Gardening Blog
Allotment Diary
February 3, 2009: organic growing tricks
Terry Walton is a gardener who really knows his onions, and he generously passes on his tips here
January exited in the same way it began with those cold winds whipping in from the east. I am always a bit more contented as a gardener when January is over, as it is the most difficult and under-used month in the gardening calendar. Long, dark nights and wildly varying weather patterns.
So it is a welcome to our shortest month of the year, yes February is with us. Only twenty eight days in this one. I am campaigning for a radical change in the calendar! Why not make January and December 28 days as well and take these extra days and spread them through the summer months? This would make the winter shorter and we could all enjoy the benefit of longer sunny days of summer. Come on: join my campaign!
Still the days are lengthening and soon spring will be heralded in and our longer gardening days will be back. But don't get too excited yet. This week could have a very icy blast of winter about it and everything will be on hold.
After several winters of unusual gardening phenomenon, this winter is back to normal. No February flowering daffodils in my garden this year and those bush and tree leaves are keeping themselves tightly curled inside their protective buds.
Despite the coldness of these present days our seed potatoes, shallots and onion sets have arrived. These certified little potato tubers must be protected well from the frosty nights. I put mine in trays that normally hold eggs with their eyes pointed skywards to chit away and star gaze. There are housed in my light, airy, frost-free shed.
As soon as this present cold snap ends, my shallots will be planted out. These hardy little souls will come to no harm just below the surface of the soil. They will make a great root system before sending up those spiky clusters of green shoots.
The onion sets will remain in a seed tray in a dry place for a couple of months yet. But the arrival of these perfect, small, golden globes will give me the impetus to prepare well the bed where they will grow, weather permitting of course.
So soon it will be time to bid farewell to my green, green grass of home. The autumn sown rye grass and vetch has done its job and it can be turned back into the soil to give this onion patch plenty of green nourishment. Where my onions are grown is given plenty of attention and, as well as the green manure, it is liberally dressed with horse manure, plus, to give it an extra nitrogen boost a scattering of pigeon manure is spread over it. Keep this secret formula to yourselves as I don't want everyone growing show bench-sized onions.
This super organically rich area will give the perfect growing conditions to allow the onions to thrive and swell their girth.
But one more little trick a week before planting is to rake a light dusting of lime into the surface to sweeten the soil and make all this goodness readily available to these greedy feeders.
In the warmth of the greenhouse the bold green shoots of the broad beans are appearing in their polystyrene vending cups. These cups are the perfect home for these young plants and help keep their ‘feet’ warm and is a cheap and cheerful way of recycling the by product of vending machines.
So wrap up warm this week and do what you can out on the plot. All these new arrivals are generating the enthusiasm to get started; it won’t be long so be patient.
More from Terry Walton
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.
