Welcome everyone to Centenary’s spring gardening news by Terriesa Torode – and what a busy time ahead for all of us.
Spring has arrived, birds are nesting and staking their territories, sleepy bumblebees emerge to feed on nectar of our wildflowers like Primroses, Violets and of course many garden flowers like Hellebores, a myriad of bulbs and early flowering French Comfrey. If you grow your own then this time of the year will be the busiest and full on with sowing seeds, pricking out seedlings and hardening off seedlings.
- Successful germination and growing of seeds
Always use clean fresh compost, it will be sterile and contain no fungus if brought fresh rather than use last year’s old bag tucked into a corner of the shed. Always gently water your trays and pots from the base, allowing the water to seep up into the compost and drain well afterwards. When sufficiently drained, sow your seeds at the right depth into the compost and sieve compost directly on top. This will allow your seedlings to not wilt and die. By not watering from above you also keep the seeds at the correct depth without them being pushed into the soggy compost. Do not water until you see the seedlings growing to around an inch high. Sow a little seed and roughly every two weeks unless it’s maincrop later in the season. This way you will always have a succession of vegetables all summer long. - Hardening off
Harden off seedlings either in a cold frame or protected inside a tunnel or glasshouse by leaving doors and windows open on calm days. If you have neither, then on sunny days bring your seedlings outside and place in a sheltered position away from exposure and then in the late afternoon bring the seedlings back inside again. By hardening off your seedlings you are creating stronger plants that will settle into the ground when planted and = grow quickly because they have not gone into shock by being plunged into cold wet soil. - Use a sieve and correct compost
If your fresh compost contains lumps and pieces of debris, then use a sieve to fill your trays with compost. This way you have created the perfect growing medium for the tiny seeds to grow into and not struggle to grow around large plant matter that is inside the compost. Buy ‘Seed and Potting Compost’ if growing your own, this compost is designed for growing seeds. - Propagator
Use a propagator if growing tropical loving plants like cucumbers, aubergines, tomatoes, squash, basil, courgettes and chillis. They will germinate quickly this way and not wilt but follow the above recommendations and harden off all seedlings when large enough but remember all these vegetables require heat, no frost and no sudden temperature changes so keep in a slightly warm environment. - Warm the soil
Warm your soil outside by using fleece and plastic. If you are really romping ahead and have seedlings growing quickly then use mini tunnels placed over the ground to grow your early vegetables in. Lettuce, cabbages, carrots, peas, broad beans, all of these and more will thrive inside these tunnels. Larger tunnels also are perfect for growing crops quickly but later in the season many of these vegetables can be grown outside. Warming the soil is key here folks. Remember to use a three- or four-year crop rotation system. - Servicing machines and tidying up those sheds
Get all equipment serviced now to prevent waiting. Sharpen all tools, clean and oil them too. Get organised with all your tools, see what is broken, could be repaired and hang easily enough to be grabbed on a day you are free. Get all pots cleaned, organised and stacked, throwing away all broken equipment and any rubbish. Organise all canes, netting, fleece, trays, labels and garden paraphernalia so as you need equipment it is easily found. - Repair structures and equipment
Repair all sheds, fences, pergolas, arches, seats and trellis plus any support that are holding up climbers. After winter we often find in the garden a little damage to our structures, or the wood has simply rotted. Take a walk around and repair these over the next few weeks. You may only need to screw something back in or you may have to completely stain and repair a structure but do it all now so your free time later in the warmth can be enjoyed and not spent fixing these in your garden. - Try a no-dig method
Use a no-dig method for growing this year. Find a decent supply of well-rotted manure, miscanthus or compost. Use cardboard spread over the borders and place the above in thick layers over the cardboard. It will suppress the weeds, the microorganisms will bring the humus rich material into the soil and greatly improve the soil structure, releasing vital minerals and vitamins to the growing crops or perennials and save you weeding all summer long. So, check out the no-dig method folks, it’s the future of growing and keeping a garden.
Clean whitewash off glasshouses and clean and tidy tunnels and greenhouses. - Fertilise the garden
Walk around the garden and fertilise everything. All trees and shrubs have been through a very mixed winter and now need a little boost. Hedges too because they contain many stems and branches so require a huge amount of food to keep all leaves and the system healthy. Grab a bucket if you have a large garden and sprinkle underneath all trees and shrubs. Sprinkle if planting or transplanting any plants. I am using more seaweed-based fertiliser now or natural chicken manure and I find the plants are loving it. Whilst doing this job check all tree stakes, either remove because the tree is sufficiently sturdy and supporting itself or loosen off the tie because the tree has grown. - Hedges
Hedges should not be cut now until July and August. Tiny, long stems could be cut back, but the plants will soon be in full growth, clipping them when they are at their weakest, and it often disturbs, and harms young birds. So, enjoy the wildlife and later cut the hedges in your garden. Evergreen hedges can be cut in late May and early June. - Correct pruning times
Apples and pear trees and all fruit should have been pruned by now. Do not prune now as the sap is rising and only harm can happen. Plums, Damsons and Cherries must be pruned also in late May and June. If cut now they will get either a disease called Silverleaf, or Canker so avoid pruning until this time. Cut back autumn fruiting raspberries to the ground, leave summer fruiting. - Transplanting
Large shrubs can still be transplanted in the garden and perennials can be split and divided if necessary. The garden should flow from one area to another and sometimes one of our plants grows larger than anticipated so it is best either to move whilst still young or plan something different in the area and work around it. When planting these shrubs or perennials always incorporate plenty of compost, manure or any material that is rich and friable and fertilse too, water well afterwards for the next four weeks. - Clean paths
Clean all paths, hoe all gravel drives and keep hoe sharp if you grow your own. These tools will keep the weeds down so there is no need to struggle when the annual seeds arrive. - Bring colour with annuals
Plan some extra colour this year by clearing small patches of ground in your flower borders and fork, rake and then sow some annuals for the added benefit of many flowers over a long period and they are a cheap option compared to a perennial plant and three you can collect the seed in late summer and these annuals will only get better for you every year if grown from your own seeds. - Add a perennial or two for instant spring colour
Saying this, a perennial that comes back every year is also a delight and if you have some patches, these are great in fillers. If you have a huge swath of daffodils in the border, then use a few perennials to bring the
whole show together by adding more yellow with Pussy Willow, a Hazel or a contrasting colour like blue and lots of forget-me-nots (sown by a seed packet) or Aquilegias or Grape Hyacinths but use either perennials or annuals to give the border a beautiful spring show to shake out the winter blues.
Happy gardening folks!