The Kitchen Garden in March

I have spent much of March digging, shovelling and then pushing a heavy wheel barrow filled with soil, compost and gravel from one area of the garden to another. I never expected to find this initial hard labour so gratifying, each time I work in the kitchen garden I see progress and my vision come closer to reality.

Writing this blog has highlighted to me what an amazing transition occurs in March. Winter ends and Spring does exactly as its name suggests. Daffodils, Violets, Muscari, Primulas, Crocus, are all giving bursts of colour. My Japanese Quince blossom looks exquisite. We’re still eating the perpetual spinach and kale, both solid mainstays of our winter kitchen garden with their cut and come again qualities. I have just sown purple sprouting broccoli (up there with asparagus as a vegetable delicacy) which hopefully we’ll get to enjoy next year in March.

Japanese Quince BlossomJapanese Quince Blossom

 

I have started to directly sow onions, beetroot, radish and turnips in the raised beds, then covering them with a cloche to keep the ground temperature up. The broad beans are coming on well and I’m looking forward to feasting on them with black pudding and mint in a month or so.

Early veg sown under a clocheThe Beetroot, Radish and Turnip directly sown, under a cloche

The tomatoes I planted in the greenhouse a week ago settled very quickly, I’m sure they’ve put on growth already. I have left space for my mini cucumber plants and basil which are not quite ready to leave their pots yet.

The wood has arrived for the cutting garden raised bed, I’ll start to build this in the next week and yet again get the wheel barrow out to fill it with soil and compost!