Blog Archives

I've only just got my allotment straight and the soil is a bit ropey in places. What are the best things to put in the rough spots?

29/5/2015

Two crops are ideal for ropey old newly-cleared areas, couregttes (plus the squash family) and potatoes.

You'll still find seed potatoes around and you should be able to get them for next to nothing (10p a pack in B&Q last time I looked). It doesn't matter whether you choose a main crop or an earlt as we have a good long season here, but if you see one which is recommended as 'blight-resistant' that is a big plus when you are planting later than usual.

Don't worry about 'chitting' your seed potatoes (seen on the right) when planting late, just put them straight in.

0 Comments

Late frosts

1/5/2015

0 Comments

We have just had a rather sharp frost. One doesn't expect to be scraping ice off the car this late in the year. But just how late can we expect a frost in this part of Kent?

The books say we can expect a frost any time up to the end of the first week in June. This would be most unusual - although some years ago a real below-zero frost killed all the tender stuff in late May. In general, you can be fairly sure that you are safe from mid-May onwards, although keeping a 'weather eye' on the forecasts is alway advisable.

Plants can be protected from a 'ground frost' (also know as a grass frost) by the lightest covering - a bit of net or a sheet of newspaper. The easiest way to get a good forecast for the week is to watch Countryfile on Sunday night!

0 Comments

I've only just got my allotment straight and the soil is a bit ropey in places. What are the best things to put in the rough spots?

Late frosts

Kent's climate is drier, hotter and has a longer growing season than the average for the UK. Advice in gardening books may not fit Kent. This blog has local tips on what will grow and when to do garden jobs.

Archives

Categories