At last, spring has arrived. At the beginning of the month the weather was cold and the plot was bare. The only signs of life were swelling of the buds on the red currants and black currants. Now the signs of new life are all around. Spring came late but April was a good month for gardening.

The shallots (Red Sun) and garlic (White) in section A, both brought on in Rootrainers in the greenhouse, have been planted out. Last year a few of the shallots bolted. This can be a problem with early planting.  This year I’ve planted half a row straight into the ground at the same time as the greenhouse ones were planted.  Thus they are a month later. Results will be noted. Often later sowings and plantings catch up with the earlier ones. Garlic doesn’t have a bolting problem. Similarly, last year’s Red Baron onions had some bolting. This year they were planted two weeks later than the Setton. Peas (Green Shaft and Onward) are growing in the greenhouse and the first of the successional sowings of sweet corn (Sugar Buns) has been planted out in the ground in the greenhouse. Again, they were brought on in Rootrainers.

Not so much green growth yet in section B. The catch crop of first early potatoes, planted in the area that later has leeks, has had a little earthing up to protect the sprouts from frost. April’s sowings of leeks (Musselburgh) and parsnips (Countess) have still to show through the ground. The beetroot (Boltardy) and courgettes (Defender) are still in the greenhouse.

Successional sowings of brassicas (section C) give steady cropping. This doesn’t apply to the sprouts. I used to grow and early and a later variety. Apart from their good behaviour and flavour, Maximus starts cropping early and continues until March. I now grow only Maximus, a worthy replacement for Peer Gynt. They were planted out from their Rootrainers on the 29th. The first of the successional sowings of summer cabbage (Minicole) calabrese (Chevalier) and cauliflower (Candid Charm), brought on in the greenhouse, are almost ready for planting out. Swedes (Angela) will be sown early in May. As soon as I plant out any brassicas I protect them from pigeon damage with hooped guards of wire mesh. Pigeons can strip new plants down to a bare stalk overnight.

The second early, early maincrop and maincrop potatoes in section D have all had their emerging shoots protected from frost by a little earthing up.

By the end of May the plot, apart from transplanting the leeks, will be fully planted up. The busyness of seed time will be over for another year. But germination time for weeds never ends.

B. A, Plotter