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May '17 BBC, sowing, hoeing, frosts, potting, hungry gap, pick lettuce, northern tour

Written by

Charles Dowding

Last Updated

April 30, 2017

Until the cold final week, April at Homeacres was a good growing month. Temperatures and sunshine hours were slightly above average, while rainfall was a record low amount until 30th, just 7.6mm (0.3 inches) in the month. I am watering salads, spinach, some beetroot as they approach harvest time, and all new plantings.

Water infrequently, and give a good soak. If you are bothered by slugs, best water in the morning so that leaves and the ground surface are dry by evening. You can water in bright sunlight, and also through fleece, but many fleece covers can come off now as warmth builds, unless they are against pests.

Homeacres west end on 29th April, broccoli in front has 1 more week of selling

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Steph and Charles picking salad for sale, photo by Edward

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30th April after I removed fleece on brassicas and onions

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BBC and hoeing

The Gardeners World programme has brought a wonderful upsurge of interest in my ways of growing, and no dig in particular. I was so impressed to hear Monty Don say he is a convert. Also that he said “where possible”, because there are times one needs to dig out woody roots, dig out rocks and plant trees.

I am often asked whether hoeing is “allowed” in no dig. Yes is the answer because one is just skimming an inch’2-3cm though a crumbly surface tilth, which is often compost. Hoeing is a shallow, horizontal job and does not involve hacking into soil. The bed below did not need hoeing, just hand pulling of a few weed seedlings. Currently it's planted with potatoes.

As a follow up to the programme, I uploaded this video that Edward assembled from filming both before and after the BBC visit, of the bed shown in that film.

I also appeared on Charlie Dimmock’s garden rescue programme on 2th April and if you have a tv license (we don’t, so have not seen it) you can watch it here.

BBC Gardeners World 21st April programme, we laid this frame in August 2016, then I filled the bed

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Three months later the growth is strong and each of the 6 kohlrabi weighed 1kg/2.2lb

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Books

You can buy our new book here and my diary here. The new book has got off to a flying start, already we have done two signing sessions of over a hundred copies. See Steph’s blog about it.

Also I am pleased at sales of the diary since the programme. You can start using it at any time of year, and now is particularly appropriate for timing of all the jobs to come. It’s a perennial diary, for use every year and to help you establish best dates for your plot and location

The first time we saw it, two pallet loads fresh from the printers

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The first piles of signed copies, 24th April

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Seed saving

Saving your own seed requires knowledge of the basic principles, as explained in chapter 11 of our new book, and my articles in the new Permaculture magazines of both the UK and U.S. The photo shows lettuce and onions from home saved seed and I am pleased with their vigour.

I grew the onions for seed in a polytunnel, to keep them dry and reduce mildew on the leaves.

all from home-saved seed.

Onions and lettuce are from home saved seed, no dig bed in front and dug bed behind

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Trial beds on 29th April, dug on left, no dig on right

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April 2015, about to plant my best red onions in the polytunnel

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The harvest in August of onion seedheads

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Late frosts

Usually we have a slight frost in mid May, but one never knows, perhaps not this year. I have sown courgettes and sweetcorn in trays on the hotbed, to plant out after mid month. I plan to sow runner and French beans around May 5th-10th, to plant at end May when warmth is more certain.

The frosts of 25th-27th April caused some damage Most affected were potato leaves, apple and strawberry blossom, fig leaves and even some lettuce where they were touching the fleece cover. Apples should be alright because there are still flowers to open.

Homeacres 26th April, -2C/28F

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Frosty morning, fleece gives some but not total protection

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Broad beans look sad when their stems are partly frozen

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The same broad beans two days later

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Examples of frost damage

The three nights of -2C/28F caused most damage to soft new growth, after a long run of mild weather. Worst effects were on plants that caught the strongest early sunshine, for example the Lollo Rossa on the left, east-facing side of the bed.

Potatoes are notoriously prone to damage from even a slight frost, but it’s rarely cold enough in spring for plants to be killed. We should see new growth soon.

As for the fig trees, I am unsure whether the fruits will survive, but they look alright so far. Likewise plums and pears which had already set small fruit. My raspberries look alright, variety Joan J for autumn.

Tips of leaves going yellow, frost on Winter Density

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Frosted, pale leaves on Lollo Rossa

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Frost damage to Charlotte potatoes but they are growing back

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Frost damage to young fig leaves, the fruit seem ok

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Undercover changeover

May and October are busy months in polytunnel and greenhouse, clearing and replanting. We clear the winter salads, simply by twisting out plants and leaving most of their roots in the soil. Then we spread compost, and plant summer crops immediately.

My tomatoes are later than they might be because of waiting for salad to finish. In particular the Grenoble Red lettuce, in their eighth month, are still hugely productive. The ones in my polytunnel have thicker leaves and richer colour than those in the greenhouse.

This year we are spreading a mix of about 40% homemade compost, 30& old cow manure and 20% mushroom compost, a balance of my finest composts. I do not feed anything else e.g. no tomato food, and this compost serves for a year of cropping. That saves much time in October, when days are short and salad planting is rushed, and there is no time to spread more compost.

26th April when frosty outside, garlic was sown November

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29th April after weekly pick of lettuce on right

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Greenhouse 29th April is now just lettuce, chard, spinach

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Potting on

Plants waiting to go out, because of needing more warmth mostly, can be kept growing by moving to larger pots and pushing compost on top. Best results are from two pottings into slightly larger pots, than from one into a much larger pot.

Basil and cucumber specially, do not like sitting in large pots of moist compost, which can cause roots to rot, akin to damping off. Hence my use of vermiculite for basil, which holds air around roots.

Keep your cucumber, melon and basil plants slightly dry. Even peppers and aubergines prefer it on the dry side, but it’s safe to water thoroughly before any hot, sunny days.

Aubergines after repotting, Black Pearl plugs from organic plants.co.uk

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moving basil from small modules to slightly larger ones

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A final fill of vermiculite, Sweet Genovese sown 6th April, 3 weeks old

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Sow in May

No rush to sow runner and French beans, 10th-15th May is good here for sowing undercover, and late May for sowing outdoors.

Also undercover, sow sweetcorn, squash, cucumbers for under cover, basil and courgettes now, if you have not already. Sow Brussels sprouts and cabbage for hearting in autumn, but wait until June before sowing purple sprouting broccoli and kale, unless you want kale in summer. Sow chard, celery and beetroot if you have not already.

Sweetcorn emerging 30th April, sown a week earlier

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Rainbow chard and golden beetroot, lady to plant this week

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Celery sown mid March, then pricked to these modules, is ready to plant

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Lettuce picking

Use the Charles Dowding method for

early and frequent harvests, avoiding the feast and famine that happens when waiting for hearts, which crop in a brief time interval
harvests over a long period, because plants crop for 8-12 weeks, depending on variety, moisture levels and sowing date
harvests from the same plants which just keep cropping, saving you the time of frequent clearing and resowing.

The photos give an idea of when to start picking and how many leaves to remove. You will find the first pick or two more difficult, then it’s easier as plants grow a little taller. Push each leaf you harvest downwards, to detach all of the stalk from the main stem. This means less hiding places for slugs, and makes the next picking easier.

24th April, lettuce before first pick (sown mid Feb, planted mid March & fleeced)

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Same lettuce after the first harvest, yield was 2.8kg, leaves tender and sweet

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Asparagus

Growth has been faster than usual, and I have already picked over 3kg/7lb. It looks to be a good May, then I shall stop picking in early June to allow the still youthful, four year plants to continue building their roots.

On the path between the beds is all of last year's top growth which I scythed off in December.

Some of my stronger plants, before the frosts

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Homeacres asparagus beds after the frosts, some spears ok, some damaged

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New crop

Happiness is early turnips, because these are much sweeter than I have grown before. I think it’s a different type as well as a different variety, from CN Seeds and called CN 7303 F1, salad turnip. I shall sow again in early August for an autumn crop.

Multisown and they swell nicely, I twist out the larger ones

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Charles with his salad turnips, two months after sowing

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More veg for the Hungry Gap

Lettuce are abundant in May, but it’s the leanest month for harvests of most other vegetables. Leeks for example are now rising to flower, so need eating within a week.

These are great vegetables for the hungry gap:

Perennials such as Taunton Deane kale, asparagus, rhubarb, seakale and sorrel
June sowings of purple sprouting broccoli, although they are finishing soon
August to early September sowings of spinach, cabbage, Sibsey broccoli and spring onion, which have overwintered outside, and chard although it is starting to flower
Sowings in late winter of radish, turnip, spinach, coriander and peas for shoots

Eight month old Medania spinach, Buckler sorrel and seakale on left

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Spring cabbage sown September & planted early October

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Digging!

The students on my April weekend intensive course expressed a desire to see Homeacres soil, so I obliged, without enjoying the process. We were interested to see a dense yet crumbly soil, slightly darker and softer at 40cm/16in depth under a four year old bed, compared to under the nearby pasture. We found no worms, it was too dry, but the soil is in aggregated and broke in pieces when rubbed between the fingers. Photos by John Reith.