LATE FEBRUARY IN THE GARDEN

LATE FEBRUARY IN THE GARDEN

  • Dig over vegetable beds and sprinkle lime (horticultural type), it’s a must for all vegetables except potatoes.
  • Perfect time for planting bare-rooted hedging.
  • On well-prepared beds plant out garlic and onions.
  • On a dry day get out the lawnmower and top the lawn.
  • Plant dahlia tubers in pots.

In an ideal world, all pruning of roses would have been carried out in December to January unfortunately, most of us do not live in that ideal world.  It’s high time to carry out rose pruning.  Spring growth has started and if you leave pruning much longer you’ll be cutting off a lot of new growth, putting your roses under pressure and actually delaying flowering time.  How much to prune will depend on the variety, hybrid teas, and floribundas which are the most popular type usually growing 3-4 feet in height are pruned back quite hard to within one foot off the ground or lower.  Remove dead or very light shoots completely, the remaining stems are cut back to just above outward facing buds, this will encourage the bush to remain open in the centre allowing more light and air thus reducing disease problems.  Shrub roses and the modern David Austin varieties will benefit from a lighter pruning.  Shorten back the main stems by a 1/3 and shorten back the side shoots on the main stems removing any very weak stems.  Follow much the same procedures for climbers, if you can tie in the stems at a 45% angle, this will result in more flowers and less growth.  Rambling roses should have been pruned in late summer, the procedure being to remove all stems that have just finished flowering and tie in the new fresh growths for the next flowering season.  If you missed this time slot, do it now or wait until next July or August, at most cut off some of the old stems, you will know by the colour, older stems tend to be grey/brown whereas younger stems will be green.  Now is the time to feed your roses with lots of good compost and a good quality granulated rose fertilizer.  Did you know that if you plant garlic beside your roses it helps to keep greenfly away and you can harvest the garlic in autumn?  If you’re planting garlic now put it in the fridge a couple of days beforehand and when planting push a clove or two into the ground 2” per rose bush and while you’re at it plant some parsley and this will intensify the scent, leave some room for Nepeta Kit kat which will be available in a month’s time.  All the above are a happy family benefitting from each other’s company.

January 17, 2021 — omearas gardencentre
Tags: February
EARLY FEBUARY IN YOUR GARDEN

EARLY FEBUARY IN YOUR GARDEN

With spring on the way, it's worth preparing your lawn for the season ahead. Try installing lawn edging which creates a neat and tidy appearance and makes maintenance easier.

  • Sprinkle sulphate of potash fertiliser around fruit bushes and trees.
  • Crops to sow in heated propagators include tomatoes, aubergines, onions, celery, and peppers.
  • Cut back the old foliage from ornamental grasses before growth begins - clip them to within a few centimetres of the ground.
  • Prune overwintered fuchsias back to one or two buds on each shoot.
  • Sow seeds of broad beans, carrots, hardy peas and parsnips outside in soil that's been warmed with cloches.
  • Lift and divide snowdrops still 'in the green' if you want to move them.
  • Prepare vegetable seed beds by removing all weeds and forking in plenty of compost. Cover prepared soil with sheets of black plastic to keep it drier and warmer in preparation for spring planting.
  • If you garden on heavy clay soil but want to make an early start in the garden, build raised beds before the growing season gets under way. The soil will warm up faster and raised beds drain quickly too.
  • If all you can see from your windows are unattractive sheds, composting areas, and bins this winter, think about using evergreen climbers such as Clematis Armandii or Clematis 'Freckles' to screen the area, or just to add winter interest. Bamboo plants also make a fantastic screen.
  • The weather is still cold this month so hang fat balls and keep bird feeders topped up to attract birds who will, in turn, eat pests in your garden.
  • Cut down willows and dogwoods.

Gardeners always like something new, but before I mention just a few for this year, I must start with one of my old favourites, lily of the valley. This plant has withstood the tests of time because of its beauty, if you have never seen them they are a bit like tufts of giant snowdrops which are highly scented, flowering in May/ June. Simple to grow and they will always do best in a little shade of trees or shrubs. Now is the time to get them in bulb form. I find if you leave it too late in spring the bulbs will have dried out in their packs. Now onto things edible, this year I think it best to plant potatoes that you won’t have to spray for blight. There are a number of varieties that are blight resistant and are still tasty. ‘Setanta’ is a good one for the midlands. Home-grown carrots are so, so tasty; I can never have enough of them. There is one variety called ‘Eskimo’ which by its name reveals that it will tolerate cold, it can be left in the ground thereby intensifying its flavour and can be harvested throughout the winter as needed.  Another carrot well worth considering especially if grown under cover is called ‘Nantes Frubund’ which is a very early cropper and can be sown now. Back to thinks more beautiful, new for 2013 is Thompson and Morgan’s Petunia ‘sparklers’ which has been chosen as flower of the year. This petunia has unique star shaped vibrantly coloured flowers, a great blast of colour to enhance your borders or containers all summer long. Last but not least, pink is always a winner in summer baskets  and this year Begonia ‘aromantics’ has it all, it’s a pink trailing begonia but now comes highly scented. It can be bought now in bulb form. Spring is closer than it might seem, so it’s time to get going!

January 17, 2021 — omearas gardencentre
Tags: February
TAKING CARE OF YOUR GARDEN IN FEBRUARY

TAKING CARE OF YOUR GARDEN IN FEBRUARY

  • With spring on the way, it's worth preparing your lawn for the season ahead. Try installing lawn edging which creates a neat and tidy appearance and makes maintenance easier.
  • Sprinkle sulphate of potash fertiliser around fruit.
  • Crops to sow in heated propagators include tomatoes, aubergines, onions, celery, and peppers.
  • Cut back the old foliage from ornamental grasses before growth begins - clip them to within a few centimetres of the ground.
  • Prune overwintered fuchsias back to one or two buds on each shoot.
  • Sow seeds of broad beans, carrots, hardy peas and parsnips outside in soil that's been warmed with cloches.
  • Lift and divide snowdrops still 'in the green' if you want to move them.
  • Prepare vegetable seed beds by removing all weeds and forking in plenty of compost. Cover prepared soil with sheets of black plastic to keep it drier and warmer in preparation for spring planting.
  • If you garden on heavy clay soil but want to make an early start in the garden, build raised beds before the growing season gets under way. The soil will warm up faster and raised beds drain quickly too.
  • If all you can see from your windows are unattractive sheds, composting areas, and bins this winter, think about using evergreen climbers such as Clematis Armandii or Clematis 'Freckles' to screen the area, or just to add winter interest. Bamboo plants also make a fantastic screen.
  • The weather is still cold this month so hang fat balls and keep bird feeders topped up to attract birds who will, in turn, eat pests in your garden.
  • Add height, structure and year-round interest to your garden, with a specimen tree.

Spring is fast approaching and shortly it will be time for planting out vegetable plants and seeds.  If you are a beginner and not just sure on how to start and which system to use, I hope you will find the following recommendations helpful.   The first bit of advice I would give anyone contemplating starting a vegetable patch for the first time is to think small.  There is nothing more off-putting than a large area at the bottom of the garden becoming an unproductive mess.  If you start small, sow varieties that are easy to grow, you will be making mistakes on a small scale and the success you have will encourage you to extend the area and if you decide that’s it’s just not for you the job of putting the area back into grass or maybe using it as a fruit growing area won’t be as daunting.  If you are starting off don’t expect to get it right all the time and as I have already said start with the easier crops salads, parsnips, carrots, cabbage, radishes, garlic, peas and beans and many more.  The location of your vegetable plot, the depth, and fertility of the soil are of paramount importance.  Vegetables will not do well if you grow them in too much shade and you will be disappointed with the return from heavy, wet soil.  Having chosen a reasonably sunny spot, preparation is next. If the area is in grass, this will have to be killed off, use Roundup or Resolva, they do the job efficiently and do not leave harmful residues in the soil.  At this stage you have to then decide are you going to do raised beds, lazy beds or ridges.  Let me explain all three and why one is preferable over the other.  Raised beds are a modern phenomenon , are usually constructed using some kind of timber, a typical raised bed would be 12-14 feet long, 4-6 feet wide and 1, 2 or 3 feet high filled with soil,  for all the world it’s a large box with no bottom.  This type of bed has lots of advantages, it’s easier to work on raised beds because of the height, you don’t have to bend as much.  The soil is usually drier which makes it easier to work with especially earlier in the season.  However, there are a number of possible disadvantages, the cost of the timber and the necessity to fill them with soil.  They dry out quicker than ground level beds so you may have to water more during the summer and some crops especially the ones that need a lot of room like potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli do better on level ground.  Raised beds are ideal for salads and varieties that like drier ground if your garden has to be shared with pets they’re a better option. Next week we will concentrate on lazy beds or ridges and the recipe for soil fertility.

January 17, 2021 — omearas gardencentre
Tags: February
WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING IN YOUR GARDEN IN MID FEBUARY

WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING IN YOUR GARDEN IN MID FEBUARY

Every moment spent in the garden and greenhouse in February can literally save you hours later on in the spring. Grab every opportunity to do a bit of gardening. Clean your pots and trays ready for sowing and cuttings. Now is the very best time to mulch your beds and borders, as the recent rain has completely soaked the soil. If you need to apply mulch at any other time then always soak the area first, preferably with rainwater, unlikely but maybe good to know.

  • Clear away old plant debris from around the margins of ponds, and scoop out leaves that have fallen into the water.
  • Snowdrops look great in clumps around the base of shrubs and in borders and are a welcome sign that spring is on its way. If you want to spread them around your garden then now's the time to lift and divide clumps and replant your new plants wherever you want.
  • Sprinkle sulphate of potash fertiliser around fruit bushes and trees.
  • Prune back shoots on Mophead and Lacecap Hydrangeas to a pair of buds.
  • Apply slug pellets around emerging spring bulbs. If you can use the organic animal and bird friendly pellets as many birds will be on the lookout for an easy meal at this time of year.
  • Prune Mahonia, removing old stems to make room for new growth.
  • Use netting or bird scarers to protect fruit bushes from hungry birds, which can strip off swelling buds.
  • If you like you can sow the following crops in pots or trays in your greenhouse ready to transplant outside later: Brussels sprouts, spring cabbage, cauliflower, onions, leeks, lettuce and salad leaves.
  • Place some bird nesting boxes around the garden on suitable trees.

Get ready for spring. Did you know that the number of daylight hours has a dramatic effect on plant growth? Ten hours day light is the magic switch, the soil is warming up and plants are starting to grow and will be taking nutrients from the soil. Even though this may not be noticeable yet when you look at the plants in your garden, but it’s all going on underground. With that in mind, there are a number of things to be done in the garden right now. Shrubs that require pruning in early spring should be done now, be careful not all shrubs are pruned in spring the general rule is anything that flowers before June is pruned immediately after flowering and anything that flowers after June is pruned now. Make sure before you start that your secateurs blade is clean and sharp.  This week you need to start feeding roses, fruit bushes and herbaceous borders they will all benefit from a good top dressing of farmyard manure. The good news is that farmyard manure is now available in pellet form supplied in a re sealable bucket with no weed seeds and a greatly reduced smell. If you didn’t put on potash on your trees, shrubs and fruit yet put it on now. It’s still a little too early for fertilizer containing nitrogen but for anybody growing vegetables the secret to sweet crops is in an organic fertilizer called Rock dust, it contains all the essential minor elements to produce premium vegetables, the difference I have tasted for myself is unbelievable. Rock dust for best results should be applied three weeks before planting.

January 17, 2021 — omearas gardencentre
Tags: February
WHAT TO DO IN FEBURARY

WHAT TO DO IN FEBURARY

Growing from seed is a simple and economical way of raising new plants for your garden. While many plants are hardy enough to grow outdoors, they'll benefit from being sown indoors to give them a head start. Sowing indoors is also useful for extending the growing season of tender bedding plants and vegetables. If you’re starting out, get your hands on a simple windowsill propagator as they are designed to sit neatly on your window ledge.

  • Sprinkle sulphate of potash fertiliser around fruit bushes.
  • Apply slug pellets around emerging spring bulbs.
  • Continue to tidy beds and borders, then mulch with compost, well-rotted manure or bark.
  • This is the latest time to spray fruit trees with a winter wash as the buds will soon be emerging.
  • Prune gooseberry bushes to open up the centre and apply a winter wash of Armillatox.
  • Chit seed potatoes in trays in a bright, frost-free position.
  • Cut back old stems of Mallow (Lavatera) to ground level, taking care not to harm new shoots.
  • Sow seed of broad beans, carrots, hardy peas and parsnips outside in soil warmed by cloches.
  • Prevent seedlings being affected by damping-off disease by watering compost with a solution of chestnut compound.
  • Finish pruning fruit trees and soft fruits.

The humble spud should actually be called the splendid spud as it’s one of the most balanced foods we can eat rivalling any other vegetable for its range of shapes, sizes and flavours. It will soon be time to plant potatoes, some varieties mature quickly we know them as earlies. These are traditionally planted on or around Saint Patrick’s Day with the main crop varieties being planted end of March/ April. When choosing the variety you intend to grow there are a number of considerations. Varieties like Desiree will thrive in a heavy clay or even poor soil whereas Golden Wonders prefer rich sandy soil, so your choice for your type of garden soil will be the key to your success. Having sorted the practicalities of potato growing you then must decide if you like a floury or waxy potato. Also, consider how you generally cook them, do you bake, roast, boil or chip them. Each variety has its advantages and disadvantages. When it comes to potatoes everybody has their preferences, but I recommend the following; Juliette; a lovely salad potato, Majestic; a great all-rounder thrives in any soil, Rocket; for early growing under cover, Colleen; which is of Irish origin is one of tastiest early varieties, Pentland Javelin; grown for its excellent flavour and for something different try Blue Danube; if you like a dry floury potato this is the one for you. With the added bonus of being blight resistant. Blight is about, the biggest problem with potatoes, but you can now choose varieties that are blight resistant. The one our customers keep looking for is Sarpo Axona, for flavour, yield and ease of growing it’s the one to grow. First earlies will be planted mid-march, but you can start the growing process now by chitting, this means putting your potatoes in flat trays with the most pointed side facing upwards in a bright frost free area. After about three weeks the sprouts will be an inch long, taking care not to break off your sprouts you can now plant them as normal in soil that has been enriched with a good layer of farmyard manure (now available in an easy to use pellet form). By mid-June, you should be enjoying your first crop.  Here’s an easy harvesting guide;

First earlies should mature in 10-12 weeks, Second earlies mature in 14-16 weeks; Maincrops take 16-22 weeks.

January 17, 2021 — omearas gardencentre
Tags: February
FEBRUARYS TIPS AND TRICKS

FEBRUARYS TIPS AND TRICKS

  • Snowdrops look great in clumps around the base of shrubs and in borders and are a welcome sign that spring is on its way.  Now is the time to lift and divide clumps and replant your new plants throughout the garden.
  • Apply slug pellets around emerging spring bulbs.  If you can use the organic bird friendly pellets as many birds will be on the lookout for an easy meal.
  • Continue to tidy beds and borders, then mulch with compost, well-rotted manure or bark.
  • Prune gooseberry bushes to open up the centre and apply a winter wash of Armillatox.
  • Chit seed potatoes in trays in a bright, frost-free position.
  • Clear away old plant debris from around the margins of ponds and scoop out leaves that have fallen into the water.
  • Prevent seedlings being affected by damping-off disease by watering compost with a solution of chestnut compound.
  • Growing from seed is a simple and economical way of raising new plants for your garden.  If you are starting out, get your hands on a simple windowsill propagator as they are designed to sit neatly on your window ledge.
  • If you like you can sow the following crops in pots or trays in your greenhouse ready to transplant outside later: Brussel sprouts, spring cabbage, cauliflower, onions, leeks, lettuce and salad leaves.

Getting started on a vegetable plot what way should it be laid out?  Raised bed, lazy bed or ridges (see last week’s article for advantages of raised beds).  This week I will cover lazy beds and ridges, how to make them and the advantages of one over the other.  Constructing a lazy bed is quite simple, the first step is to dig over the whole area breaking up the soil to a workable consistency, you do not need a fine seed bed at this stage.  Lazy beds are usually 4 feet wide, so you start at one side and dig a path about 18 inches wide putting all the soil on one side.  When you reach the end of the bed go across 4 feet and make a path through the soil in the opposite direction.  This should leave you with a bed between the two paths approximately 4 feet wide and 6-9 inches higher than the path.  Breaking the soil down in the bed to a fine workable consistency will not be possible this early in the season but the raised beds tend to dry quickly and in a couple of weeks you will find it much easier to form a finished seed bed.  Over working the soil in wet conditions can do more harm than good.  Lazy beds are suitable for nearly all vegetable production.  For potatoes and all the cabbage family ridges will probably give you a better result as well as been more practical.  Potatoes and the larger vegetable plants like cabbage need a lot of space and light so they need to be planted up to 18 inches apart and 18 inches between rows.  To construct what we call a ridge you dig a path down along one side approximately 1 foot wide, when you reach the end move over 18 inches and dig a path in the opposite direction piling the soil in the middle, this should give you a ridge 18 inches wide at the bottom and tapering in at the top, your soil will have to be quite dry and workable to attain this.  On a new vegetable plot it will be well into spring before this is possible in most gardens.  You can however, do the initial first dig just turning over the soil to the depth of your spade and leaving it for a number of weeks.  Nature will help you break down the lumpy soil, again I stress don’t overwork wet soil, you will destroy the structure and it will take longer, in the long run to dry out.  Just do the initial dig, take a break until next week and I will explain why carrots split and fork, why onions won’t store and why cauliflower just turns into leaves, it’s all to do with fertilizer, what type and when and how much to us

January 15, 2021 — omearasgardencentre Admin
Tags: February
WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DOING LATE FEBRUARY?

WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DOING LATE FEBRUARY?

  • Prune summer-flowering clematis, cutting above a low pair of green buds.
  • Be on the lookout for slugs and snails, which will attack emerging shoots of perennials. Apply slug pellets around emerging spring bulbs.
  • Carry on sowing seeds in pots or trays in the greenhouse, ready to transplant later, including Brussels sprouts, spring cabbage, and onions.
  • Now is the perfect time to plant new raspberry canes and blackberry plants.
  • Very important to sprinkle a handful of sulphate of potash fertiliser around the base of fruit trees and bushes now.
  • Empty your greenhouse and thoroughly clean inside with Armillatox.
  • Monitor temperatures with a max-min thermometer to ensure heaters are working efficiently in your greenhouse.
  • Spread a layer of manure around roses and shrubs.
  • Plant whitethorn before it comes into bud.
  • Prepare vegetable seed beds by removing all weeds and forking in plenty of compost. Cover prepared soil with sheets of black plastic to keep it drier and warmer in preparation for spring planting. If you garden on heavy clay soil but want to make an early start in the garden, build raised beds before the growing season gets under way. The soil will warm up faster and raised beds drain quickly too.
  • Plant Lilies and Allium bulbs

A brief explanation of soil fertility and crop rotation is in order before we get into the serious business of sowing seeds and plants.  One of the mistakes I come across quite a lot is from customers who are starting a new plot and they are surprised by the fact that virgin soil can be quite low in nutrient and fertility in the soil will be improved and built up slowly over the five years.  On year one when preparing the planting area dig in lots of well-rotted farmyard manure or homemade compost (the sludge behind the hedge from last year’s lawn clippings is not compost) making good compost is for another day.  Ideally, the farmyard manure should be dug in during the winter months to give the worms time to do their work except for potatoes where the farmyard manure can be put in the ridge and the seed potatoes placed on top at sowing time.  Remember some vegetables like carrots and onions do not like farmyard manure although they can be sown next season in soil that has been fed with farmyard manure this season.  This leads me onto crop rotation.  Put simply it means not planting the same crop in the same part of the garden every year to do so will encourage pests and disease and deplete the soil of some nutrients.  Different plants use different nutrients so changing them around keeps the garden in balance.  If you want to be 100% compliant your garden should be divided into three areas.  Year one in area 1, plant vegetables with roots i.e. carrots, parsnips, potatoes and beetroot.  Area 2 plant your brassicas i.e. cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, kale, broccoli and turnips.  For successful growing of the above, lime in the soil is important.  Use horticultural lime not building lime.  Area 3, plant all the others i.e. beans, peas, lettuce, onions and spinach etc.  In year two alternate i.e. plants that were in area 1, move to area 2 and so on.  If this is all too complicated make two divisions, in area 1 plant root crops, area 2 plant leafy crops and alternate.  All areas should be given a general purpose fertilizer (as we discussed last week) about two weeks before sowing.  It can be traditional or organic, the choice is yours but if you don’t feed you won’t have a bountiful harvest.

January 15, 2021 — omearasgardencentre Admin
Tags: February