As we head into Easter week, the weather is still stunning here in Stephanie’s Kitchen Garden. We seem to have permanent sunshine at the moment, with no rain on the immediate forecast. Consequently, we are busy with the watering can making sure our crops are well watered at a crucial time in the growing calendar. Our water butts are empty and we are now relying on mains water. As much as the warm sunny weather is lovely to work in, we would welcome a good downpour sometime soon.
Inside the greenhouse we are still potting on plants and seedlings. Our bean, courgette and squash plants are now a good size, so this week we will be potting them on and transferring them to the cold frame. Although the days are mild, recent nights have been chilly so it is still too early to be planting them into the ground. A couple of weeks in the cold frame and we should be safe to do so.
It is however, the perfect time to plant out our brassicas and this week we will be planting brussel sprouts, broccoli ad kale into the vegetable cage.
We will be busy sowing again too this week. Crops such as salads, spinach and beetroot need to be sown every six to eight weeks to keep a succession of crops going through the season. We eat a lot of these crops so need to keep a permanent supply of new plants ready to pop into gaps made by harvesting.
We will be harvesting more rhubarb this week, both forced and regular varieties. Some will be destined straight for the dinner table and any excess fruit will be popped into the freezer for use later in the year.
