April now. Spring is arriving in its blossom and pomp. Though not forgetting the threat of showers and the small fear of occasional frost. We are promised we’ll be back working on the plot this month. There’ll be much catching up to do.
I had thought to sow early seed indoors to get ahead, but that has never much been how we work. Except perhaps for some early peas and beans. Even less so this year with the added uncertainty.
Spring and summer will be a bit like a gardening blind date for us. Waiting to see what the drawn-back curtain reveals. A new love affair with new soil. We will add old manure and compost, perhaps some biodynamic preparations as soon as we can.
But for you, dear readers, especially those in the south, April is the sowing starting gun. From beets and broad beans through celery, cabbages, carrots, the vegetable list is long. Leeks, lettuces, land cress to parsley, parsnips, peas, spring onions, spinach, swiss chard, turnips, on and on. An alphabet of sowing.
Now I know from your comments some of you live, say, in Orkney and further afield and you’ll know better than me what to sow outside when and where. And when to cover. This is still a month to remember to check the long-range forecast.
For the day to day, I use the BBC Weather app, and the Yr.no app, from the Norwegian weather institute. Both are more accurate than the farm worker who kept a close eye on crow activity when I was a Devon kid. Though he was almost never wrong.
I have missed the peace the plot brings me. My need to sow and to grow is strong. Particularly in the quiet of early morning or in the company of others. I hope the foxes, the feral cats, the kestrels and robins haven’t been too disturbed. I’ll report back soon. Happy April.
Allan Jenkins’s Plot 29 (4th Estate, £9.99) is out now. Order it for £8.49 from guardianbookshop.com
