Undercover Cropping
Undercover: June 2012
3 May 2012
Tender harvests - The first courgettes and French beans harvested under cover are always a delicious treat – before summer gluts make them pall – and in mild areas, you could be picking a few early ripe tomatoes too.
Undercover: May 2012
5 April 2012.
Pests can flourish in the extra warmth and light of the greenhouse and polytunnel this month, so be on your guard. Biological controls – using one bug to target another – can be very effective undercover and are certainly worth investigating if you’ve not tried them before.
Undercover: April 2012
1 March 2012.
Sue Stickland brings you the essential tasks for the month in the polytunnel and greenhouse and has advice to help you when it comes to planting and supporting your tender crops.
Undercover: March 2012
2 February 2012.
Sowing and planting - March is a hectic time for sowing and planting under cover.
Undercover: February 2012
5 January 2012.
Start sowing - As well as sowing crops for your greenhouse or polytunnel this month, you can start off plants for the veg plot in pots and modules – although some of them will need to be kept in a heated propagator.
Undercover: January 2012
1 December 2011.
Tempting as it is to stay by the fireside, brave the worst January weather to do a few essential jobs.
Undercover: December 2011
3 November 2011.
Harvest and clear late autumn crops before they succumb to cold or disease. Florence fennel is a real fresh crisp treat in December, but will not stand temperatures much below freezing. Spring onions are hardy, but the foliage is susceptible to fungal diseases in the cold and damp. Second crop potatoes are best harvested before the skins start to toughen and while they still have a good ‘new potato’ flavour. I usually grow these from spring seed potatoes, which I keep ticking over in a cool light place before planting in pots under cover in mid-August
Undercover: November 2011
6 October 2011.
Plant fruit - November is one of the best times for planting vines and fruit trees, and types that would be borderline for cropping well outside can thrive in a greenhouse or tunnel, helping to make even more productive use of the space.
Undercover: October 2011
1 September 2011.
Crops need much less water now that plant growth is slower, and excess water left on soil or foliage encourages fungal diseases.
Undercover: September 2011
3 August 2011.
Far from being the end of the season, September sees tender crops continuing to ripen under cover, and you can also plant a whole fresh set of winter salads and veg.
Current Issue: June 2012
Edible crops for little plots
Expert advice for growing your own fruit and vegetables
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Including the new KÄRCHER Window Vac
Plus... Grow strawberries with Toby Buckland... Bob Flowerdew answers your gardening queries... Leeks and dwarf beans made easy with advice from Joe Maiden and Andrew Tokely...
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• Next issue on sale: 1st June 2012
