Well summer holidays are over, the kids are back to school and at last we all have time to get back in the garden – perhaps over the break at Easter!

I hope you all celebrated with family and friends and were able to share with them some of the fruits/vegetables, which resulted from your spring labours.

Remember when watering, a deep soak once/twice a week is better than a lazy spray once a day. Also it is better to water where possible at the base of the plant, especially peppers, chillies, tomatoes, potatoes and aubergine ―these are all members of the same family and do not like damp leaves, especially in the evening.  It makes them much more susceptible to blight.

Exceptions to this are members of the cucumber family―pumpkins, courgettes / zucchini’s, cucumbers, rock and water melons, watering the leaves helps prevent mildew. Contrary to what you might think this is a disease of dryness, not moisture (as are most moulds), another good preventative for mildew is to spray with a mix of baking soda in water with a little milk added as a sticker (1 dessertspoon of each to a litre of water). Also remember that good, deep watering of these highly productive plants keeps the fruit swelling. You can stop once the melons have reached maturity.

I am constantly amazed and impressed at how much produce is growing in very small areas. No important rule says that vegetables cannot be mixed with flowers; in fact, as many gardeners have found out, this can be beneficial to both groups―the flowers feed the parents of the beneficial larvae that feed voraciously on harmful caterpillars: hoverflies and ladybirds immediately springing to mind.

Now is the time to get those leeks, which are a slow maturing plant, but do not take up much room, and members of the cabbage family planted to get a jump start on winter. I know white butterfly can be an absolute pest at the moment and will continue to be almost to winter if we have a long warm autumn. The simple solution to this is to cover with frost cloth, old net curtain, microclima or similar. I make a lightweight frame with four stakes and hold the cloth on with the largest bulldog clips I can find. Because this covering allows plenty of light through and is very light, careful covering will keep the butterflies away and the plants will lift the cover as they grow. This also gives them a bit of shade which they appreciate in this how weather. Another solution is spraying at 7 to 10 day intervals with neem oil or a small sprinkle of neem granules in the planting hole. This does not harm most beneficial insects because it is absorbed by the plant and has a systemic effect on chewing and sucking insects. There is no withholding period for picking and it is permitted under organic growing (if you are certified, it is a ‘restricted input’ and you must apply to your certifier for permission before use).

Lettuces are growing at great speed, but remember to water well and from December to March treat them as you treat yourself, keep in the shade from 11am to 3 pm or thereabouts. This prevents the lettuce getting stressed, bolting to seed and tasting bitter. This also applies to rocket, Chinese and Japanese greens. If your garden does not get much shade at this time, cover the lettuces as above and get a vastly improved salad.

We are often asked for mesclun; I would like to point out that these mixes are just the baby leaves of many green/red salad plants. They do not transplant well. The best way to get a continuous picking is to buy seed, put a good quality potting mix in such as a polystyrene fish box, wooden tray, shallow pots or similar (does not have to be very deep―5 to 10 cm) and scatter seed over, cover with a gentle sprinkle of sieved mix, water well and cover. Check daily to see if the seeds have sprouted; if so, water again and treat as for lettuces above. Cut leaves just above the growing point and you should be able to harvest 3 or 4 pickings.

We also note that carrots are being sold in punnets for transplanting. Transplanting of these babies does not produce a good carrot; the result will be twisted and deformed roots. It is almost impossible to transplant them and keep the root undamaged. We are going to trial Paris Market, which is a very short, tubby carrot and we will let you know the results. So sow them direct and if you mix with raddish, because these germinate in 2 or 3 days, this will remind you where you planted the carrots and the radishes will all have been picked before the carrots need the space. Another beneficial seed to mix with carrot is spring onion. Carrot seed need a very very light cover of soil over the seed, but they do not like to dry out, so again cover the seed plot and keep moist til they have sprouted.

Copyright © Pru Broughton 2009

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