Photo is my trial beds 15th April, one month after planting. I picked lettuce outer leaves and radish from multisown clumps.
Growth has been easier
Until today 18th April, we have been blessed with many bright days. 141 hours sunshine, high temperatures averaging 17.3°C, night temperatures, 3.3°C, (63f to 38F) with four frosts so far.
The difference is phenomenal compared to much duller weather throughout 2024. Plants are responding with strong growth of thick leaves, and there is much less damage from slugs and snails.
This time last year, the radish were unsaleable, with many white marks on the skin from nibbling by slugs. You can see a little of that here, but not too much.
The variety Rudi is brilliant because it continues to grow large without going soft in the middle, unlike French Breakfast.
Bottom left in the small garden photo are cauliflower, and I'm hoping they will make their harvest sometime in May. Last year, a different variety, Aalsmeer, grew no cauliflower at all, just lots of leaves! In both cases they were sown late August, transplanted late September.
Raising plants
The first phase of sowing and planting cold tolerant vegetables is almost over. Now it's time for tender plants.
Problems of residual weedkiller
You never know about it beforehand. More commonly this pyralid poison is in horse manure, rather than cow manure.
I used some of the latter, delivered a month earlier, when making the new bed below. In the last few days we've seen the peas, salad onions, and now potatoes suffering. See me filling this bed in a recent video.
The weedkiller does not affect brassicas and sweetcorn. So we have spread out the whole heap, and I shall grow some of them in it, while also sunlight degrades the poison.
It's tragic because it creates a risk when using animal manure. Curling inwards of the newest leaves is another sign of its presence, see this video of 2019.
Going forwards
This Easter weekend is a fantastic time to sow cucurbits of all kinds. Both to grow undercover and outside. Also to plant potatoes.
Keep covers on new plants until nights are warmer. For some of you in urban areas that might be very soon, here it will be in another 10 days or so.
Stay on top of weeding before they are too big. It's a lot easier to deal with small seedling weeds.
Teaching no dig
I just spent a fantastic four days giving talks and courses in Denmark.
Through the rest of spring and in summer is a ton of events coming up, please check my events page. A recently arranged one is in County Limerick on 19th and 20th July. Another in Ireland is at Johnstown Castle on 27th September.
Be curious!
I've created a free, five lesson quick guide to no dig. It's to help beginners avoid five common mistakes, and when you sign up, you will receive five emails on successive days.
Also for beginners, do check out my new online course which is receiving lovely reviews.
Likewise my New Energies for Gardening book.
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