April Weather

April was unusually dry and settled, weather that we would normally get in May and June! Met Éireann called it the "Warmest and sunniest April on record; dry for most of the month!"

Less than 22mm or rain fell in the area during the entire month, about 40% of what we would expect. The mean temperature was 11 degrees C, more than 3 degrees above average and the mean soil temperature was 13.3 degrees C, 4 degrees above normal. The total amount of solar radiation for the month (intensity of energy from the sun including overcast days) was at least 20% higher than normal (47390 Joules/sqcm) which is almost as much sun as we would expect in June!

These conditions were great for the mood of gardeners, but not great for the allotment plots as we didn't have enough rain and we have yet to get any access to water! As a result, the germination and growth of many seedlings was slow or non-existent. The soil became exceptionally dry throughout the month, which is very unusual for this time of the year.

The weather was generally warm but we did have frost conditions at several times throughout the month. Although frost tender potatoes had been planted in the last week of March, they had not sprouted enough to show any damage early in the month and the frost conditions on the 26th did not seem to affect the allotments. The cool conditions probably delayed some of the growth and germination early in the month, adding to the slow growth due to the lack of water.

These two graphs show the exceptionally dry and sunny conditions throughout most of April. We did not receive any rain at all until the 22nd and the 24th was the first time in more that a month that we got more than a drizzle!

Week 18 - Bed EX8 Planting

The broad beans that were sown in this bed have sprouted, but the rooks (large crow) have eaten quite a number of the seeds by carefully tugging on the emerging leaves until the seed comes out of the ground. They seem to love the plump seed and leave the rest of the plant on the ground as a sign of their ingenuity! So we resowed more than half of the broad bean seeds with the same variety and surrounded the bed with a branches to keep the birds out.

Week 18 - Bed PC7 Planting

In among the potatoes that were planted in this bed 3 weeks ago we sowed:

• Bastion Dwarf Peas (approx 60 seeds) - a mid season main crop variety, with a high yield and up to 10 very sweet peas per pod
• Hangdown Green Broad Beans (approx 30 seeds) - a Longpod variety which is the best type for hardiness and early cropping with high yields

The peas were planted in clumps of 6-10 seeds and the broad beans were planted in left over spaces.

Week 18 - Bed EX7 Planting

The broad beans that were sown in this bed have sprouted, but the rooks (large crow) have eaten quite a number of the seeds by carefully tugging on the emerging leaves until the seed comes out of the ground. They seem to love the plump seed and leave the rest of the plant on the ground as a sign of their ingenuity! So we resowed about half of the broad bean seeds with the same variety.

Week 18 - Bed PC8 Planting

We sowed some more seeds of the same variety of peas and broad beans as we had run out of seed when when we first planted this bed.

• Meteor Dwarf Peas (40 seeds) - an early hardy variety ideal for both autumn and spring sowing, grows to 35cm high
• Express Broad beans (12 seeds ) - a fast maturing longpod variety growing 60cm tall

Week 18 - Bed EX6 Planting

This bed was prepared the previous week and we used the southern section of the bed as the brassica seedbed for all of the plots. We sowed one short row each of (listed from north to south):

• Vertus Savoy Cabbage - medium late variety with round flattish heads, medium green, well curled and frost hardy
• Waltman Calabrese Broccoli - autumn maturing, with a small central head followed by large number of side shoots
• Cour di Bue Summer Cabbage - large pointed heart variety, maturing in early autumn, light green in colour
• Red Drumhead (Cabeza) Cabbage - large, solid, ball shaped, deep red variety to harvest from summer to autumn
• Holland Late Winter Cabbage - large, white, solid, hardy variety
• Gortahork Cabbage Winter - large drumhead landrace variety form Co. Donegal, which grows up to football size and is very hardy
• Darkmar 21 Brussels Sprouts - a early variety producing large, dark green sprouts in Oct-Dec
• Balbriggan Brussels Sprouts - an Irish landrace variety, 1m tall producing large sprouts with no bitterness
• Pacifica Calabrese/Broccoli - green variety producing a small central head followed by side shoots in late summer to autumn
• Red Spear Sprouting Broccoli - a high yield early variety, harvest from mid Feb with many side shoots
• Early Purple Sprouting Broccoli - early variety producing many purple spears from early March
• Thousand Headded Kale - a tough, extremely vigorous variety growing up to 1.2m
• Pentland Brig Kale - a very frost hardy and heavy cropping leafy winter veg with a distinct flavour, with leafy side shoots and spears like broccoli

To the north of the brassica seedbed, we planted 6 rows of leeks which will also be transplanted into other beds in the summer:

• Lancia Leek (1 row - south) - a productive variety which can be harvested from mid July to Oct
• Wintercrop Leek (2 rows) - a late, hardy variety that stands well until April, with large stems and dark green leaves
• Monstruoso di Carentan (3 rows - north) an early variety that can be harvested from Oct to Jan.

Week 16 - Bed PC6 Planting

This bed was prepared by removing the top layer of sod, digging out a trench of soil to a spade's depth, loosening up the hard pan a bit and removing some of the larger stones and replacing the soil. This is more work than some of the earlier beds in this plot, but we wanted to make sure that the root vegetables could have more room to grow. A fine seedbed was prepared a wide range of seeds were scattered across the whole bed:

• Barbietola di Chioggia Beetroot - a mild-flavoured italian, pink skin variety with white flesh and pink rings
• Storuman Beetroot - fast growing globe beetroot, which can be used as both summer and main-crop
• Rhubarb Chard - rich ruby-red leaf stalks and dark green/purple foliage
• Swiss Chard - dark green leaves with broad white ribs
• Perpetual Spinach -
  
• Matador Spinach -
  
• Sugar Loaf Chicory -
  
• French Breakfast Radish 3 -
  
• Oriental Salad Mix - a seed packed containing a mix of greens including Pak Choi, Salad Rocket, Mizuna, Red Mustard and Russian Red Kale

The seedbed was very lightly raked to cover the seeds, and then lightly pressed with the back of a garden rake to ensure that the seeds are in contact with the soil.

Week 16 - Bed PC4 Planting

This bed was prepared by removing the top layer of sod, digging out a trench of soil to a spade's depth, loosening up the hard pan a bit and removing some of the larger stones and replacing the soil. This is a lot more work than some of the earlier beds in this plot, but we wanted to make sure that the root vegetables could have more room to grow. A fine seedbed was prepared a wide range of seeds were scattered across the whole bed:

• Long Black Scorzonera - a heavy yielding, long root with white flesh and black skin
• Autumn King Carrot - a high yield popular maincrop variety with good flavour and storing
  
• Halblange Hamburg Parsley - a variety of parsley grown primarily for its thick, pointed half long parsnip-like roots
• White Gem Parsnip - wedge shaped root variety with smooth white skin
• Tetra Dill - a herb with feathery foliage and aniseed flavour

We also added a number of different lettuces:

• Marvel of Four Seasons Lettuce - red and green butterhead heirloom variety
  
• Aruba Lettuce - a very red, large headed looseleaf variety
• Salad Bowl Lettuce - cut and come again looseleaf lettuce, with long green leaves
  
• Roger Lettuce - red batavia variety
  
• Little Gem Lettuce - dwarf cos variety
  
• Till Lettuce - dense looseleaf variety with arrow shaped leaves
• Thirza Lettuce - a medium size green lettuce with well filled hearts, crops spring, summer, autumn
  
• Brun D'Hiver Lettuce - a heirloom variety dating from 1855, with compact, wrinkled green/red leaves
  
• Alvaro Lettuce - a crisphead variety to harvest from mid may to autumn
  

The seedbed was then lightly raked to cover the seeds and then onion sets were pressed into the bed at random:

• Centurion Onion (approx 30 sets) - early maturing round variety with brown skin suitable for medium term storage

Week 16 - Bed DD8 Planting

We double-dug this bed and planted:

• Orla Potatoes (36 seed potatoes) - a 1st early variety with creamy white oval tubers with light yellow flesh

These were planted in 3 rows of 12 down the length of the bed and because they are so close together the rows will need to be mulched instead of being earthed to prevent the tubers becoming green.

Week 15 - Overview

Some of the people involved in the gardening course, digging one of the beds on a cold but dry April afternoon.

This bed is being double dug, with the top spade depth of soil removed and then the lower level loosened with a fork and any stones removed.

Week 15 - Bed PC7 Planting

This bed was prepared last week by cutting the sod off the top and removing it. The soil was then dug to the depth of a spade without going too far into the compacted layer of stones about 25cm down. In this bed we planted two types of potatoes:

• Orla Potatoes (23 chitted sets, north part of bed) - a first early variety with creamy white oval tubers with light yellow flesh
• Maris Peer Potato (17 sets, south part of bed) - a second early (or early maincrop) variety with cream skin and creamy yellow floury flesh

In the next few weeks we will sow bot peas and broad bean seeds, to grow up in among the potatoes as a polycrop.

Week 15 - Bed EX7 Planting

We cultivated this bed as a fairly rough lazy-bed and planted:

• Maris Peer Potato (south 1/2 of bed) - a second early (or early maincrop) variety with cream skin and creamy yellow floury flesh
• Hangdown Green Broad Bean (1/2 long double row) - a vigorous early longpod variety
• Ambrosia Sugar Snap Peas (1/2 long double row) - early fairly tall growing, sweet variety with edible parchment free pod

Week 15 - Bed DD6 Planting

We finished cultivating this double dug bed down to a fine seedbed and sowed (listed from north to south):

• Swiss Chard (grid of stations covering 20% of bed) - dark green leaved variety with broad white ribs
• Rhubarb Chard (grid of stations covering 20% of bed) - rich ruby-red leaf stalks and dark green/purple foliage
• Barbietola di Chioggia Beetroot (grid of stations covering 25% of bed) - a mild-flavoured italian, pink skin variety with white flesh and pink rings
• Storuman Beetroot (grid of stations covering 35% of bed) - a fast growing globe variety, which can be used as both summer and main-crop

These are the same varieties as were planted on the same day in long rows in bed EX5, rather than in a grid covering the whole of this bed.

Week 15 - Bed DD4 Planting

This bed was prepared by double digging with some of the sod being chopped up and placed between the two layers of soil for extra fertility. In this bed we planted (from south to north):

• Red Sun Shallots (12 bulbs covering 20% of bed) - mild flavoured red variety, ideal for salads and stores well
• Printanor Garlic (40 cloves covering 20% of bed) - spring planting variety with cream coloured cloves harvested in the autumn
• Sturon Onion (120 sets covering 60% of bed) - a golden bulb variety with fine flavour and good storability

Week 15 - Bed EX5 Planting

We finished cultivating this lazy-bed down to a fine seedbed and sowed 3 long rows

• Rhubarb Chard (south 1/2 of long row) - rich ruby-red leaf stalks and dark green/purple foliage
• Swiss Chard (north 1/2 of long row) - dark green leaves with broad white ribs
• Barbietola di Chioggia Beetroot (1 long row) - a mild-flavoured italian, pink skin variety with white flesh and pink rings
• Storuman Beetroot (1 long row) - fast growing globe beetroot, which can be used as both summer and main-crop

Week 15 - Bed EX4 Planting

We finished cultivating this lazy-bed down to a fine seedbed and sowed 4 long rows:

• Printanor Garlic (south 1/2 long row of cloves) - spring planting variety with cream coloured cloves harvested in the autumn.
• Red Sun Shallots (north 1/2 long row of bulbs) - mild flavoured red variety, ideal for salads and stores well.
• Sturon Onion (one long row of sets) - golden bulb variety with fine flavour and good storability.
• Guardsman Scallions (one long row of seeds) - very strong upright salad onion variety, especially suitable for autumn crop.
• Nantes II Carrots (one long row of seeds) - an early, small cored, medium length, blunt variety.

Week 14 - Overview

General view of the context of the plots with four lazy beds of the Extensive Plot in the prepared. This field has been grazed by cattle in recent years, and has probably not been plowed for decades. The infrastructural works for the eco-village is currently underway with the storage and working yard visible in the background. This whole field will be taken up by allotment gardens and a nursery, and will look very different in a few years time.

Four Extensive beds have been prepared by cutting out a 15-25cm deep block of sod, with soil still attached to the grass roots and turning it over in place so that the grass is upside-down. This grass will rot down and provide fertility. The top surface was then chopped up with a sharp spade to produce a seedbed.
The top layer of sod has been cut off the top of the double-dug and single-dug (Polycrop) beds and most of it is set aside in a pile. This will be covered and compost down in to a nice loam for potting soil for the next season.

The first of the double-dug beds, with sod shown removed to the right. The sod from the paths between the beds was removed and chopped up on top of the lower dug section. This will put some fertility deeper into the soil.

The soil here is very stony, particularly in a 'hard pan' layer about 20cm below the surface. We are trying to remove most of these stones. This pile alone is from one third of a bed.