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Growing Your Own Vegetables
Growing vegetables easily and quickly. A Demonstration at Hosfords. for more information click here
Growing your own vegetables is a highly topical subject.
It is a subject very much of its time.
There is much talk and discussion on the media of traceability of our daily food requirements,food miles, carbon footprint .
You can make a real difference by growing your own!
You are in charge of what inputs are put in the soil,so you know exactly what is happening.You are also very much in charge of what varieties you grow.This a huge advantage because by buying in the supermarkets your choice is dictated by their range.
Grow your own and you can try out just released varieties or grow some of the heirloom varieties.The Brown Envelope range produced by Madeline Mc,Keever has a wealth of fascinating varieties.Do look at the great range of tomatoes in the range.
Now is a time to consider a polytunnel or glasshouse.
Having your own greenhouse gives you some independence over the weather.You can of course work there in all weathers. A greenhouse should be sited in a sunny,sheltered position,orientated east-west to maximise winter light in short day periods.
Polytunnels come in a range of sizes-typical sizes available at Hosfords include-16x12ft.,24x12ft.,32x12ft.
.The foundations tubes are concreted in and allowed to settle.
Polythene should be put on incalm,warm conditions. Anti-hot spot tape is recommended between the metal of the framework and the polythene and this is the most vulnerable area.
If you are growing in the greenhouse soil dig in plenty of Gee-Up prior to planting and get rid of all weeds.
Sowing seeds
It is now high season for sowing seeds.Everything should be scrupulously clean,seed trays,compost,potting bench and your own hands. If you don’t practice good hygiene standards with seed sowing you can end up with a lot of losses and collapsed seedlings.
You should fill up a seed tray 2/3 of the way with a seed &potting compost-there are a range of brands available,we Normally use the Shamrock brand-they have both a seed &potting compost &Organic Gold.
Once you have filled the tray with compost ,level it with a builders float,water one hour prior to sowing using a watering can with a very fine rose.
Then sow your seeds evenly and carefully.
Cover the seed with a layer of vermiculite.Cover your sown&covered seed tray with a clean sheet of polythene and then cover this with a sheet of newspaper-a broad sheet newspaper is best because of its greater size &subsequent coverage.
The Tray should then be placed in a warm place with a consistent temperature. An electric propagator is ideal.There are a variety of these available in varying levels of sophisicaton. The cheaper models around euro 40-50.00 normally hold one standard seed tray and they move up then to models that will hold up to 3 trays and have thermostatically controlled features,so you can achieve the optimum temperature for your seeds.You will find this temperature on the reverse of the packets,incidentally the reverse of seed packets normally contains a wealth of information,don,t discard this information lightly.
Seeds of vegetables such as Melons, Cucumbers, Marrows, pumpkins, Squashes, Runner beans,Peas,French beans,Sweet corn can all be sown direct into 3” peat pots.
Sow as described above for sowing in the seed trays.Use a tray underneath the peat pots because they can become brittle and disintegrate quickly when they become moist.
Sow the above mentioned any time now during the month of April/ First half of May.Sowing time is important. If you sow these items too early they would have too far for proper establishment and it would be too early to safely plant them outside.
By sowing now you will have nice sturdy plants to plant outside at the end of May/ early June when all frosts are,(hopefully) over. Fleece is a valuable product to have on standby in case of late frosts or damaging winds.
Vegetable plants that have been grown in peat pots can be planted with pot and all into the ground where the pot will bidegrade away.
Protect against rabbits, slugs &pidgeons.
Vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, parsnips,lettuce,radish can all be sown directly into the ground.
Make provision for staking of runner beans,climbing French beans& peas. Use netting or willow wigwams.The wigwams can be both a highly ornamental feature as well as being highly functional.
New products-for 2008
Grazers is a new award winning product which lasts for up to 6 weeks to protect against rabbits.It is systemic and is absorbed through the leaves.A250ml. bottle is sufficient to spray up to 1600 sq.metres. There is no smell,it is safe to use on edible crops,harmless to pets.www.grazers.co.uk
There is a new Bug Clear product for vine weevil,now approved and now on
Further reading-The Greenhouse Expert by Dr.D.G.Hessayon,
Gardening under Plastic by Bernard Salt
Grow your own Vegetables by Joy Larkcom published by Frances Lincoln.
The Concise Guide to Self Sufficiency-John Seymour.-Dorling Kindersley.
Reminders
Spray apples &pears against scab with Captan.
Control moss on paths, drives, glasshouses and patios,lawns with Armillatox.
Start spraying roses against blackspot & mildew with Roseclear or Captan.
Continue planting of seed potatoes.
Plant container grown raspberries,strawberries.
Strawberries may be grown in pots ,hanging baskets, window boxes,terracotta pots and grow- bags-water in well at planting time.
John B.Hosford,
john@hosfordsgardencentre.ie
www.hosfordsgardencentre.ie
023-8839159
Growing vegetables easily and quickly. A Demonstration at Hosfords
The Garland Grow Bed-advantages – Quick& easy to assemble, Takes up minimal space. Drains easily. Low Maintenance Less backache. Stores away easily at end of season
The compost-Horizon compost at base from recycled material. Remainder filled with Shamrock compost.
The Plants
Tomato at back= Ferline-new blight resistant variety from Thompson&Morgan.
Tomato to front-Gardeners Delight-old variety,good outdoors with a legendary flavour. Lettuce-24 plants in variety –intercropping to maximise utilisation of space,prior to tomatoes reaching maturity.
Strawberry “Elan”-sown this year-will crop in 2008.
Nasturtium “Empress of India”-sown direct into soil-red flowers/bronze foliage-can be sown March to June.
Subsequent Care-
Protect against slugs especially lettuce. Tomatoes Should be staked &tied in at regular intervals. Liquid feed using a seaweed based feed available at Hosfords
A treatment of slug pellets with animal repellent were applied on planting day-27th.April,2008. Further details from-Hosfords Geranium&Garden Centre Ltd. tel.023-8839159 www.hosfordsgardencentre.ie e-mail john@hosfordsgardencentre.ie
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