Planting, planting and more planting

Hello Everyone,

Well it is that time of the year again when there is never enough hours in the day, not enough days in the week. We have thousands of plants to plant out in the tunnels and the outside growing areas. If only we had a ten day week then we would not be panicking about the coming few weeks of madness!

Every year the same thing happens…we think we will never get the Spring/Summer sowings planted out in time to successfully grow…however, we somehow manage.

A gardener is always considering the time and the season. The seasons come and go and each one has different needs. The Spring and Summer seasons are the busiest for the gardener. We remove what is left from the Winter season, prep the ground and plant out the seedlings which were sown during the early Spring. Sounds like a good plan. However, for a Market Gardener the number of seeds to sow and then plant out runs into the thousands. The numbers make for a very busy few weeks of back breaking effort…Bob did need the heat mat for his back while falling to sleep watching The Eurovision Contest after todays planting session. The Summer Season is probably the most prolific of the seasons. If we do not work and complete the sowing and planting plan successfully then there would be no Fresh Local Organic Produce for you our lovely customers.

With regards the time…well clearly there is never ever enough!

An example of numbers…we have 576 tomato plants, of 12 varieties, all to be planted out by the end of this coming week. Timing is crucial for many of our crops as they need the time to grow, fruit and crop while we have the light and heat of the long Summer Days. Bob and I, in the very hot polytunnels, planted out half the tomatoes yesterday. It was hard and hot but very satisfying. Later today we will try and plant the remaining tomatoes, then the Aubergines, French Beans, Cucumbers, Brassicas, Peppers, Chillies, Celeriac, Fennel, Leeks and Onions. Maybe not ALL today! 

Alongside all the plugs of plants we also direct sow. The Carrots, Beetroot, Salsify, Spring Onions and Turnips have all been sown into the outside growing areas.

Peas, Mange Tout, Broad Beans and Kohl Rabi were planted out a few weeks ago. They are all coming along nicely. We also have Jerusalem and Globe Artichokes. 

The herb gardens are all filling out and smelling glorious. 

Not to get overly excited, but the soft fruit areas are all looking lush. Personally, I can not wait for the taste of the first Strawberry. The fruit and veg box did have Rhubarb as part of the selection last week and probably also this week to.

All in all our beds are filling up. It is absolutely glorious to see new growth and the fruits of our labour. Fresh new produce is a delight to see and sooooo good to eat.

Going to crack on with the planting. Please take care and thank you for your support,

Ann👩🏻‍🌾