Gardening Blog
Allotment Diary
April 7, 2009: Easter eggs on the gardeners
The first long weekend of the year will see crowds of green-fingered enthusiasts in garden centres up and down the land, writes Terry Walton
A great spurt of growth is taking place as the days lengthen and the hedgerows all around take on a green canopy which seems to thicken daily. There is a deep coating of lush, light green foliage and around the garden this is interspersed with the vivid yellow of the forsythia trees. This colourful show of new growth brings cheer to gardeners in expectation of happy days ahead. However, even last weekend there was still an icy feel to the air as the sun went down.
This coming weekend sees busy days in the garden as Easter is with us. This brings the droves of late gardeners out into the open air. This is traditionally the first long bank holiday of the year and garden centres will be bustling with excited gardeners. Trolleys will be loaded with compost and a large array of plants as the latent gardeners return.
The allotment will also be a hive of activity, weather permitting of course, as ground is prepared and sowings commence at a pace. We veterans of the garden watch in amazement at the energy expended to get the plot underway. A few aching muscles will be the reward at the end of this period of activity for those who overdo it! But each gardener is different and the way you set about your allotment is entirely your choice.
There is a greater awareness these days of the need to protect crops sown early. Cloches have become a dominant feature on our hillside in recent years to protect these early sowings. A few pieces of wire or tube can easily become a supporting structure for a piece of polythene - and a cloche is born! Those with a little cash to spare can purchase more elaborate structures from local garden centres.
Myself I prefer to use fleece supported by homemade plastic hoops and this involves only a very modest outlay of cash. The benefit in my eyes of using fleece is that it ‘breathes’. It allows moisture to pas through and keeps the soil damp and when the sun shines it allows the excess moisture to pass back out. This prevents the soil from drying out too much and avoids the steamy hot environment which encourages fungal diseases. But whatever you use it will provide a warm home for these early sowings and give them a quicker start in life.
This year there is a definite upsurge in the number of people wanting to grow their own vegetables. Anyone can grow some crops irrespective of the space they have. For those who have no outside space, a few herbs and a some pots of salad leaves will thrive on a bright windowsill.
Where there is no ground available and just a patio or courtyard you can get more adventurous with containers and grow bags. These will provide all manner of vegetables to grace your kitchen table.
Those who have not grown vegetables before and usually have colourful flower borders can become urban revolutionaries. Mix the flowers in the borders with edible, colourful crops such as salad leaves and the brightly colourful leaves of beetroot and chard. A little parsley or the fern like leaves of the carrot will provide those delicate contrasts but at the same time provide a little food. A wigwam structure to house a few runner beans will provide a tasty backdrop.
Once you have the ‘bug’ to grow your own who knows where it might lead, you may soon be on a waiting list for an allotment.
More from Terry Walton
- March 31: busy with bees
- Terry Walton's weekly allotment diary
- Terry Walton's guide to getting an allotment
More gardening
- Grow your own mixed salad leaves
- How to grow herbs
- Get growing with the grandchildren
- Chat about gardening at Saga Zone
My Life On A Hillside Allotment
Terry Walton is a regular contributor to The Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 and has written a book called My Life on a Hillside Allotment, published by Bantam Press. The book is available from Amazon.
