A BUSY MONTH!
The weather in April is unpredictable, often moving from spring to summer and back to freezing temperatures in a day! But with increasing daylight, warmth and (hopefully!) sunshine, it is time to get frost resilient transplants out of the greenhouse and into the soil. To help reduce transplant stress, cover new plantings with horticultural fleece for a few weeks. This helps to keep the worst of the weather off until the plants have become established.
This is a busy month, with so much that can be sown, including direct sowings as the ground warms up. Keep an eye on your local weather forecasts and observe your ground. If it is still waterlogged after winter, best to leave direct sowings for a while. There's no rush. It is wonderful how quickly seedlings catch up once the weather warms up.
Get ahead by putting up bean frames and other structures. You'll be thankful during busy planting times to have them in place, and they provide an excellent perch for birds foraging aphids in your garden.
GROWING OCA STEP BY STEP
STEP 1: Oca, Oxalis tuberosa, is a delicious South American root vegetable, tasting like a lemony new potato. They come in beautiful colours, are easy to grow, almost pest free and unlike spuds do not get blight. A member of the oxalis family, the leaves are edible too and taste like sorrel.
STEP 2: Plant each tuber into 15cm (6in) pots of multipurpose compost and keep somewhere frost free and light (greenhouse or windowsill) until after your last frost date. They should have sprouted and produced pretty clover-shaped leaves. Plant in the garden 30cm (12in) apart; they are happy in most soils, or in a large container.
Denne historien er fra April 2024-utgaven av Kitchen Garden.
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Denne historien er fra April 2024-utgaven av Kitchen Garden.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
SEPTEMBER SPECIALS
This month, with sweetcorn, figs and blackberries on the menu, Anna Cairns Pettigrew is not only serving up something sweet and something savoury, but all things scrumptious
FLAVOURSOME FRUIT AUTUMN RASPBERRIES
September - is it late summer or the start of autumn? David Patch ponders the question and says whatever the season, it's time to harvest autumn raspberries
SOW GREEN THIS AUTUMN
Covering the soil with a green manure in winter offers many benefits and this is a good time to sow hardy types, says KG editor Steve Ott
A HISTORICAL HAVEN OF FRUIT AND FLOWERS
KG's Martin Fish takes time out from his own plot to visit a walled garden in Lincolnshire which has been home to the same family for more than 400 years
RESTORING THE BALANCE
The phrase regenerative gardening is often heard in gardening circles, but what is it? Can it help you to grow better veg? Ecologist Becky Searle thinks so, and tells us why
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
Garden Organic's Anton Rosenfeld shares his expertise on using compost made from green bin collections with handy tips on getting the right consistency and quality
Celebrating Organic September!
In this special section we bring you four great features aimed at improving your crops and allowing nature to thrive
SEEING RED
Do your tomatoes have a habit of remaining stubbornly green? Or perhaps you're lucky to enjoy lots of lovely fruits - just all at once. Either way, Benedict Vanheems is here with some top tips to ripen and process the nation's favourite summer staple
NEW KIDS ON THE BROCCOLI!
Rob Smith is talking broccoli this month with a review of the different types available and suggestions for some exciting new varieties to try
A NEW kitchen garden
Martin Fish is getting down to plenty of picking and planting on the garden veg plot, while Jill is rustling up something pepper-licking good!
