URBAN FARMER:It's a game of catch-up for our gardeners, writes FIONNUALA FALLON
DESPITE THE snow, despite the frost, despite the torrential rain and icy cold of much of the last seven weeks, the parsnip seed that OPW gardeners Meeda Downey and Brian Quinn sowed in the walled garden back in late February has finally germinated.
The tiny, fragile leaves stubbornly pushed their way through the soil last week, nine neat rows of baby seedlings whose emergence heralds the beginning of a new growing season in the walled kitchen garden.
And then, as if by magic, the wintry weather also disappeared, to be replaced by the kind of balmy spring days that all gardeners dream about. For Brian and Meeda, it’s also the chance to play catch-up as they race to dig and rotovate the soil in preparation for this year’s crops. But the young seedlings in the glasshouse are also begging to be pricked out and potted on, and so the next few weeks will be a frantic balancing act.
“The cold wet soil and awful weather of the last few months delayed us in lots of ways,” says Brian. “So, although we just about managed to plant 100kg of seed potatoes of the earlies and the second-earlies (Orla, British Queen) by mid-March, we still haven’t had the chance to plant the maincrop (Desiree, Rooster and Charlotte). But now that the weather’s warmed up, we’ll be turning the last of the beds this week and strimming/rotovating in the remainder of the green manure that was sown last autumn. Ideally that should be done a couple of times over a period of about six weeks before planting anything. But we’ve run out of time.”
Autumn-sown green manures, like the Italian rye and vetch mix used by Meeda and Brian in the walled garden, are normally left to grow and overwinter (another useful advantage is that they act as a weed-suppressant) and then strimmed down and dug back into the soil in springtime. Used this way, they are a wonderful means of adding organic matter and nutrients to the vegetable plot as well as improving soil structure (see organicmattersmag.com for more information on the different types of green manure).
It’s vital, however, that the entire crop, including the root system, is very well incorporated into the ground and allowed plenty of time to root down – otherwise, the urban farmer faces the unwelcome possibility that the manures may re-sprout. And there, in a nutshell is the OPW gardeners’ problem.
Already, the neat drills where Meeda and Brian hurriedly planted the early potatoes in mid-March are now fringed with green where the Italian ryegrass has resprouted, giving it the appearance of a freshly-sown lawn. Exactly the same is going to happen with the beds now earmarked for the maincrop, as the gardeners can’t delay planting any longer.
So what’s to be done? “I’m going to have to spray the entire lot with RoundUp,” says Brian with a solemn shrug. He’s joking, of course (the gardeners don’t use any herbicides whatsoever in the walled garden), but something will have to be done to stop the rye from taking over the ground. “We don’t have the time to hand-weed every individual drill, so we’re going to use a flame-weeder to burn off and kill any part of the rye that’s still above ground,” says Meeda.
Flame weeders are long-handled torches fuelled by propane gas that work by briefly heating plant leaves up to a high-enough temperature to kill the leaf cells. Most effective on young or just-germinated weeds, it’s a more labour-saving method than hand-weeding and more environmentally-friendly than using chemicals. The only downside is that the torch must be used with care to avoid scorching above-ground crops.
But no, it won’t damage the deeply-planted seed potatoes, which are far enough below ground to feel no ill effects. Suppliers include Fruithill Farm (fruithillfarm.com) which stocks the torch for €128.47, as well as a useful bottle trolley (priced at €48.80) that makes shifting the heavy gas bottles that bit easier. It’s a slightly pricey option, however, so like-minded gardeners might want to group together for such a purchase.
Elsewhere in the walled garden, Meeda and Brian are taking a gamble of another kind. For despite the fact that last year’s onion crop was wiped out by white rot (a stubborn fungal disease that can persist in the soil for up to a decade), the gardeners have decided to risk planting onion and shallot sets again this spring. Why so? “Because what’s a vegetable garden without onions?” asks Meeda with a wry smile. “We think it’s worth taking the chance.”
Brian agrees, although both gardeners admit to being nervous. “We don’t know what to expect, so we’re being careful,” says Brian. “We’ve planted them at the far side of the garden from where last year’s crop was, and we’ve planted far less, just five beds. The disease affects red onions more severely, so we’re only growing one row of them. If we have a warm dry summer, there’s a better chance of them staying disease-free, but we’re also going to avoid watering.”
Meanwhile, indoors in the nearby heated glasshouses, the gardeners are continuing to sow seed; the benches are now full of cling-filmed trays of cauliflower, spinach and beetroot, calabrese, cabbage and kale. Other seedlings are well up and will need to be pricked out if they are to flourish.
“Pricking out”, by the way, is one of those gardening expressions that raises a quizzical eyebrow from non-gardening friends (in much the same way that talking about the “crotch” of a tree will) and is a term used to describe the method of transplanting young seedlings. This is usually done once the first true set of leaves have emerged.
Using a dibber or a sharp pencil/stick, and holding them gently by their leaves, you gently prise the strongest seedlings out of the seed tray while making sure that the delicate root system remains intact (weak or damaged seedlings should be discarded).
The carefully uprooted seedling goes immediately into either its own small pot (7.5-10cm in diameter) or into a modular tray that’s already been filled with a good-quality, damp potting compost. Have the planting hole ready (use your finger) so that there’s as little shock to the fragile root system as possible. Once transplanted, firm the compost around the seedling and gently water it in, using barely warm water. After that, it’s a case of watering only when required until “hardening off”.
And what exactly is “hardening off”? Hmmm, I’ll explain that next week . . .
The Belvedere House Self-Sufficiency Show, which takes place this weekend at Belvedere House Gardens, Co Westmeath, is based on John Seymour’s Complete Guide to Self-Sufficiency. Co-author Will Sutherland will give seminars over the weekend. belvedere-house.ie
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 planting peas
Fionnuala Fallon is a garden designer and writer
WHAT TO: Sow, plant and do now
Sow under cover with heat (minimum 20ºC): tomatoes; aubergines; peppers; celeriac; cucumber; globe artichoke
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; peas; summer and autumn cauliflowers; parsnip; mangetout; sugar snap; radish; rocket; spinach
Plant: onion and shallot sets; early and maincrop potatoes; Rhubarb
Do: weed and dig beds; prepare seedbeds; organise seed swaps; disinfect glasshouses/polytunnels/seed trays, etc; continue sowing seed and pricking out seedlings; finish planning crop rotations
