The Mid March Garden.

'Aquadulce Claudia' broad beans.

The weather has been completely mad the last week or so. It started with warm sunny weather with spring like temperatures. Then came snow, then sun, then snow and so on… Saturday was damp but mild with the sun trying hard to get out. Woke this sunday morning to a very wet, partially flooded garden after heavy rain overnight. Now as I sit at the computer, it’s snowing, heavily… and laying!! Never mind mad March hares, it’s mad March weather!!

Still there is lots of work to be done inside. I have seedlings to pot on… Tomato, lettuce, leek and flowers seedlings need to be moved into individual pots or modules, and if this weather continues, I will be starting lots more veg inside.

I have started sweet peas in toilet tubes and they are growing well in the cold growhouse. As the soil is so cold and wet, I decided to start some parsnips in toilet tubes. After filling the cardboard tubes with multi purpose compost and placing them in a tray, I sowed 2-3 seeds per tube covering lightly with more sieved compost. When they germinate, I will thin the seedlings to one per tube. I wont pull out the unwanted seedlings, but snip them with a pair of small sharp scissors. This is so the roots of the remaining seedling are not damaged. I have heard others have used this growing method with good success. With the weather the way it is I think it’s worth a try. I will plant out the seedling complete with tube before the roots reach the bottom of the tube. Hopefully this will prevent any damage and still give a good mature root.

My early Amsterdam forcing carrots that I sowed a couple of weeks ago have germinated well. I sowed them thinly into a tub of compost in the cold conservatory and covered them over with bubble wrap. After a week, I then checked them every day till I saw the seedlings coming through. Using 4 large plant labels to keep the bubble wrap off the seedlings, I lightly cover them each night with the bubble protection. They will stay inside for an early crop.

My Karmazyn broad beans plants that I grew from seedparade seeds are doing fine outside, snug under a fleece tunnel. I have more broad beans now growing inside that will go out in a few weeks. My seed raised onion and leek seedling are growing if only slowly, still they cant be planted out for weeks yet. I still have mature leeks out in the raised bed that are standing well, I better get more soup made tomorrow!

See also  Growing Kale.

Although this weather is disapointing and it seems like we are taking a step backward for every step forward, we will get out into the garden or allotment to get some real gardening done soon, I’m sure of it….. Keep the faith. The snowdrops love it!!

Helen Fowler
Born in Middlesbrough. Moved to live in rural North Yorkshire in late teens. Moved back to the town in my 30's to live near Stockton on Tees. Then after a divorce and a serious accident I moved back to rural North Yorkshire near Thirsk, where I live now. I am a passionate gardener, a keen amateur photograper, I love travel, music, anything artistic and I have a great love of nature and the natural world. I have gardened since my teens and I lived and worked on a farm for years. I have owned or have experience with most pets and domestic animals. I hope by sharing my own experiences and the personal knowledge I have gained over the years, to help and encourage others to gain the most from their gardening efforts.

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