Sponsored by Upchurch River Valley Golf Course LtdMarch has arrived and it’s time to get going in the garden. After the “Beast from the East” put in another unwelcome appearance, the weather has improved (at least at the time of writing) and things are looking spring-like. The first crocus to flower in the garden was on 5th February this year which is the earliest I have known. Snowdrops, Hellebores, Daffodils and Dwarf Iris have flowered and it looks like a good start to the year and hopefully a harbinger of things to come. Hopefully, you are getting jabbed (by vaccination that is, not by a Labour politician) and generally feeling much happier.
The lawn can get a bit of attention this month with scarification and possibly the first cut with the blades set high. Hold off until April before weeding and feeding and doing patch repairs with seed. Give the vegetable patch a good digging over, remove all weeds and winter debris and apply a general fertiliser. Your soil will probably be very stony as a lot of Upchurch sits on a bed of compacted stone that slopes downwards towards the Medway. Stones can be raked off, lifted with a shovel, put through a sieve to reclaim any soil and bagged up for disposal.
The Exhibition Longpod Broad Beans will be planted in March which provide a bumper crop, in fact, there are still some leftover in the freezer from last year. Also, the Rocket Early Potatoes will go in at the end of March. Dig a hole about 6” deep and fill with 3” of sieved soil mixed with compost and dry pellet manure (6X is my favourite, available from Amazon). Push the seed potato into the mix and then fill the hole with a final small fistful of manure on the top. The rain will wash that down and the tubers will start forming.
The end of March is also a good time to get the seedlings going. Moist compost is best, not too wet and keep them covered with transparent covers which can be lifted when germination starts. Label the seedling trays if your recognition is not too good. On mild days they can go outside to start hardening off or placed in a cold frame.
The end of March is also a good time to get the seedlings going. Moist compost is best, not too wet and keep them covered with transparent covers which can be lifted when germination starts. Label the seedling trays if your recognition is not too good. On mild days they can go outside to start hardening off or placed in a cold frame.If you didn’t manage it last month, tidy up all the borders and containers, remove weeds and leaf litter and fertilise or dig some compost into the surface. Also mulch fruit trees and berry canes.
It will be interesting to see if last year’s tadpole husbandry has produced more adult frogs as March is a month of happy ribbeting. If we get a lot of spawn this year we will probably separate some of it into a suitable container to prevent the high levels of predation in Spring. The good thing about frogs is that they like slugs and a healthy colony in the pond is good for the garden.
This time of year always causes me a frisson of excitement as things are about to start happening and life will hopefully get pleasantly busy again. A bit of high morale is starting to bubble to the surface so it’s time to finish off the Xmas Prosecco while I knock up the evening meal.
We are always looking for new members and try to encourage a fun attitude towards friendly competition. So if you want to grow your own fruit, vegetables and flowers or even enter any of the 3 shows we hold each year, then please get in touch, we would be happy to hear from you.
If you are interested in becoming a new member, (all ages are welcome), please contact Rosey on: 01634 377812 (evenings) or Email: rosemary@ringwoodaccounting.co.uk
Sean Barry - Upchurch Horticultural Society
