the broad beans (10th Apr)

  • Sun catching the broad bean flowers (10th Apr)

  • The plot, just before the remaining parsnips (left) were dug up (13th Apr)

  • Peppers & aubergines before re-potting (15th Apr)

  • Peppers & aubergines after re-potting (15th Apr)

Week ending 23rd April

16th - The rocket seedlings are coming through. Sowed more beetroot, carrots, spring onions, peas (Hurst Green Shaft), turnips, and the first batch of perpetual spinach. We are now officially in drought in this part of the UK, although rain is forecast for tomorrow!

17th - Tied more string around the broad beans. Picked 2 leeks.

18th - Dug up the last of the parsnips (4lb 6oz). Bought 6 different tomato plants from Pennells for £3.75 in total and put them in the mini-greenhouse by the back door.

20th - Tied up the plum tomatoes again.

22nd - The 1st batch of beetroot is coming up, as are the leeks and the 2nd batches of broad beans and radishes. Picked more broccoli.

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  • The last of the parsnips from 2011 (18th Apr)

Week ending 30th April

24th - Dug compost into the greenhouse borders and the bed for the maincrop potatoes - dug up 1 carrot and 2 parsnips in the process! Sowed the calabrese, broccoli, autumn cabbages, kale, 2nd batch of celery and sweetcorn in pots and put them inside on the utility room window sill. One of the tomato plants we bought has a flower opening. For the first time since drought was declared, it hasn't rained today.

26th - The lollo rosso seedlings are coming up.

28th - Calabrese seedlings are coming through - they only took 4 days.

29th - The broccoli seedlings are coming up, so we picked some of last year's broccoli to celebrate.

30th - The kale seedlings are coming up. Weeded the beds in the veg plot as the weather is warm and sunny - a complete contrast to much of this month so far. Planted the maincrop potatoes, and more carrots, radishes, lollo rosso and rocket. The French marigolds are flowering - we really must get on with planting everything out in the greenhouse.

Click on a photo to see a bigger version:

  • Pea flowers (24th Apr)

  • Broad beans, peas, onions, garlic & shallots (24th Apr)

  • Asparagus shoots (30th Apr)

  • The raspberry bush, covered in flower buds (30th Apr)

  • Two batches of broad beans & peas (30th Apr)

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