OwnGrown

Sow Tomatoes mid March March in Jiffy pots (2 seeds per pot and remove the smaller plant later) inside for later planting outside. See last year’s entry under Tomatoes for more detail. Click on “Tomatoes” on the right for everything connected with tomatoes.

Peas Onward were sown earlier than last year in mid March. Sown 5 cms (2″)apart in drills 5 cms (2″) deep, 10 cms (4″) wide with 60 cms (2′) between rows. They need some form of netting support 1.2m (4′) high. Cropping July onwards. Another batch will be sown in about 6 weeks at the end of April to give an extended period of use. Mice may be a problem soon after sowing - see the section on mice in the Pests page.

Sowed Masterpiece Green Longpod earlier than last year in mid March - 5cms (2″) deep, 10cms (4″) apart, in rows 30 cms (12″) wide. They will start appearing after about 3 weeks. They can be sown under cover earlier in pots or tubes and then transplanted to the final site. Different varieties are sown at different times - November to late winter / early spring.

The onions from last year did not keep as well as usual so we had run out by late January. The reason was probably related to getting wet whilst drying. This year Hercules onion sets have again been planted about 4-6″ apart in rows 12″ apart and Hyred red onion sets as a trial. These are also planted 4-6″ apart in rows 12″ apart. Plenty of wood ash was mixed in to the soil beforehand and now there is only weeding to do until they are lifted in August. You can use seed instead of sets ansd sow in the Autumn.

Tip - click on “Lettuce” on the right to see last years entries about lettuce. Sowed lettuce Webbs Wonderful, Marvel of 4 Seasons and Little Gem about a month earlier than last year in Jiffy pots inside. Started germinating after a few days, thinned out to one plant per pot and planted outside towards the end of March - some under cloches.

Transplanted the chilli seedlings when about 2″ tall to 9″ (23 cm) pots. These will remain indoors until June when they will go outside if it is warm. Growth in the first three months is slow (4-6″ high plants depending on type) so be patient - it then speeds up considerably but we still have another two or three months before picking the ripe chillies as shown here.