TO DO FEBRUARY

TO DO IN FEBRUARY

It should be very clear to all by now that the seasons are definitely changing. Temperatures have maitained double figures throughout most of December and January. Consequently plants dont know what to do. It is pretty certain buds and bulbs will appear 4-5 weeks early, if we then get a blast of cold weather ?? What then ? All we can do is proceed with caution and be prepared to protect what we an from any brief cold snap we MAY encounter.

Now is a good time to consider planting new RHUBARB crowns. A variety I have become particularly fond of is “Champagne”.

If you are lifting existing crowns please NOTE these DO benefit from being left on the surface to get a hard frost before planting. These (if old and over large can be split and re planted -or shared with others-

Rhubarb should not be planted where previous rhubarb has been grown in the past SIX years. Dig a DEEP hole line it with old cardboard or newspaper well soaked top this with well rotted compost/farm manure followed by a few inches add soil, enough so that when you lay the crown on top it just covers the top by an inch(25mm)

If you want to grow early potatoes-assuming you have already got them - set them up to start “chitting” anytime in the next week or two bearing in mind these will need several weeks frost protection when planted out (mid-late February)

Please be aware that mice, rats and squirrels love to eat these sprouting shoots, so protect them as best you can. I suggest a covered seed tray with ventilation facility. Or a securely covered tray with a 20mm wire mesh securely fastened all round creating a 100-120 mm growing space may deter the little blighters but do check regularly for any damage. If family permission is forthcoming-Keep them somewhere cool and dry at home, where hopefully there are no vermin?

Thoroughly wash and disinfect any plant pots you want to re-use and store these separately ready to “pot on” this years seedlings

Give Fruit trees and bushes a good feed- I know they are still “dormant” but it takes a few weeks for the nutrients to be fully absorbed into the soil. Pellets of chicken manure can be scattered most easily, or seaweed or self generated compost mulch are excellent options.

Pot up Strawberry runners from last years growth- these are the replacements for future years Strawberry bed, so make sure they are a variety you are particularly fond of.

Alternatively order now a commended variety ( a highly recommended variety is ROYAL SOVEREIGN )for next years crop (it is not recommended to harvest the first years growth) Strawberries are best on a 3 year harvest rotation so they are completely replaced every 3^rd-4^th season.

NOT forgetting these new plants wil still produce their own runners to be potted up each year from then on- Self perpetuating strawberry plants for the foreseeable future?

Ensure you have a sufficient quantity of multi purpose compost .

If you have cleaned your greenhouse? its worth planting some salad crops under cover- they may be slow to germinate but still come good as the weather warms up.

Peas and beans can be started in seed trays in the green house, provided they are protected from early frost.

Order Bare root fruit trees

Points to ponder when ordering fruit trees or bushes

Source a reliable disease free supplier

I find “mail order trees” very good they fulfil all of these requirements, they’re probably not the cheapest but they are consistently reliable -Only purchase trees specified as M26 rootstock these will only grow to a max 7 foot high. The GY&GAA tenancy rules specify “fruit trees must be NO MORE than 3 metres in height and planted so that the final spread is NO greater than one metre from any plot boundary

Order the most advanced growth available, a 2 year old is a better option than a 1 year old for only a little extra money? Bearing in mind it may be 5 years or more before you can harvest any significant crop

Good all round varieties are I have grown with success are

Eating apple (dessert) El Star-Chivers Delight-Kidds Orange Red-James Grieve or a Russett variety my choice would bec "Egremont Russet" an absolutely delicious flavoured apple.

Cooking (culinary)

“Greensleeves” keeps its shape well when cooked and left to fully mature (Sept-Oct) will need no added sugar

Arthur Turner goes to Puree- good for apple sauce or pie tart filling, a very nice flavoursome apple. These fruits can make ½ a kilo each and can store for several weeks

There is nothing to stop you cooking eating apples if you prefer

I personally would avoid eating cooking apple varieties even those described as dual purpose!

Some things we can do however are to Prune and then Tar wash al fruit trees. PLUMS PEARS AND APPLES

Fruiting spurs are now starting to form on last years growth, these spurs are usually the shorter stems with some signs of swelling flower buds. Have a good look at your fruit tree. decide which branches could be cut out-any that cross over other braanches-obviously any dead wood. Be a bit ruthless and try to create an open habit so that sunlight and airflow can flow easily through the tree. Less is more -Fewer fruits will encourage bigger fruits.

When the fruits eventually set around April -May its important to THIN OUT these fruit trusses - cooking apples to 1 fruit per truss eating apples to two fruits per truss

Tar wash thoroughy so that the spray gets into the crevices where he little blighters overwinter

Bare root fruit trees can be purchased now PLEASE buy the best you can afford (mail order trees.com is a

good place to start)

Gooseberry and Blackcurrant. NOW is the time to take hardwood cuttings - give them a good hard prune at the same time -you could consider training them onto wires this will make harvesting a little easier, in the case of gooseberry's a little less painful.

All raspberry canes should be cut back to ground level (new shoots will appear from the root base) Autumn fruiting varieties ought to be cut back to 18 inches of strong ,last years , growth. This is a good time to ensure the training wires are in place ant taught. 1 wire either side of the post is a good pactice to provide upright support then tie each cane off alterate sides.

Potatoes should be set out in a cool dry space to chit (Please protect these from vermin Mice Rats and SQUIRRELS all love to decimate these shoots)

OUTSIDE Sowing soil temperatures do need to achieve a consistent 14 degrees C to ensure germination.

Start most seeds in the greenhouse or prpagator in plant modules- OR wait a month or two and BUY plug plants from commercial nurseries

Broad beans

Carrots

leeks

New Rhubarb croowns

spinach

swiss chard and beetroot best started under glass