Hi all,
Spring in the Community Garden 2013,please see some of our photo`s.We have frog spraw in our pond,first daff. flower in the garden.Some plants showing growth.Enjoy them.



View from above
 



Primulas

Some more flowers

First daff. of 2013 in the garden

Signs of growth

Rhubarb stools in growth     



 

Pond



 

 

Frog spawn



What to be doing in the Community Garden now 

Harvest

Any leeks left standing should come up now – you can freeze them for use in soups and stews.

Parsnips too should come up in early March before they try and re-grow. You may have spinach beet and chards available, the last of the late Brussels sprouts, winter cauliflowers, kale, swedes, salsify and scorzonera. Don't forget to keep checking the purple sprouting!

General Jobs in the Plot

Have a good tidy up and finish those odd construction jobs because you are going to be busier still later in the year. If you have any horticultural fleece, you can peg that onto the ground a week or so before you plant. The small rise in temperature of the soil can make a big difference

Sowing, Planting and Cultivating

If the weather permits you can plant your onion and shallot sets. March is usually the right time to establish an asparagus bed if you are starting from crowns.  Mid-March should let you start planting those early potatoes you've had chitting and talking of root crops, you can plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers now.

Vegetables to Sow

  Beetroot, Broad Beans,  Early peas (but they may do best started in a gutter in the greenhouse then slipped into a trench)   Brussels sprouts – early varieties like Peer Gynt will be ready in September, Kohlrabi,  Leeks, Lettuce, Radish, Parsnips, Spinach Beet,  Early turnips.

Sow in Heat

Your windowsill or a propagator in the greenhouse will come into use now to start off your tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and cucumbers.

Under Cloche

Summer cabbages and early cauliflowers, early carrots will get away best under a cloche. If you set your cloche up a week or two beforehand, it will warm up the soil so you will get even better results.Many of the crops you can sow directly will also benefit from cloching, especially if you grow in the north of the country, or start off seeds in modules in a cool greenhouse or coldframe and then plant out later.

Fruit

Planting and Pruning

There is still time to finish planting bare root fruit trees and bushes, especially raspberries and other cane fruits. Early this month you can still prune apple and pear trees while they are still dormant. It's also time to prune gooseberries and currants. With currants shorten the side shoots to just one bud and remove old stems from the centre of the bushes. They'll benefit from some compost spread around the base as well.

 

Willie