URBAN FARMER:Generous use of seeds means lots of us have surplus seedlings at the moment, writes FIONNUALA FALLON
OH THE guilt, the shame, the self-reproach . . . Yes, it’s that time of the year again, when the overly enthusiastic seed-sower (and that means most of us) must now confront the consequences of his/her rash decision to empty the entire contents of numerous seed packets into their waiting trays of compost.
“Gosh, 200 seeds in just one packet, that’s a bit excessive . . . And who would have guessed that they’d all germinate?” we might mutter in shameful self-defence. Well, germinate they did and now, instead of a mere dozen, there are literally hundreds of young seedlings begging for a home.
The problem is, there’s just not enough space for them all, and we know it. And even if there was, do we need 200 calabrese or 100 tomato plants? Nope, not really.
A lucky few may be re-homed among gardening friends, but not enough to make a difference. It’s the horticultural equivalent of “no room at the inn” and, what’s worse, it’s our own fault.
Oh the shame. Because now the urban farmer must hang his/her head and regretfully play the role of executioner. For if there’s anything worse than sowing too many seeds, it’s leaving the surplus seedlings to suffer the ignominy of becoming spindly and weak.
Better, instead, to take the off-with-their-heads approach and consign them quickly to the compost heap. Which is what we do, devoutly promising to ourselves that next year will be different. Except, of course, it isn’t. Oh the guilt . . .
Which is why it’s nice to know that OPW gardeners Meeda Downey and Brian Quinn have worries of a very different kind. Their concern is not that they might sow too much seed but that they might sow too few.
“We raised 600 young sweet-corn plants in the glasshouse last spring, which we thought would be plenty,” says Brian. “We wanted enough to fill one of the panels (the main area of the walled garden is subdivided into 16 planting panels), but we only managed to fill just over half of it. So this year we want to be certain.”
Which means that this spring the OPW gardeners are growing twice that amount, or a grand total of 1,200 sweet corn plants. Yes, you read that correctly, 1,200 plants.
Good grief. Well, at least they won’t have to worry about surplus seedlings.
“We’re sowing the seed individually into black plastic six-packs, which means that there’ll be less disturbance to the root system, as in no pricking out or potting on. That’s important with sweet corn because of its long taproot. The individual modules also give the roots room to develop, which they’ll need, because we’ll be keeping the young plants in the heated glasshouse until late May,” says Meeda.
“Sweet corn hates the cold and needs a long, warm growing season,” says Brian. “So we try to get the young plants to about 1ft tall before they go outdoors, which gives them a great head-start. Last year, we sowed them a bit too early (mid-March) and they came on too fast and got leggy. We ended up having to individually stake each plant before planting out, which was really time-consuming. But we reckon that we’ve timed it better this year.”
Brian and Meeda are growing an early-maturing, traditional variety of sweet corn known as Sundance, a reliable cropper and a good choice given the recent series of poor summers.
“Even though it’s not as good a storer, I prefer the taste of it to the variety we grew last year (Earlibird). The problem is that the birds do too,” says Brian. “Once it ripened, it seemed like every crow in the Phoenix Park knew where to go for their dinner, so I’d say that you do need to net the crop as it matures. And it does get very tall.”
How tall? Both gardeners consider the question for a moment. “Taller than Meeda anyhow,” chortles Brian. “That’s true,” grins Meeda, who doesn’t object to being used as a makeshift measuring stick.
“I’d say that it grows to about 5ft 6ins or so. So netting it would be quite a job. Last year, we didn’t bother but we grew so much, there was enough for everyone. Someone with fewer plants might feel differently.”
“The other thing to remember is that it depends on wind-pollination to produce the cobs, so you can’t just plant one straight row of it. You need to plant in blocks (at least four rows deep) and space the plants about 18 inches apart. Keep in mind also that sweet corn doesn’t like an exposed or windy site and prefers a fertile, moist but well-drained soil, in full sun. But once in the ground, we found that it’s quite an undemanding crop in terms of maintenance. You just need to keep it weed and slug-free, particularly in the early days. So use the organically-approved Ferramol slug pellets and hoe carefully between the plants.”
Wannabe sweet-corn growers should also keep in mind the fact that a large, maturing crop of sweet corn will cast a shadow, so try to pick a spot to the north of your plot. And if you’d like to try your hand at intercropping, the vegetable expert Joy Larkcom also suggests planting climbing beans to clamber up the stems, but only once the sweet corn plants are well established and have reached a height of at least 2.5ft to 3ft tall (75-90cm). Keep in mind that they may need staking as a result (paint the stakes different colours for a nicely theatrical effect).
You can also do this with sunflowers, another crop that Meeda and Brian are growing this year. They’re just about to start sowing seed indoors of the orange-flowered Soraya, a tall-growing variety that reaches a height of 6ft (180cm). And just like the sweet corn, the OPW gardeners aren’t worried about oversowing. “We reckon that we’re going to need roughly about 1,200 sunflower plants,” says Meeda oh-so nonchalantly.
Remember that’s 1,200 sweet corn plants, 1,200 sunflowers . . . it looks like the OPW gardeners have decided to think particularly big this year. But then unlike many other urban farmers, they have plenty of space (2.5 acres) to do so. Yes, you’re absolutely right, you do detect a whiff of envy. Oh well. Anyone for some spare tomato seedlings?
The OPW’s Victorian walled kitchen garden is in the grounds of the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre, beside the Phoenix Park Café and Ashtown Castle. The gardens are open daily from 10am to 4.30pm
Next week Urban Farmer in Property will cover sowing spring onions and turnips in the walled garden
Fionnuala Fallon is a garden designer and writer
WHAT TO: Sow and plant now
Sow under cover with heat (minimum 20ºC): tomatoes; aubergines; peppers; celeriac; cucumber; globe artichoke; pumpkins; sweet corn; sunflowers; and courgettes.
Sow under cover (13-16ºC):Brussels sprouts; hybrid broccolis; dwarf beans; mini, summer and autumn cauliflowers; summer and autumn cabbage; calabrese; celery; kohl rabi; leeks; lettuce; endive; Swiss chard; cut-and-come-again (CCA) crops
Sow outdoors: broad beans; beetroot (early, bolt-resistant variety); summer cabbage; calabrese; early carrots; summer and autumn cauliflowers; parsnip; peas; mangetout; sugar snap; radish; rocket; spinach (annual and perpetual)
Plant:onion and shallot sets; early and maincrop potatoes
Do: weed and dig beds; prepare seedbeds; disinfect glasshouses, polytunnels, seed trays, etc; organise seed swaps; continue sowing seed and pricking out seedlings; begin hardening off well-established plants; finish planning crop rotations
