Well hasn’t February just flown by 😲
The start of the month was daily checking on our January sowings making sure I didn’t miss any that had popped through, such an exciting time! Onions were the first to pop through followed by the California Wonder Peppers. Lemon Dream took a lot longer to appear and Marconi Rosso still hasn’t! Sometimes that’s just the way it goes.
I’ve had a couple of onion varieties not germinate either but thankfully we’ve sown enough of each variety that we will have plenty.
I’ve also started some Loofah seeds this month. I was very kindly sent some seeds from a lady off Instagram. I snipped the rounded end of each seed with a pair of nail clippers then popped them in a container with some damp paper towel and then into the airing cupboard, Within 2 days they had germinated so I potted them and within 2 days again they were through. So I’ve re-potted them but kept them indoors to grow on. They’re slow growing and like warmth but they look amazing and I’m so excited to be growing them!
I’ve spent a bit of time on the plot building new raised beds and raising others. We had our fence replaced so I’ve got loads of fence boards which are just perfect for this job. By raising the beds I can add more compost without it falling onto the paths. The carrot beds are now three boards high and I’ve added some hoops which I will later net to keep the carrot root fly at bay!
The greenhouse beds have also been raised as they desperately need a good thick mulch of fresh compost. Oh and I still haven’t washed them but I have at least cleared out all the old plants now!
I’ve covered my rhubarb this year to hopefully get some delicious forced stalks.
I had to wait till my plant was at least 2 years old to make sure it was strong enough for forcing. I covered it on the 6th Feb and by the 28th I’d harvested my first gorgeous forced rhubarb stalks and rhubarb crumble was soon in the oven 😋 Delicious!
The other two plants which were split from the original plant are growing away amazingly well but I won’t pick from them this year as they ideally need the first year to settle and get their roots down.
I’ve sown some sweet peas which germinated well indoors and are now in the unheated greenhouse. They’re hardy plants so don’t require extra heat once germinated. My saved seeds were first to germinate with highest germination rate so it just goes to show that saving seeds really works.
I’ve finally got my strawberry planters tidied and moved. I’ve started filling with manure and Rocket Gro Fruit & Veg compost, firming down as we go. Once full I’ll replant my strawberries 🍓
Towards the end of the month we’ve potted on our peppers and sown leeks and salad leaves into RocketGro seed & cutting compost with a little stage 2&3 in the bottom and we’ve potted on our peppers and onions. By adding the stage 2&3 compost to the bottom of the pot the roots will be able to reach down and get some nutrition when needed. This also means that I don’t need to panic about them too much as we head into a super busy March. Make sure to check out my Sowing Diary to see what I’m sowing next month.
Don’t forget you can get 25% off your RocketGro order by using code STEPHSALLOTMENT25
Looking forward to a hectic March with lots and lots of sowings coming up! 💚
Steph’s Allotment 