It’s time to plant your veg. Just check the soil temperature first

IT’S all go in the kitchen garden at Harlow Carr this month with lots to plant out and sow. Even though seed packets say you can sow the crop in April, be very aware that up North we can still get hard frosts to the end of April and early May, and that extra protection may be needed on some crops.

April is a good time to start sowing some crops as the soil should have started to warm up. Seeds germinate at different temperatures but rarely at soil temperatures below 7°C, so before sowing check the temperature of the soil using a soil thermometer, available from most garden centres. Repeat this a couple times a day to see if you got an accurate reading the first time and try it in other areas of your plot too. If the reading is under the required temperature, you can warm the soil up by covering the ground with plastic sheets, cloches, straw or even placing bottomless bottles over the soil.

Direct sowing – directly into the ground – is a method mostly used for root vegetables such as beetroot, carrots, radish, parsnips, none of which can be transplanted easily. Broad beans, lettuce, muzuna, salsify and some other hardy crops such as peas are also suitable for direct sowing if the soil is warm enough.

There are several techniques used in direct sowing:

  • Narrow drills are the standard method for sowing crops such as radish, carrots and beetroot, using a trowel to make a thin drill at an even depth. The seed is then spaced thinly along the drill. Cover the seeds with the soil and firmly tap down to ensure good contact.
  • Wide drills are used for crops like peas or broad beans that do not require any thinning. The drills are about 10cm wide with a flat bottom. You can create the drills using a swannecked hoe.
  • Broad-casting is a method used for scattering seed over the surface of the soil, and then firmly raking in just below the surface. Thinly scattering the seed will mean little thinning is required and this method is suitable for crops like Carrots, Green Manures and Radish. Tap down the soil using the back of a rake to ensure contact with the soil.
  • Single sowing is used for crops like broad beans. Make a hole with a dibber and put in the seed to the required depth and cover with soil. The seeds are sown at the correct spacing so no thinning is required.
  • Station sowing is a technique used where two or three seeds are sown together, at the appropriate distance along the row. Station sowing is used for larger seed such as beetroot and parsnips which have erratic germination.

Once they have germinated, select the strongest and discard the weakest.

Vegetables such as courgettes, sweetcorn, runner beans, French beans and squashes are known as tender vegetables. Tender vegetables are vulnerable to our cold climates and cannot withstand frost, so must be started in a warmer environment such as a greenhouse, and then gradually hardened off by placing them in a slightly colder environment, such as a coldframe . If you do not gradually harden them off, they will suffer shock from the sudden change of climate. If you do not have a greenhouse, you can simply sow seeds in a pot and cover them up with a plastic bag and place them on your windowsill.

Watch out for pests as young seedlings can be vulnerable; a good tip is to cover your crops as soon as they germinate so that the pests cannot beat you to it. Protecting crops with horticultural fleece will save them from cold and frosty nights. This will also help speed the growth.

TO DO THIS WEEK

  • Continue to keep on top of weeds on your plot, pull out the weeds as soon as they germinate and definitely before they set seed!
  • Plant out sweet peas and support with sticks from your garden, tie them up to supports as they grow.
  • Thin out seedlings as soon as they are large enough to be handled.
  • Continue sowing outside in a well-prepared soil if conditions allow.