General Jobs on plot

If you have any horticultural fleece, you can peg that onto the ground a week or so before you plant. The small rise in temperature of the soil can make a big difference

Harvest

Parsnips should be dug up in early March before they try and re-grow.

You may have spinach beet and chards available, the last of the late Brussels sprouts, winter cauliflowers, kale, swedes, salsify and scorzonera.

Sowing & Planting

If the weather permits you can plant your onion and shallot sets. This is the correct time to establish an asparagus bed if you are starting from crowns. Mid March should let you start planting those early potatoes you’ve been chitting. You can also plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers now.

Things to Sow

• Beetroot
• Broad Beans
• Early Peas (but they may do best started in a gutter in the      greenhouse then slipped into a trench)
• Brussels sprouts – early varieties
• Leeks
• Lettuce
• Radish
• Parsnips
• Spinach Beet
• Early Turnips

Sow in Heat

Windowsill or a propagator in the greenhouse will come into use now to start off your tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and cucumbers.

Under Cloche

Summer cabbages and early cauliflowers, early carrots will get away best under a cloche. If you set your cloche up a week or two beforehand, it will warm up the soil so you will get even better results.

Fruit Planting & Pruning

There is still time to finish planting bare rooted fruit trees and bushes, especially raspberries and other cane fruits.

You can still prune apple and pear trees while they are still dormant. It’s also time to prune gooseberries and currants. With currants shorten the side shoots to just one bud and remove old stems from the centre of the bushes.