Spring has sprung but with the chance of frost still lurking, what’s the best approach for your allotment or veg garden right now? Ecologist and gardener Becky Searle shares her expert tips in her latest blog - from planning your plot and tackling weeds to boosting your soil health...
It’s that time of year again, where, as Charles Dickens would say, it’s “summer in the light and winter in the shade”. That first tingle of sunshine warming our skin sets off a chain of events for gardeners. Not only does it give us the push we sometimes need to get out and start sowing seeds, it also triggers germination of those seeds and the beginning of a new cycle on our allotments. I have the pleasure of looking out at my allotment site from my house, and I see so many people going to their plots, because they are drawn outside, but other than sowing seeds, they aren’t sure where to start. So here’s a few things we can do right now to prepare for the coming season.
Get on top of your weeds
Weeds can compete with our plants for light and space, they can create hazards in our paths, and worst of all, they multiply at an alarming rate! Whilst it is great to leave some weeds for our wonderful pollinators – particularly dandelion are an important early food source for bees – we also need to be choosy about where we allow weeds. Clearing weeds from your beds and paths now can significantly help you in the months that follow. Large stubborn weeds like brambles will need to be dug out. Plants that spread underground like couch grass, nettles and bindweed should be pulled out. Rosette-forming weeds like thistle, dandelion and ragwort should be pulled out too, but carefully so as to not break the root. These weeds can all regrow from a fragment of root, so carefully does it! Other smaller weeds can be hoed out using a sharp hoe.
Plan
On those days where it is winter in both the shade and the light, take the time to do some planning. Planning your allotment can be the difference between a successful growing year and a terrible one. It will allow you to understand how many seeds you need to sow, and where you will be planting them once they’re big enough to go out. This also allows you to play with companion planting, and have a coherent vision for how it’ll all fit together. It’s a good idea to think about using larger plants as wind breaks, where you will put your supports, making sure not to cast shade on sun-loving plants, and how you will water particularly thirsty crops.
I am always surprised by just how many crops it takes to fill an allotment, especially one of a decent size, so planning can help you make sure you are making the best of your space.
Improve the Soil
Regardless of what type of soil you have on your allotment, or in your garden, it will likely be lacking in organic matter. Especially where we grow vegetables, we are continuously taking organic matter away so that we can eat it. We have to keep tidy beds so as to deter pests, and the net result is that the soil gets a bit hungry! The organisms that live within the soil feed on organic matter in two forms: the first is from dead organic matter. The second is from live plant roots, that actively pump carbohydrates and sugars down into the soil to feel the soil organisms. These are called root exudates. So, if you don’t have live plants in the soil, you should cover it with mulch. This will help to suppress the weeds too, keeping the balance of nutrients in the soil more in favour of steady growth than the fast growth we see in weeds. Utilising all the spaces in your beds is a great way to improve the soil, so bear this in mind when planning. Even if you just grow something like dwarf beans, radish, rocket or turnips in the soil and put them into the compost heap when they’re done, you will be helping to improve the soil and keep weeds at bay. Plus, you will be making more compost for next year’s mulch.
We recommend using compost as a mulch for one simple reason; it doesn’t create habitat for slugs and woodlice. Whilst these creatures are an important part of the garden ecosystem, they can present huge challenges for us gardeners when we are trying to grow things from seed such as carrots.
Minimising the disturbance to your soil will also help to improve it over time. The organisms in the soil take the compost, fallen leaves and root exudates and turn them into sticky sugars. These hold together the particles in the soil, creating good soil structure. The moment we dig our soil, the glues are exposed to the air where they break down. It also breaks fungal hyphae that are important for holding together soil structure. With this in mind, try to limit your disturbance of the soil to just when you need to plant something.
Leave some crops
Lastly, you may have some crops still left over from last year. Whilst many will be good to harvest for another few months until they go to seed, some are beneficial just as flowers. Kale is a great example of this. Their small yellow, star-shaped flowers are brilliant for attracting tiny wasps. Particularly the tiny wasp that parasitises cabbage white caterpillars – the very same ones that eat our kale and other brassicas in summer! So, leaving these to flower is a brilliant way of bolstering your defences for the summer months. Allowing radishes, rocket and other brassicas to flower will do the same.
Allowing crops to go to flower also has another key benefit; we can save the seeds. With the cost of living ever-increasing, seeds too are becoming more expensive. By saving your own seeds, you will not only save yourself money, but you will also allow plants to adapt to the specific conditions of your allotment or garden, allowing you to grow tailor-made plants. Try to choose the seeds from your best performing individual plants to save. If you want to know more about seed saving, I have written a box of cards called The Seed Collectors Kit. Each card is illustrated and has the details of different plants and how to save their seeds, and how to sow them the following year. There is also a booklet with information on seed saving and some envelopes to store seeds!
Becky
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About me:
Becky Searle is an ecologist and gardener best known for her Instagram account @sow_much_more. Her new book Grow a New Garden takes an ecological approach to planning, designing and creating a garden from scratch, or transforming your existing space. With a whole chapter on soil, and lots of information on balancing your garden ecosystem, this book is a mine of information for new and experienced gardeners alike.