This is the bed in which I am going to grow my Broad Beans:
I have covered it with my four "Longrow" cloches, to warm the soil before planting the beans. The beans themselves are only just germinating, so there is no imminent prospect of planting. I wrote the other day about sowing the Broad Beans in plastic containers. Well, a couple of days ago I checked for signs of germination and didn't see any, so I brought the containers indoors. The increased temperature did the trick all right, and the beans soon sprang into action. I expect to be planting about 24 bean plants, of three different varieties.
I have also sowed some more peas, in one of the raised beds this time. In the past I have not had a lot of luck with peas - they always seem to develop a bad case of mildew - but I am determined not to be beaten. I have heard recently that volcanic rock-dust is beneficial for reducing the incidence of mildew in peas, and since I gave all my beds a dose of that stuff just the other day maybe I'll be more successful this time. This is the bed where the peas are, photographed just before sowing:
I have put in two rows of peas, one of "Early Onward" and one of "Terrain". The latter is allegedly very resistant to both downy and powdery mildew, so it should have a good chance of success.
After sowing I covered the bed with a piece of chicken wire. Hopefully this will stop the cats / foxes from interfering with it. The six taller metal posts seen in the photo below will eventually support more wire for the peas to climb up. The shorter (light-coloured) rods are just for keeping the chicken wire in place.
I have also sowed some lettuce seeds in small pots that can be kept under cover, in the hope of getting an early start in the Salads department. With the salads I'm going to do what I usually do - sow small quantities, but often (i.e. "successional sowing"), because no-one wants a glut of lettuce that all matures at the same time. The ones I have chosen this time are all from part-used packets: "Tom Thumb", "Amaze", "Devin" and "Cervanek".
I love the look of a freshly sown bed. It won't be lettuce & pea sowing time for us for another month or so. When I read one of your spring planting posts, it just gets me all excited to get started.
ReplyDeleteI hope that your peas are a success.
ReplyDeleteI haven't had any luck starting my peas in the bed either so I usually germinate them in pots and put them in the beds when they're about 10-15cm tall. The good thing about starting them indoors is that it looks like they grow really fast...perfect for the inpatient gardener!
ReplyDeleteanyway, I hope your peas grow well! Eating peas straight off the plant is one of the true joys of growing your own
I thought it was mice that had a strong liking for peas? I always start mine off in modules, as I've done with my broad beans this year. I've got one bean growing in a clear sided pot so that I can see how that's getting on in the hope that the other beans will be doing the same. It will be interesting to see how you get on with your peas, hopefully success will follow!
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