ROB'S PLOT RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

Though the weather may still be on the cool side, there’s already plenty to do in the kitchen garden, and Rob Smith is on it!

- Rob Smith

April is a month of two halves in the kitchen garden for me; one half is loving the fact I’m constantly sowing seeds and plants are growing, while the other half of me can’t stand the fact it’s still too cold to get crops into the unheated greenhouse or plant them outside due to the chance of frost! The small, heated greenhouse and propagators look like they are going to explode with plants and it’s always a challenge to keep them all happy, especially when some need potting up. However, we always seem to cope.

That said, I’m potting tomatoes into two-litre pots and making sure the taller plants are potted deeply to increase the plants’ root systems. You are fine to do this with tomatoes as the little hairs on the stem become roots when covered by compost. In fact, your plants will thank you for being potted like this as they will then fruit lower on the plant when in their final growing position. I always like to add a little bamboo cane to the plants once potted up as it’s too easy to snap the plants while moving them around if not.

While talking about support, it’s a good idea to add some to your asparagus bed to prevent the topgrowth getting damaged in the wind as it grows. I like to think of it as a ‘boxing ring’ around the bed. It can be made of sturdy sticks and rope, or you can use hazel or willow poles to create something a bit more substantial. Remember to use thicker wood or rope as thin string or bamboo canes can easily damage tender spears and even cut into them.