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Yearly activities at the allotment This is a list of the activities that should take place at the allotment but not all do, it is my intention to get the allotment producing on a year round basis. The calendar is starting out as a general calendar based on the average temperatures found in the south of England, over time it will be refined for South County Dublin.
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| January | Sowing
In a heated greenhouse you can sow cauliflowers, onions, leeks, and plant potatoes and French Beans for a very early crop
Crops
In the garden there will be cabbages, savoys, Brussels sprouts, kale, and possibly winter cauliflowers to gather, and celery, leeks, parsnips to dig up.
Work
Start forcing rhubarb, salsify and seakale out of doors. Net red currant and gooseberry bushes to prevent birds stripping the buds. Order seeds. | July | Sowing
Sow turnips and beet for storing. Kale, spinach beet and cabbages for spring. For cropping this year, sow moss curled endive, Chinese cabbage and Sutton broad beans. Further sowings can be made of fennel, purple kohlrabi, seakale beet, summer spinach, main crop carrots, summer and winter radishes and lettuces.
Crops
French beans and runner beans will be taking over from broad beans and peas. Other crops coming are tomatoes, courgettes and marrows and potatoes. There will be soft fruit -- strawberries, raspberries, black, red and white currants and gooseberries. There will also be cauliflowers, as well as cabbages, New Zealand spinach, seakale beet, carrots and turnips. Dig up shallots and dry them for storing.
Work
Hoe, water, stake and tie tall plants. Earth up main crop potatoes and start earthing up celery. Cut down raspberry canes after they have finished fruiting. | | | |
| | February | Sowing
Brussels sprouts, broad beans, peas, and carrots may be sown in frames, and turnips and radishes in frames or under cloches. In the greenhouse sow tomatoes, cauliflowers, celery, French beans and aubergines.
Out doors plant rhubarb, garlic, and shallots.
Crops
Brassicas, leeks, parsnips and celery should be available for harvesting. In the greenhouse lettuce will be cropping along with mustard, cress, bean shoots and mushrooms.
Work
Seed potatoes intended for planting ion April should be 'chitted' Dress the asparagus bed with general fertiliser, fork in compost to the rhubarb bed. Top dress gooseberries and currants with sulphate of potash. | August | Sowing
Sow cabbages for spring, red cabbage, winter spinach, lettuces and onions at the end of the month. Try sowing salad onions fairly thickly under cloches for an early spring crop.
Plant out rooted cuttings of strawberries, rosemary, sage and mint.
Crops
Sweet corn, peppers, aubergines and onions should be ready now. There will still be French beans, runner beans, peas, cauliflowers, cabbages, carrots, turnips, marrows and potatoes. Autumn fruiting raspberries take over from summer varieties. Blackberries and Logan berries help to fill the gap left by the finished currants.
Autumn sown onions may be ripe enough for storing; garlic certainly will.
Work
Hoe, water, stake and tie tall plants. | | | | | March | Sowing
Out doors sow peas, leeks, Brussels sprouts, onions, round seeded spinach every 3 weeks till the end of July. Parsnips, parsley, radishes and broad beans also to be sown. Sow lettuce, spring onions and under cloches beetroot for June. Also under cloches sow summer cabbages, radishes, carrots, turnip and French beans. In the greenhouse sow celery, celeriac, sweet peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes.
Plant artichokes, onion sets, autumn sown onions, shallots, and garlic, seakale, and horseradish. Also sow potatoes in warm sheltered gardens.
Crops
Sprouts will be past their best but savoys, spring greens, sprouting broccoli and spinach bet should be in good shape. Any mushroom beds dormant in winter should be starting to crop again.
Work
Make compost for mushrooms, hoe weeds before they become large and deal with slugs. | September | Sowing
Sow summer cauliflowers for transplanting to a frame next month and planting out in April. The last sowing of winter spinach can be made out of doors.
Transplant seedlings of spring cabbage and transplant the lettuces sown last month to frames.
Crops
For immediate use there will be French beans, broad beans and peas sown in summer, runner beans, sweet corn, carrots, marrows, tomatoes, cauliflowers, cabbages, the first Brussels sprouts, savoys and potatoes. All out door tomatoes, cucumbers and marrows should be picked before the frosts begin.
Onions should be lifted, dried off and stored for winter. Towards the end of the month potatoes may be ready for lifting and storing.
Remontant strawberries are still fruiting along with late raspberries and blackberries.
Work
Earth up leeks. Cut off blackberry and Logan berry canes after they have finished fruiting and tie in new canes. | | | | | | April
| Sowing
Continue to sow lettuces, radishes, and spring onions a little each week. Make a start, with sowing winter cauliflowers, and broccoli. Sow more broad beans, peas, cabbages, Brussels sprouts, cauliflowers for autumn and beetroot, carrots, turnips, parsnips, leeks and onions. French beans can be sown under cloches, asparagus and peas can be sown in cold frames. Whereas runner beans, sweet corn, marrows and courgettes can be sown in a heated greenhouse.
Plant potatoes, asparagus and onion sets. Transplant red cabbage and cauliflowers sown in autumn and onions and leeks and broad beans raised under glass.
Crops
There will be lettuces ready from autumn sowings. Cabbages, cauliflowers and kale should be continuing. Forced rhubarb should be ready.
Work
Dig and manure the celery trench ready for planting in June. Go after red spider mites, aphids and sawfly. | October | Sowing
Sow lettuce in frames and peas either out of doors or under cloches in cold gardens.
Soft fruits such as gooseberries, black, red and white currants and blackberries and Logan berries can be planted at the end of this month. Divide and plant rhubarb.
Crops
Carrots, beetroot, turnips, swedes and winter radishes should be pulled for storing during the winter months. Cauliflowers, cabbages and Brussels sprouts will be improving throughout the month. Remontant strawberries are still fruiting; also pick the last of the raspberries and blackberries.
Work
Start forcing chicory, earth up celery and leeks. Put cloches over winter seakale. Cut down yellowing stems of asparagus and mulch the bed. | | | | | | May | Sowing
Sow savoys, New Zealand spinach, Good King Henry, and at the of the month - swedes, French Beans, runner beans, long rooted beetroot and sweet corn. At the end of the month marrows can be sown out of doors. For follow on crops continue to sow lettuce, springs onions, globe beetroot and radishes. Winter cauliflowers, cabbages, carrots, peas, broad beans, spinach, and turnips can still be sown.
Plant out Brussels sprouts, sprouting broccoli, sweet corn, asparagus peas, leeks and celeriac. Tomatoes, aubergines and peppers go out under cloches.
Crops
Asparagus beds may be producing at this time. Lettuce, radishes and onions will provide salads. The vegetable stand-bys will be cabbage, sprouting broccoli and spinach.
Work
Thin early crops, weed and mulch where you can. Earth up early potatoes. Protect any tender crops if late frosts are forecast. | November | Sowing
Peas and long-pod broad beans can be sown.
Soft fruits and rhubarb can still be planted if the ground is not wet and sticky or frozen.
Crop
Celery, leeks, parsnips along with cauliflowers, Brussels sprouts and cabbages are still available in the garden. Lift and store July sown turnips and beetroots and in very cold years parsnips.
Work
Clean up the garden, taking the yellow leaves off Brussels sprouts. Dig whenever possible, manure where next year’s peas and beans, onions and leeks, celery and spinach are to grow. | | | | | | | June | Sowing
Sow chicory in the middle of the month and endive towards the end of the month. Further sowings may be made of French beans, runner beans, peas, beetroot, carrots, turnips, swedes, spinach and lettuces and onions for salads.
Leeks, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, autumn cauliflowers, celery, courgettes, marrows and runner beans.
Crops
Stop cutting asparagus. Broad beans, peas, early potatoes, and to supplement cabbages, cauliflowers, spinach and salad crops are ready to be harvested.
Work
Keep mulching, watering and hoeing. Stake peas and runner beans, tomatoes, raspberry canes and vines will regularly need tying. Net soft fruit against birds. Prune currant and gooseberry cordons. | December | Sowing
Transplant into frames lettuces sown in October.
Crops
Still available are celery, leeks, parsnips, cabbages, Brussels sprouts and broccoli in the garden.
Work
Protection against frost can include covering celery trenches with straw. Marjoram and rosemary may also need protecting. | | | | |
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