I have ten days with no markets, so I’m working my way through a seemingly endless planting list. So far most of the French beans are in the ground, about two thirds of the outdoors mange tout, carrots are sown but there’s still loads of brassicas to go. I sow quick broccoli in succession which results in an unmanageable number of broccoli plants. My plan is to plant all the brassicas this week.
I have deployed the footloose teenager to plant squash outside. I don’t know which he prefers – digging holes or maths revision. Planting squash outside in a windy field is a bit of an experiment but I’ve seen other market gardens in more exposed places manage to get a crop. Squash plants grow to be metres in length so at worst they are a brilliant weed suppressant, at best we get a squash or two. I’m growing the usual red kuri variety, one called Blue Hubbard and Crown Prince, which is pumpkin sized but the best tasting and storing squash I’ve found. Squash do need a bit of warmth so fingers crossed.
The first French beans I planted are flowering so we could have a French bean in June. The Spring weather this year and last year has been quite different to the preceding years. I used to plan for courgettes and French beans in July, now June seems like a possibility. This is good for more variety in June but plants that flower so early can run out of steam by August. I have to do a better job of sowing second crops. Things like French beans and mange tout which crop fairly quickly.
This week’s Croft Shares will have a salad leaf/pea shoot mix, spinach, kale, Spring onions, green garlic and either asparagus kale or mange tout. The mange tout are about eight feet tall now and covered in flowers but it’s hard to know exactly how many portions there are until I start picking. There are baby courgettes now and a bit of broccoli so these will probably feature soon. There will probably be a bit of “either/or” for the next few weeks as quantities increase and decrease.