In the vegetable garden, the moment to lift the rhubarb forcers has arrived, revealing the neon pink stems that have creaked their way towards the light during the cold winter months. Last week at Sissinghurst, the first harvest of the rhubarb season turned three fully-grown gardeners into gleeful children ‘whooping’ our way from plant to plant. This year, we have used recycled metal dustbins to force some of the crowns that have become too big for conventional terracotta forcers.
In the greenhouse, a green haze of developing seedlings- tomatoes, peppers, basil and aubergines, offer up the promise of a bountiful growing season in the months to come. Whilst outside, the beds are rich with mulch, the soil is warming, and the first brave radish and broad beans are just beginning to break their way out of the dark earth. We will now be able to sow out here in abundance- beetroot, chard, carrots and fennel to name but a few.
In 2020 we are attempting to increase the proportion of seed we sow directly. This may be tricky in a heavy clay soil, as it takes a long time to warm up in spring, but we can mitigate against this by sowing a few weeks later. It is definitely worth a try since it saves time and is more sustainable, reducing our reliance on potting compost and plastic pots. It can also be better for the plants, which won’t have to undergo the root disturbance and acclimatisation involved with transplanting.
