Veg Course Calendar - Introduction
After the introductory session and Lesson 1 on March 3, lessons will be weekly until the end of June.
Veg Course Week 1 - March 3
Over the next few weeks and months we will be discussing plot renovation as most of you have your own plots. The scale of renovation will depend on the sate of your plot. Read this article on PLOT RENOVATION first.
Radishes, spinach and potatoes
Veg Course Week 3 - March 17
Sowing peas in a gutter.
Plant out radish modules if well rooted. Cover with fleece.
Veg Course Week 4 - March 24
Sowing lettuces and cabbages; planting out onion sets and seedlings if well rooted and the weather is ok
Veg Course Week 5, March 31
It is Easter Sunday so we may need to revise our plans
Inside: sow beetroot
Outside: plant potatoes, broad beans and pea gutter - all depending on the weather.
Veg Course Week 6 - April 7
Inside:
Sow leeks in pot or next week
Prick out lettuce and cabbage seedlings into module trays.
Veg Course Week 7: April 14
2024 - very wet spring with slug damage
If sufficiently rooted, plant out beetroot, previously raised under cover, cover with fleece - left for a week
If sufficiently rooted, plant out lettuce previously raised under cover, cover with fleece - left for a week
'Pot on' three cabbages into 9cm pots.
Sow leeks if not done last week
Sow outdoor tomatoes
Veg Course Week 8 April 21
Inside
Sweetcorn - sow 8 modules - see article in crops.
Thin beetroot seedlings to no more than 4 or 5 per module.
Plant out beetroot seedlings if big enough - one row - see article in crops. Maybe next week if still small.
Plant out other lettuce modules if big enough - problem of slugs if planted out too small.
Prick out outdoor tomatoes - next week?
Outside
Sow parsnips and carrots
Make brassica tunnel protection - water pipe hoops and rebar/canes
Veg Course Week 9: April 28
Build net tunnel for brassicas - see below - and support for broad beans if not done last week.
Plant early cabbage - three in a row
Prick out 12 outdoor tomatoes; more to do next week.
Sow inside in modules/trays: courgettes
Weed polytunnel edge border ready for planting next week.
Pick radishes before they go woody
Veg Course Week 10: May 5
See Week 9 - some jobs are for weeks 9 or 10 depending on the weather.
Sow runner beans and French beans in situ.
Sow runner beans and French beans in seed trays as spares
Pot up the courgettes that we sowed last week (or leave for another week or plant outside if well rooted?)
Sow squash
Plant out greenhouse crops in boder - a few examples of three tomatoes, melons and cucumber.
How are your sweetcorn? We may plant out or pot on.
Water your outside plants, particularly leafy vegetables and the rows of carrots and parsnips which will not germinate if the soil is too dry.
Celeriac - modules may well be ready for us all to plant out or pot on.
Tomatoes - modules may well be ready for us all to plant out or pot on.
Plot and crop maintenance.
Veg Course Week 11: May 12
Plant out vegetables previously raised under cover - squash, courgettes - if ready.
Sweetcorn was planted last week
Sow Autumn brassicas - cabbages, calabrese and cauliflower
Sow turnips in row where radishes have been cropped.
Spray broad beans against blackfly
Remove side shoots of polytunnel tomatoes
Plot maintenance.
Veg Course Week 12: May 19
The forecast is for hot sunny weather so we aim to plant out what we can.
Plant out rest of cucurbits; they were potted on last week.
Plant outdoor tomatoes and stake firmly; tie to stake. Planted one with one to go next week - still need staking.
All crops have been sown apart from fennel which will be sown later.
We planted out some celeriac plugs and spare squash in the communal beds on Plot 251.
We pricked out some of the brassicas and letuce sown last week. We have put them on the table outside the polytunnel. More to do once they germinate.
Plot maintenance.
The direct sown runner beans are showing but we sowed some extras just in case. The direct sown French beans are also showing; we have a tray in the polytunnel in case replacements are needed.
Check on blackfly and spray if necessary.
Veg Course Week 14: May 26
Catch up with any planting not yet completed - celeriac, cucurbits, leeks, parsnips.
Pot on spare cucurbits.
Prick out more brassicas if they have germinated.
Runner and French beans - add to your rows with spare seeds/seedlings if needed.
Plant second outdoor tomatoe and outdoor cucumber if ready.
Water plants where necesaary.
General plot maintenance
Check on weed growth on the plot we covered about eight weeks ago.