Planting Out

The Bank Holiday seemed as good a time as any to do my first bit of planting out on the plot this year.  Whilst I’ve sown a few things direct, today it was time to get the broccoli and sugar snap peas out.

I’ve grown broccoli for a few years now.  It’s a family favourite and we have a few weeks of harvest before we go away in August.  So it’s been and gone by the time we’re away and also before the cabbage whites start to make an appearance in any numbers.

Sugar snap peas, or mangetout, are also a favourite, usually eaten straight off the plant or thrown in with whatever we’re cooking at the time.

Planting the broccoli is straightforward, I just make sure they’re well firmed in and in a slight depression to aid watering. The mangetout are planted close together along a 6 foot piece of hard plastic mesh secured with canes. They’ll grow away nicely and attach themselves to the support and I’ll sow another batch in 3 weeks to replace these when they start to go over.

I should’ve put fleece over the plants in the greenhouse during the couple of hard frosts we had last week. Failing to do so has meant losing a couple of chilli plants and a tomato plant. Always best to be vigilant and err on the side of caution even when you have a cold greenhouse for protection.

Next out will be the beetroot which I’ve sown in modules. And when it warms up a bit the dwarf French beans, cucumbers, courgettes and squash will go into the bed.

There’s plenty to be getting on with at this time of year.