Gardening Tips: Four Ways to Beat the Freeze
Posted by Unknown in Advise and Tips, Gardening, Sowing and Cultivation, Vegetable, Winter on Monday, 13 May 2013
From plant protection to returning to microgreens, follow our tips to avoid herbaceous harm from sub-zero Easter temperatures
Jane Perrone
The Guardian
Red-stemmed chard is one of the best quick-return windowsill crops. Photograph: Getty Images/StockFood
1. Seed potatoes are traditionally planted on Good Friday,
but many gardeners have delayed. If the ground is frozen, try planting
in containers instead. Two or three early tubers such as Rocket or Red
Duke of York placed in a large builder's bucket or plastic bin (drill
holes in the bottom for drainage) will produce a good crop of spuds, and
they're less vulnerable to slugs, too. Cover the container with
horticultural fleece or place in a frost-free shed until the weather
warms. If your soil isn't frozen, do plant outside but protect the rows
with several layers of fleece.
2. Throw fleece over newly emerged shoots of herbaceous perennials in
exposed spots in the garden to shield them from freezing winds. Fleece
will also protect open flowers and buds of delicate fruit trees such as
apricots and cherries. Mulches can help to preserve moisture in the soil
and suppress weeds, but if applied when the soil is frozen they will
simply lock in the cold for longer, so wait for a thaw. If you must get
on with something in the garden, prune gooseberries and autumn-fruiting
raspberries and tie in blackberry canes.
3. Most vegetable seeds need a consistent soil temperature of 6-8C before
they can be sown direct: peg down black plastic sheeting over bare soil
to warm it ready for sowing and planting. In the meantime, sow seeds of
parsley, cabbages and lettuces in plastic module trays and place them
on a warm, sunny windowsill, with a clear plastic bag or clingfilm over
the trays to trap in heat. Once the weather warms and you can see roots
poking through the drainage holes, harden seedlings off by gradually
exposing them to conditions outside. Plant out once you're comfortable
working without a coat.
4. Microgreens are the ultimate quick-return windowsill crop. Try
sowing coriander, radish, chard, fenugreek and mustard seeds in a
plastic takeaway food tray or a length of guttering and covering with a
sprinkle of compost or vermiculite. Keep the compost moist and within
days you'll be cutting handfuls of flavoursome greens to sprinkle on
stir-fries, dahls and salads.
