Welcome to Spring!
It’s time to harvest the first rhubarb of the year and the last sprouts, celeriac, parsnips and swedes.
Sow a few seeds outdoors if you’ve covered and warmed the soil in preparation, and of course, it’s not waterlogged! Otherwise sow indoors or under cloches and in cold frames.
Plant first early potatoes, shallots, and garlic by the end of the month.
Bare root fruit trees and bushes should be planted now, trees into large pots please, not the ground. Next month when they’re no longer dormant will be too late.
Finish winter pruning gooseberries, blackcurrants, blueberries and autumn raspberries.
Apply fertilizers to boost the nutritional content of the soil before all the sowing and planting begins.
Thanks to all who were able to help at the working party last Saturday. Caroline and Nick, Linda, Alison, Claire and Duncan made a great difference to the hedge and woodchip path up by the tunnel, John, Jane and Lucinda cleared out the big open shed and now we have a covered area for constructing our fence panels to go round the ponds. We may try and do some midweek sessions and will put it out on the WhatsApp group so that anyone who may be available to help can. Reg and Lu repurposed some duckboards as a central walkway for the polytunnel which will hopefully be safer than walking those planks! Tea and cake was needed after all that, 2 hours later!
The gate padlock code will be changing soon and again we will let you know via WhatsApp when it’s happened.
We now have just one plot available. Please get in touch if you know of anyone who might like to start growing their own.
Finally, if you’d like to help out with any communal area jobs and, in particular can’t make the working party mornings, three jobs are needed to be kept on top of at the moment. In no particular order they are…
– Weeding around the raised beds by the sheds,
– Hedge trimming, and grass cutting up the central avenues. Thanks to everyone asking what they can do to help.
The next working party is 9 to 11am on Saturday 23rd March, tea/coffee and cake provided, let’s hope for pleasant weather!
Lucinda