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Jobs for March

It’s all systems go now that conditions have improved sufficiently to allow sowing outdoors to move into top gear. However, if you garden in a colder or exposed part of Britain or your soil is still rather wet, sow as much as possible in trays ready for planting out when conditions allow

 

Fruit in brief

• Spray cherries, almonds, nectarines and peaches early in the month to protect them from peach leaf curl, alternatively cover wall-trained trees with polythene to protect them from air-borne spores.
• Tie in the canes of summer-fruiting raspberries as they grow and cut the canes of autumn-fruiters to ground level if not already done.
• Finish the planting of tree and soft fruit as soon as possible before growth really begins in earnest.
• Keep watch for early infestations of greenfly and caterpillars on gooseberry bushes as the buds begin to burst and as the young leaves unfurl.
• Mulch around the base of established fruit trees and bushes using well-rotted manure, garden compost or old potting compost. Prior to this sprinkle some general fertiliser around the base at the rate of 28-56g (1-2oz) per sq yd.

Sow carrots

Carrots can also be a little disappointing if sown into cold soil, so as with parsnips it does not pay to sow them too early; even covering with cloches counts for little if sowing into cold, wet soil. However, if the conditions are right on your plot, you can sow from this month onwards and, since they are such a useful veg in the kitchen for all manner of dishes, cooked and raw, regular sowing of small batches is the best way to ensure a fresh supply.

Since carrot fly can be such a problem on the KG plot, we have gradually become more and more dependent on resistant varieties and find them perfectly acceptable flavour-wise – ‘Sytan’ is one we often recommend although there are several others. However to ring the changes and to add a little more colour and interest to the plate, we also like to sow coloured roots. These varieties also introduce a better range of health-promoting anti-oxidants than the orange varieties alone.
Sowing thinly can also help reduce carrot fly attacks, but is easier said than done, so if you struggle, as most of us do, why not try using seed tapes? The extra cost is worth the improved yields later on. ‘Early Nantes 2’ is offered by T&M and Suttons and is ideal for sowing now. Cover with a cloche after sowing.

For lots more advice, see this month's issue, available to buy online!

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