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Letters to our younger selves and responses by Whitchurch High School students.
Let's Go Gardening
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By: on 16/05/2021 AWEN volunteers were delighted to find a gap in the rain to set the plants in the planters at the back of the library. Thanks to the Welsh Government Community Inclusion fund for making this happen. Hoping this area will be available to us all when restrictions allow. Meanwhile insects very welcome! By: Angela Bird on 01/05/2021 Let’s go gardening - April The weather is so much better now and we are all spending a lot more time in the garden, probably focussing on flowers and shrubs, but let’s not forget the fruit and veg we promised ourselves. If you followed the previous suggestion to try potatoes in a compost bag, you should now be seeing the plants coming through. Make sure you remember to add more compost, roll up the edges of your compost bag again and give them some water. This is a busy month for sowing seed. The soil will have warmed up nicely, so think about lettuce, radish and beetroot outdoors. None of these are big plants, so you should be able to find a spot for them in a small garden. Think about how they would look between your existing plants. Carrots can also be started. This year we are trying them in large pots. More of that later. Lettuce Lettuce can look really pretty in a flower bed. There are lots of varieties. We like those with a crisp head like iceberg. Try starting these in small pots on a window ledge indoors first. Then, when looking strong and about 1-2” high, plant out in the garden. They will need about 12” of room for each plant. Beetroot Beetroot can be sown directly into the ground. Sow really thinly, then when they are big enough, thin them out by removing some to leave about 3” between plants. When big enough, you can grate into salads, make a beetroot cake or boil and pickle them. More on pickling at a later date. Carrots
This is the first year we are trying carrots in pots. We are doing this for several reasons.
Sow the carrot seed onto warm, damp compost and cover lightly with about a further ½ “ of the same . Again, you will need to thin these out at a later date. ................................................................................................................................. Here’s a great tip - Empty milk bottles are really useful in protecting your young plants. They aren’t going to look too wonderful in your garden but hopefully they won’t be needed for long. Just cut the bottom of the plastic bottle off with sharp scissors, then do the same around the shoulder part. We’ve always used these, but sometimes the wind knocks them over so now we push a thin cane through the handle and into the ground. Brilliant! Young lettuce and other small plants stay protected from hungry birds and bad weather.
That’s all for this month. Next month we’ll look at strawberry planting in patio pots and hanging baskets. Till then .... Happy Gardening ! By: on 26/03/2021 LET'S GO GARDENING
Yesterday was a much brighter day and one I had been looking forward to because the garden centres opened at last ! The sun is shining ! Hopefully now we can all have another think about fruit and veg to grow in a small garden or on a patio. We’ve already looked at garlic, shallots, radishes and potatoes in bags. Here are a few more ideas but first......
Now is a good time to do some tidying. Those patio pots will need a soapy clean with a stiff brush to get rid of the winter dust and dirt. If you’re going to plant any veg amongst your flowers or in a small bed of their own, think about a plan and maybe jot down a sketch to remind you. This is a good month to apply some fertilizer to areas you want to plant. This could be in the form of chicken pellets, blood fish and bone meal or seaweed mixture. These will help the soil before any seedlings are planted in later months.
Blueberries
Blueberries are self pollinating so it is fine to have one bush on its own. They make an attractive bush as a patio plant with flowers in spring and rust coloured leaves in autumn. They are hugely nutritious and are easy to grow. What better than cereal or granola with a little crème fraiche and a topping of blueberries freshly picked for breakfast ? If you buy a bare rooted plant – that is one not already growing in a pot – you need to get it in now. Don’t leave it any later. It’s better and easier to buy one already potted. You can then transfer it to a larger decorative patio pot keeping it’s roots and existing soil intact. Surround it in ericaceous compost as it needs an acid soil. Remember to put a few stones or broken crockery in the bottom of the pot to improve drainage. Come July and August they’ll be ready for picking. Delicious !
Salad leaves
Salad leaves are cheap and easy to grow and are great for container growing. They are also packed with goodness. A packet might contain any of the following – rocket, spinach, lamb’s lettuce, radish leaf, mustard and many more. When ready to pick, simply cut off the leaves you need with scissors, wash and add to your salads. Use as soon after picking as possible. Try to leave the main stem in place unless the plant “bolts”. A pot of salad leaves near the kitchen door is really handy and could last you ages.
In April we’ll look at getting some carrots and beetroots going. In the meantime, if you haven’t already done so, and as long as they have chitted to about ¼ inch, get those potatoes into the compost bag or sack as advised last month. Remember to water in dry weather.
Happy gardening !
By: Angela Bird on 10/03/2021 Let’s go gardening Now you may not be thinking about gardening at the moment. It’s freezing cold, it’s been horribly wet and we’re stuck at home. Life could be a lot better, but there are things we can do to stay busy and find some fun, so how about trying a little gardening. For those who have allotments, you probably have a whole diary set out for the year ahead, but what if you just have a small garden? Maybe you can still grow some vegetables in a bed or pot and maybe we can just give you a few ideas. Experts we are not, but triers we are; so here are a few ideas. We’ll give you follow up tips month by month taking you through the year . It’s incredibly satisfying to eat your own produce, even if it’s just a few radishes! Mums and Dads, how about getting the children involved as well ? Garden Centres are still closed but many are doing online orders. A few suggestions later. February Garlic enhances so many savoury dishes and can easily be grown in pots or a flower bed. It takes up little room but does take a while to grow so you need patience. You will buy as heads of garlic. If a pack seems too much, why not encourage a neighbour or friend to have a go. We all need a little help or push at the moment. Split each head into individual cloves and plant with the pointed end uppermost, 2 inches deep and about 6 inches apart. A large pot could take 3 or 4 but will give you a good return. Normal soil in your garden will usually suffice but compost can be delivered. We’ll let you know if you need to feed and when to harvest. Shallots are wonderful in cooking but we grow ours for pickling. If you’ve never had home pickled shallots in spiced vinegar, trust me...they beat the shop bought ones every time. I would suggest buying as sets not seeds. Again you plant these about 6 to 7 inches apart with the pointed tip just showing above the soil. Water in if needed but they need little attention afterwards. You only need to water again if the weather is really dry ! Radishes Easy and quick to grow, and again they can be grown in pots. They are fine growing in a little shade so can also go between other plants in your garden. Pots can be kept close to the house for extra protection if there is more frost to come or you may need to cover in really cold weather. The beauty of radishes.... the seeds germinate in just a few days and the radishes will be ready in a matter of weeks. Success is not guaranteed but as the weather improves keep sowing and try again. The seeds will stay good for years. Sow seeds about 1 inch apart in shallow drills and keep them watered in dry weather. Have you ever tried cooked radishes ? I haven’t but I’m going to give it a go when I have enough. You simply melt some butter in a frying pan until just bubbling and beginning to brown (don’t burn it ), add your radishes and cook for about 10 mins until soft and wrinkly. Serve with a squeeze of lemon over the top. Potatoes Now you may not have room for rows and rows of potatoes but why not try this idea. Potatoes are classed as.....first early, second early and main crop. Here’s an idea for first earlies. We like a variety called Charlotte but there are many others. When you have bought your seed potatoes, they will need to be chitted. This means placing them in good light in a shed or garage with as many of the little eyes facing upwards as possible. Putting them in egg boxes works really well to support them. Leave them to chit until the shoots are hopefully about ¼ inch long. So here’s the plan. Get a large bag of compost, and put aside about ¾ of it. Fold down the sides of the bag and make some drainage holes in the bottom. Plant three or four chitted potatoes with shoots upwards on the few inches of compost at the bottom. As the shoots start coming through the soil, roll back some of the compost bag and just cover the shoots with more compost. Do this several times until your bag is nearly full. By April or May you should be able to put the bag outside. Keep moist but don’t let it get too damp. When the plants start flowering, have a little feel around in the soil to see if your potatoes are big enough to harvest. If not just keep going a while longer. You will love your first meal of your own potatoes I guarantee. (Never eat any if they are green as they are poisonous!) Good luck. ............................................................................................................. Start thinking now about what else you can try later as you’ll need to order seeds. Here are a few ideas for things that take up just a small amount of space. Lettuce, carrots, and beetroot. Let’s think about a blueberry bush in a patio pot next month. Some online suppliers:- Pugh’s garden village Sutton Seeds Primrose Garden Products Thompson & Morgan |