This month Barry Cuff thought it might be interesting to share his month of activity on the allotment, along with his daily notes on growing conditions.
April was dry with cold nights, some very sunny days and the wind mostly from the north and east:
1st
• Cut two large Medallion cauliflowers.
• Covered purple sprouting broccoli with a net to protect from pigeons.
2nd
• Frost down to -1ºC.
• Pricked out Ildi and Bumble Bee tomatoes (all other varieties were pricked out in March).
3rd
• White frost -3ºC. Thin ice on water buts.
4th
• Plant three lines Rooster potato
• Sowed in the greenhouse Spanish Flag Ipomoea and Grandpa Ott Ipomoea. Both showy climbers for a wigwam.
5th
• Sowed a patch of French Breakfast radish.
• Sow in modules the Brendan Brussels sprouts.
7th
• Plant one line Picasso potato
• Weeding around fruit bushes and mulched with manure.
9th
• White frost.
• Weeding where needed
• Sow various annual flowers in trays and modules (greenhouse).
• Sow in pots Marketmore and La Diva cucumber (greenhouse)
10th
• Frost -1ºC.
• Trimming edges of plots.
14th
• Pumped water for site.
• A mass of flowers on Conference pear.
• Cut chicons (our second cut).
• Spray beans for weevils.
17th
• Picked purple sprouting broccoli.
• Dug five leeks.
• Removed sprouts (chimps) from stored potatoes.
• Sow Greensleeves celery and Asterix celeriac in modules.
18th
• Plant out under cloche Little Gem lettuce.
• Sow two pots of Musselburgh leek.
19th
• Pumped water for site.
• Sow two lines Palace parsnip
• Plant out from modules two lines of Golden Bear onion.
• Cover beetroot seedlings to protect from the sparrows.
• Sow line Early Nantes carrot.
20th
• Plant further two lines of Golden Bear.
22nd
• Pumped water for site.
• Picked last of the purple sprouting broccoli.
• Sow one line of Hurst Greenshaft pea.
• A Red Kite flew over plots.
24th
• Some very useful rain in the night.
• Earthed up eight lines of potatoes.
25th
• Sow further line of Hurst Greenshaft pea.
• Plant two lines Picasso (after the purple sprouting)
26th
• Pumped water for the site.
• Cover eight lines of potatoes with fleece as more frosts forecast.
• Dug remaining leeks and put them on the compost heap as they were running up to flower.
From our store and freezer we still have potatoes, squash (Crown Prince), broad beans and
French beans from last year’s harvest.
by Barry Cuff
Sponsored by Thorngrove Garden Centre
