Veg to grow for late spring

Vegetables are relatively hardy and the seeds can be sown either in the greenhouse or on a sunny windowsill, and once germinated they can be pricked out into small pots or seed trays. They cannot be put outside until they have been hardened off.

Spring onions are an examples of what you can grow, good for salads. Lettuce is good too, but sow only a few seeds at a time otherwise you will have a glut of lettuce maturing all at the one time and it will not store well.

The same applies to tomato seeds, sow seeds of different varieties such as cherry-sized, beefsteak and yellow, as you will be limited on how many full-sized plants you can get in the averaged-sized greenhouse.

Onion sets can be planted outdoors in early April as can garlic bulbs and main crop leeks can also be sown indoors. Carrot seeds can be planted either in the ground or in large containers.

Seeds of summer brassicas can be planted any time now and allowed to germinate before planting into seed trays or small pots peppers and chillies should be kept in the greenhouse as they are quite slow growing. Bear in mind that the hotter the chilli is the longer it will take to ripen.

Seeds of herbs can also be planted in readiness for planting out in a few months from now, but do take care if planting mint it must be grown in a container otherwise it will spread all over the garden and maybe even beyond.

Parsley, finally, has a long germination time. Old folklore often said that parsley went to hell before it germinated but there are ways in which the process can be hastened. Parsley is good to grow as a border in the vegetable patch.

Flit Spray multi-functional mister

Last week the members of Gourock Horticultural Society who hold their fortnightly garden talks in Cardwell Garden Centre were introduced to the Flit Spray multi-functional mister which has many uses for the gardener, both indoors and outdoors, and it is relatively inexpensive costing just £11 including packaging and delivery.

The sprayer utilises a plastic bottle which costs nothing and helps to reduce plastic waste. The sprayer can be used for watering plants and feeding to name just a few other uses including indoor houseplants.

Those attending the meeting were quite intrigued with the sprayer and a number of members chose to order one for themselves and these have now been delivered to yours truly.

Supplied from Medwyn Williams of Anglesey the spray comes complete with spare washers and apart from the plastic drinks bottle which you can pick up anywhere the sprayer is inexpensive and has many uses around the home and the garden.

The important factor is to make sure that you label the bottle with what you have used in it, particularly if you have used feeding products or insecticides and, of course, you must also wash out the sprayer itself.

In addition to the sprayer, the members also discussed the use of old egg boxes which are ideal for using to 'chit' seed potatoes. First early potatoes can be planted at the end of this month or the first week in April. Second earlies should be planted a couple of weeks later with main crop being planted mid-May. The earlies should be ready for harvesting around the end of June.

Remember potatoes can be grown in sacks or large containers and there are many kits being advertised in many magazines just now available by mail order or you can obtain them from your local garden centre.

Next garden talk

Members of Gourock Horticultural Society hold their next talk in Cardwell Garden Centre on Tuesday April 9 when some of the staff from Parklea Branching Out Project will be visiting and talk about growing wild flowers.

The meeting commences at 2pm and anyone interested in attending is welcome to bring a friend.

Planting spring bulbs

If you are planting spring bulbs such as lilies make sure you add some sand or grit to the planting hole, particularly if the soil or compost is wet and soggy. Otherwise the base of the bulb may rot.

This will apply to summer flowering bulbs such as liliums, dahlias and Gladioli and Gloxinia. I would also do the same when planting late flowering summer blooms, as it is all very easy to ruin the growth and spoil your summer flowers.

Even if your planta are not bulbs but are plants such as shrubs such as roses it is always best to add some sand or grit to the planting hole so that the roots will not become too wet and rot. The same applies when planting onion sets and garlic in the vegetable patch, so that the base of the onion sets and garlic cloves will not become soaking wet.

Similarly, when digging over any parts of the vegetable patch try and do the job when the soil is relatively dry. This will make each spadeful lighter but it will also avoid compaction of the soil too.

It is always a good idea to use a plank of wood to stand on as you move along the bed to avoid compaction. The same drill should apply when digging or turning over raised beds. When planting large containers and tubs lift the bottom of the container up above the ground so that excess water can drain from the container. Proprietary pot feet can be used or even a couple of bricks will suffice.