Autumn Planting
'Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' - October is a peaceful month at the allotments after the buzz and busyness of summer. Many of the plots are starting to get covered over for winter and there are fewer people around despite the lovely sunshine we've had recently.
For those of us who grow all year, there is still planting to be done. This week I've put in my garlic and some red onion sets which will over-winter and be ready for harvest in June next year. In November it will be time to plant hardy broad beans for that eagerly anticipated first crop of the new year.
Most varieties of garlic are suitable for planting in the autumn. I choose the best and largest cloves from this years' harvest and plant them out now. If the parent plant did well at the allotments it makes sense to continue the strain. If you are just starting I recommend that you buy a nice looking garlic bulb from the deli and plant the larger outer cloves.
Onions and broad beans are more specialised and only a few cultivars are suitable for over-wintering so make sure you get the right ones. The onions may be listed as Japanese onions and the hardiest beans are Aquadulce.
Planting over winter is a gamble, but usually worthwhile. An unexpected early or prolonged cold spell can spell disaster, but there is always the fallback option of sowing again in the spring. I've only ever lost my broad beans once, when we had a foot of snow for about two weeks. With experience I now know to cloche or at least clear the snow from them!
Quote from To Autumn by John Keats
For those of us who grow all year, there is still planting to be done. This week I've put in my garlic and some red onion sets which will over-winter and be ready for harvest in June next year. In November it will be time to plant hardy broad beans for that eagerly anticipated first crop of the new year.
Most varieties of garlic are suitable for planting in the autumn. I choose the best and largest cloves from this years' harvest and plant them out now. If the parent plant did well at the allotments it makes sense to continue the strain. If you are just starting I recommend that you buy a nice looking garlic bulb from the deli and plant the larger outer cloves.
Onions and broad beans are more specialised and only a few cultivars are suitable for over-wintering so make sure you get the right ones. The onions may be listed as Japanese onions and the hardiest beans are Aquadulce.
Planting over winter is a gamble, but usually worthwhile. An unexpected early or prolonged cold spell can spell disaster, but there is always the fallback option of sowing again in the spring. I've only ever lost my broad beans once, when we had a foot of snow for about two weeks. With experience I now know to cloche or at least clear the snow from them!
Quote from To Autumn by John Keats
Submitted by Jane, plot 9
Comments
Post a Comment