A year in the life of the HSL
March
- Last stages of distributing the seed to our members
- Distribution period ends March 31st, or thereabouts
- Focus is on beginning to sow the bulk of the plants (for seed or trialing for the year) in the greenhouse
- Sending out or Orphans List to Seed Guardians, so they can choose what varieties they wish to grow for that year
- Beds are prepared
- Broad beans sown outside
- Spring Seed News sent out (In future Seed news will be an electronic publication)
April
- Less hardy plants are now beginning to be sown in the glasshouse, typically runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) and the French beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)
- The long season of watering begins
- Peas get sown outside towards the end of the month
- Supports are being put up ready for runners, peas, and climbing French beans
- Grass cutting open season
May
- Biennials that have been overwintering in pots are moved to their final position where they will flower over the next few months
- Maggots liberated from angling shop for use in pollinating carrots, brassicas, and onions
- Bare soil sown with green manures
- Planting out continues, eg. beans
- Staking biennials which put up flower stalks
- Pest season really takes off
- Begin any hand pollinating that's needed
- May need to isolate biennials coming into flower
June
- Show season upon us
- Watch for caterpillars
- Pinching out tomatoes
- Hand pollinating squashes
- Harvesting sorrel
- Summer Seed News sent out (In future Seed news will be an electronic publication)
July
- More maggots needed for pollinating biennials
- Multiplier onions are harvested
- Some brassicas dry enough to harvest
- Remove dead leaves from beans
- Sow biennials for flowering next year
- Begin to harvest peas
- Feed tomatoes with comfrey
August
- Begin to harvest french beans
- Overwintering green manures can begin to be sown
- Harvest celeriac seed
- Letters to Seed Guardians asking what they are growing for next year
- Harvest radish
- Tomato harvesting & cleaning begins
- Lettuce harvesting
- Podding peas and beans
- Beetroot seed is harvested
- More biennials to flower next year are sown
September
- Seed saving Course is this month
- Lots of harvesting - Achocha, Peppers, runner beans, carrots, squashes
- Lots of seed cleaning!
- Last chance for green manures outside
- Autumn Seed News sent out (In future Seed news will be an electronic publication)
October
- Still harvesting - aubergines, leeks, onions, now as well
- Packeting seed begins
November
- Tidying up outside
- Still cleaning and packeting
December
- Catalogue sent out.
- Cleaning and packeting.
January
- Preparing beds
- Distribution period begins
- Some varieties chosen for growing this year
- Any polytunnels to be put up begins now
- Greenhouse cleaned
February
- Multipliers sown
- First weeding in tunnels
- Compost and manure put on beds
- Pancake Day!
- Sowing in incubator
- Electric fence put out
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Garden Organic is the working name of the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA).
We are not responsible for the content of external web sites.
Garden Organic is the working name of the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA).
We are not responsible for the content of external web sites.
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