Liz’s Allotment Life: Sowing the season’s tender crops

This past week was my busiest on the plot so far this year – around seven hours in total, mostly over the weekend. With the weather warming up, there was suddenly plenty to get on with.

This week on the plot

Seed sowing:

This weekend was my biggest seed-sowing moment of the year, finally getting all my tender crops underway. As I don’t have a greenhouse – and can’t start seedlings

A seedling is a young plant grown from seed.

in my flat thanks to an overly inquisitive (but very adorable) cat – I have to wait until I’m confident my lean-to grow hut will stay warm enough, particularly overnight, before starting anything off. In my experience, it’s far better to hold off slightly than rush tender crops into cold, sluggish conditions, which can lead to weak or uneven growth.

Like many allotmenteers, I’ve built up a collection of old pots over the years, mostly 9cm, which I fill with peat-free multi-purpose compost.

Newly sown pots in peat-free compost

For larger seeds such as squash and sweetcorn, I sow two per pot; for smaller seeds like tomatoes, I aim for around four (though it’s often a few more). Once they germinate, I thin them out, but not always down to single plants. Space in my grow hut is limited, so I often leave two seedlings per pot and separate them carefully at planting time. It’s not strictly by the book, but adapting like this is often the only way to make the most of a small growing space.

To protect everything, I covered the pots with horticultural fleece

A soft, fibrous, translucent material laid over or around plants hastening their growth and protecting them against weather and pests. Heavier grades of fleece give about 2°C of protection from frost. It is usually used without supporting hoops.

. This helps protect against the occasional cold night, but also acts as a deterrent to mice, which have a habit of investigating freshly sown pots. Fingers crossed it does the trick.

Greenhouse growing tender crops

This week I sowed:

• Sweetcorn ‘Incredible’
• French beans including ‘Purple Teepee’, ‘Safari’, ‘Pantheon’ and ‘Blue Lake’
• Tomatoes such as ‘Crimson Cherry’, ‘Golden Sunrise’, ‘Gold Nugget’ and ‘Tomande’
• Winter squashes including ‘Crown Prince’, ‘Uchiki Kuri’ and ‘Honeybear’
• Cucumber ‘Marketmore’ and ‘Crystal Lemon’
• Courgette ‘Defender’

A busy seed-sowing day on the plot – pots filled, seeds sown and everything ready to get growing

Alongside this, I kept up with successional sowing

Making repeated sowings of a crop – usually in small batches every two to three weeks – to provide a continuous harvest across the growing season and avoid gluts.

in module trays – something I find essential for avoiding gluts later in the season. This week that included swede ‘Marian’, chard ‘Bright Lights’, lettuce ‘Lobjoits Green Cos’ and cabbage ‘Greyhound’, along with leek ‘Musselburgh’ for overwintering.

Finally, I direct sowed my parsnips (‘Tender and True’, ‘Javelin’ and ‘Gladiator’) outside. Root crops like parsnips and carrots are best sown where they’re going to grow, as transplanting can lead to forked roots. I tend to sow a little thicker than needed and thin later – it’s much quicker than having to resow if germination

Germination is the process by which a seed develops into a new plant. It starts with the seed coat absorbing water, expanding and splitting, which allows oxygen and water into the seed so its food reserves can be broken down and used by the embryo for growth. The first root (called the radicle) pushes into the soil to anchor the new plant in place and start absorbing water and nutrients. The first shoot (called the plumule) then grows upwards, out of the soil, towards the light.

is patchy.

Parsnip seeds sown direct into the soil – best started in situ to avoid root disturbance and reduce the risk of forking

Other tasks:

• I did my first grass cut of the season using a battery-powered strimmer. I leave the grass longer at the back of the plot for wildlife, but keep paths and working areas shorter for access.
• I planted out salad crops from modules
  

  Small individual cells, usually in a tray, used for sowing seeds. The resulting seedlings can be transplanted with minimal root disturbance.

  , including coriander, chard, lettuce and beetroot.

Well-grown module seedlings, ready for planting out – with roots established and conditions right, they’re set to get off to a strong start

• I secured my fruit netting, especially important now my first cabbage plants are in the ground – I’m keen to keep cabbage white butterflies at bay.
• Harvesting is still focused on reliable perennial
  

  Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.

  crops, along with winter purslane.
• With the water back on and no rain in sight, I gave everything a thorough soak twice this week and will need to keep this up while seeds germinate and young plants establish.
• I also thinned out earlier sowings of beetroot, spinach and carrots and dug out a few persistent volunteer potatoes that had appeared right in the middle of my rows.

Crop of the week: Asparagus

Asparagus is a brilliant ‘hungry gap’ crop at this time of year. I planted mine back in 2022, and they’re now coming into full production – and well worth the wait. The flavour of freshly picked asparagus is hard to beat.

It’s important not to harvest at all for the first couple of years to allow the plants to establish properly. Even once established, it’s best to stop harvesting after six to eight weeks so the plants can build up energy for the following season.

Freshly picked asparagus from the plot – a true ‘hungry gap’ crop and a reward for patience after a few years of establishment

Coming up on the plot

Next week should be a little quieter, with a focus on watering and keeping a close eye on all my seedlings and pots. I’ll also share more about how I manage the plot in an organic, chemical-free way.