After what seemed like weeks of continuous rain, the weather finally perked up and it was so good to get down to the allotment at last to get important jobs done. April is a busy time on the allotment and it's important to get seeds started off and plants in the ground.
The first job I wanted to do was get the early peas and broad beans planted. I had started these off in the greenhouse weeks ago. The broad beans were grown in cardboard tubes and the peas in lengths of guttering. They were both looking really healthy and strong. Last year when I did the peas in gutters I had quite a poor germination. So this year I sowed more seeds in the guttering. The variety is Douce Provence, one I have not grown before. As you might expect, this year it looked like 100% germination, so there were an awful lot of pea seedlings! They were sown in three short lengths of guttering which fitted easily in the greenhouse.
The pea and bean bed had been well prepared in the autumn with a layer of manure. A few weeks ago I weeded and hoed the bed and applied some blood, fish and bone fertiliser. So I was all ready to start. I made a trench about a couple of inches deep and six inches wide, slid the pea seedlings out of the guttering directly into the trench, then tucked them in carefully. In past years I used long lengths of gutter and found it difficult to slide them out, but using the shorter lengths was much easier and because I had sown so many peas they had rooted well together.
Next was the broad beans which I planted about four inches apart still in the cardboard tubes which will rot down in time. I had enough to plant a double row, about ten inches apart. There are two varieties, The Sutton and Express, which I also grew last year. The peas and beans will need some support and I will do that soon before they start growing properly.
That was enough work for one afternoon and there's still plenty to do, but it's good to see things growing in the ground again.
We tried sowing peas in guttering with little success. For us we find direct sowing works best.
ReplyDeleteWe just need an improvement in the weather as our gardening was paused last week.
All your planting look wonderful! Forgot to sow broad beans but will now! Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteI was interested too to read about you planting the seeds in guttering. We tried that a few years ago but found it was difficult to transplant the seedlings. Did you have any problems with this? Sarah x
ReplyDeleteWhen I am transplanting them, I make a shallow trench in the soil and then carefully scoop the seedlings out into the trench and pat the soil around them. I think sowing the seeds thickly helps as it allows for any which don't take well
DeleteI'd love to try the guttering trick but we don't have a greenhouse at the allotment and I can't see us managing to transport them there intact so I grow mine in loo roll tubes and try not to overwater them!
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