The Garden Magazine

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March will soon be upon us and it is the time of year when there are lots of jobs to do and the weather is fit to get out into the garden and enjoy doing them.

Fruit and Vegetables need your attention at this time of year and you should be busy preparing the seedbeds for later use by clearing them and maybe covering them with polythene or fleece to warm up the soil in cooler areas to give your seedlings a head start. In milder areas you can certainly start to think about sewing some crops outdoors, at the very least you should be sowing some seeds in the greenhouse for later use. Certainly early potatoes can be planted. Things like Shallots, onions and garlic can be planted along with Asparagus (my favourite!)

In the greenhouse it is time to sow peppers, tomatoes and other salad veges, celery and artichokes can be started off now as well. If you have blossom coming on some of your stoned fruits such as apricots, nectarines and peaches they will need to be protected from stray frosts – like the heavy one we had last night. A good mulch and feed will do them good at this time of year as well. Any pruning of soft fruits needs to be completed as well.

Most of my winter vegetables are coming to an end now but there are still a few parsnips, some Purple Sprouting (my second favourite) and Kale in the garden. I have some spinach that has overwintered quite well too and we are still picking that. I must admit to beginning to crave the fresh new salads of the spring too though we’ll be eating the last of the winter sprouts and cabbages first.

It’s a time of year when I love looking at the nursery catalogues as well, thinking about all the things I want to put in the garden, more and more I find myself looking at the websites as they have such a lot of extra information, like Gardeners Choice. They are an excellent source of ideas and information for any gardener.

Autumn and Winter are  generally considered the best time of year to move your garden plants but in truth, it can be done at almost any time providing adequate precautions are taken. Personally I move a lot of my plants in the early Spring after Winter has taken its toll.

When moving a smaller plant – under a metre high you should first remove any dead material and trim the plant to about two thirds of its size. Digging out the rootball is the next step making sure that you take a reasonably large amount, around the same diameter as the plant is good. A large enough hole should be dug and the plant will generally benefit if you backafill with some compost.

Any plant up to about two metres should be loosened a few days before you remove it, digging a hole at least 30 cms deep and long or damaged roots should be trimmed off before replanting. Bigger plants and trees need further preparation still, you should dig out around two sides to a reasonable depth then let the plant stand for a week, then trim it back by about one third before digging around the other sides then leave it again for a week or so, patience is required! When you remove the plant wrap the rootball to protect it.

The new hole should be bigger than the rootball and again you should backfill and possibly add some feed. Once the plant is in place, firm it in carefully and keep an eye on it for a week or two. All plants should be well watered in when moved.