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What to do now: fruit and veg
Reproduced from February 07 issue of Gardeners' World magazine. This month's issue on sale now. Subscribe now by direct debit and save 25 per cent.
soil testing...shallots...bare-root bushes...
Stock up on shallots
Shallots are one of the earliest crops to plant outside and bulbs are now available from garden centres and mail-order suppliers. Plant 15cm apart in rows about 20cm apart. This gives them room to grow and provides access in between to hoe out weeds. Place bulbs with their tips just below soil level, and trim off any dry, wispy tops to prevent birds tugging them out. Onion sets can be planted in March - more advice next month. Plus, turn to p82 for Pippa's home-grown onions.
Don't forget your fruit!
This is your final call for planting bare-root fruit bushes, trees and cane fruits. Warmer weather in March will encourage these into growth, so planting must be completed as soon as possible. For the widest range of fruit, contact specialist nurseries for a catalogue. During winter, they will despatch dormant bare-root plants, but the planting season for these is drawing to a close. Container-grown plants will be available to plant later in the year, but these are too heavy to send by post so you will need to find a local supplier, who is unlikely to offer the wide range available from specialists.
Put soil to the test
Not all soils are the same, so although you can tell something of a soil by the way it looks and feels, you cannot determine its chemical make-up in this way. Digging and handling your soil and studying it after rain can tell you how waterretentive
or free-draining it is and how light or heavy, but it won't tell you which nutrients are readily available or its pH. The pH is a measure of the alkalinity or acidity of the soil and is important because it directly affects the availability of nutrients to plant roots. Use a simple soil test kit or meter to measure the pH of your soil. If it's too acid or too alkaline, take measures to change it to a neutral pH6.5, which is ideal for most crops.
February sowing guide
The following crops can be sown this month:
Indoors
- Brussels sprouts
- spring cabbage
- cauliflower
- onions
- leeks
- lettuce
- salad leaves
Outdoors
- broad beans
- carrots
- hardy peas
- parsnips
- lettuce
- Finish winter-pruning fruit trees and soft fruits.
- Cut back the stems of autumn-fruiting raspberries to soil level.
- Chit seed potatoes.
- Plant Jerusalem artichokes as a windbreak on exposed plots.
- Cover the areas you will need for early seed sowing with polythene or cloches.
- Sprinkle sulphate of potash around fruit trees and bushes.
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