Article by David Marks.
Lettuce are ideal vegetables for the cooler climates because they bolt very easily in warm weather. Be careful which variety you choose for growing in raised beds because the larger varieties are less productive than the smaller varieties in a small area. We have chosen to grow the Cos lettuce, Little Gem. Tried and tested, they have small heads of tasty lettuce leaves.
The outer lettuce leaves can be picked without damaging the main head if you only want a few leaves of lettuce. When you thin lettuce, these can also be used for salads, the young plants having the sweetest flavour.
Click here for our article describing how to grow lettuce in raised beds and containers.
THIN PARSNIP SEEDLINGS
Your first sowings of parsnip seeds should be about 5cm / 2in high by now. All parsnip seedlings should be thinned (i.e. pull out excess seedlings so that they parsnip can grow to maturity) to about 20cm / 8in apart. Do the same for other later sowings of parsnip seedlings whenever they reach the same height.
Over the next months your parsnip plants should require little attention other than our recommended weeding, feeding and watering instructions which appear throughout this weekly calendar. The next action for parsnips will be to harvest them.
Click here for more instructions on how and when to do that.
FIRST THINNING OF CARROTS
Carrots grow very well even when close together. See our main article for how to thin carrots.
Carrot fly can be a major problem for carrots and those flies are attracted by thinnings. So thin your carrots early in the morning or late in the afternoon when the carrot flies are not about.
Dispose of the seedlings well away from the site where your carrots are growing and gently firm down any soil disturbed by the thinning process. Don’t attempt to re-plant the thinned seedlings, they will not grow well and any carrots produced are likely to be severely forked.
THIRD SOWING OF CARROTS
Sow a few more early carrots to ensure a continuous supply in later weeks.
Previous carrot diary entry
Next carrot diary entry
FIRST SOWING OF SPRING ONIONS
Sow your spring onions thinly and cover with a sprinkling of soil, water if the conditions are dry.
SOW MORE LETTUCE SEEDS
See our main article on lettuce for detailed instructions and a video showing how to sow lettuce in raised beds and containers.
THIN LETTUCE SEEDLINGS
Thin lettuce seedlings to about 10cm / 4in apart initially. Later in the year when they start to touch each other harvest the small ones and eat them, these are the most delicious of all lettuces. See our full article on the care of lettuces
here.
THIN ONION SEEDLINGS
Thin the seedlings to 10cm / 4in apart.
THIN CARROT SEEDLINGS
Thin carrots sown in previous weeks. Click
here for our main article on growing carrots in raised beds and containers for full details. Thin more carrots seedlings
next week.
THIRD SOWING OF SUMMER RADISH
Click here for our main article with details on how to sow summer radish seed.
EARTH UP POTATOES IN
Earthing up potatoes is covering the majority of new potato plant foliage with compost. This has the benefit of increasing your crop of potatoes. It’s easy to do and our main article explains exactly what is involved.
Click here to go there now.
Our next weekly diary entry for growing potatoes in containers concerns the second phase of earthing up. This is much the same as the first earthing up process.
Click here to skip to that diary entry.
WEEKLY FEEDING OF RAISED BEDS
Raised beds need weekly feeding with a liquid nitrogen fertiliser especially if there has been lots of rain which leaches nitrogen out of the soil.
Click here for more information on our recommended feeding plan for raised beds.
WEED RAISED BEDS REGULARLY
Continue to weed regularly.
PREVIOUS AND FUTURE WEEKS DIARIES
February Weeks 1-4
March Week 1 Week 2 Week 3Week 4
April Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
May Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
June Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
July Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
August Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
September Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
October Week 1 Week 2 Weeks 3-4
November Weeks 1-4
December Weeks 1-4