Planting the potager
This month we have been planting up our raised beds in the Fruit and Vegetable Garden and the beds in the Potager with vegetables that have been raised from seed in modules in the poly tunnels and then hardened off in our tunnel.
The four big raised beds in the Fruit and Vegetable garden provide the ideal conditions for root vegetables such as parsnips and carrots which rely on a friable soil to achieve those lovely long straight roots without forking. Garry has planted one of the beds with carrot seed as part of a trial being conducted by the RHS to determine the best varieties for container growing. The same bed also contains parsnips which have been raised in sweet pea tubes; Garry has been careful to plant them out before the roots come out of the bottom to prevent root pruning and therefore the problem of undesirable forking.
As we keep them covered over the winter, the beds warm up quickly in the spring, giving our small plants the best start in life they could hope for. Beth has planted hardy lettuce ‘Attractie’ (syn. 'Unrivalled'), and we are using organic slug pellets to minimise damage from these little horrors!
The other two beds have already been planted with early potatoes ‘Rocket’ and ‘Swift’, and with shallots. Both of these crops will be harvested in June and July when we can plant out the chilli peppers, sweet peppers, outdoor cucumbers and outdoor tomatoes.
Now that the Potager has been planted up, the compliments from our visitors come thick and fast! I have just finished off by putting in the hazel pea sticks. The peas were raised in gutters which simplifies planting out.