By the Dart • Dartmouth Gardener The


Dartmouth Gardener


temperature first thing this morning was 3 degrees and this is late April? With the mean day/night temperature not yet


‘In the Purple Rain’ A


consistently above 10 degrees, germination of seeds out doors is certainly problematic. With this in mind the desire to garden under over in the controlled atmosphere of a green house or poly tunnel grows ever stronger. When I began my gardening career, oh so long ago,


I work for a dear old gentleman, who had both an old Victorian conservatory with a black hamburge grape vine as well as a peach and nectarine house. the blossom in early April and the heady perfume of the ripening fruit in high summer were so rewarding. I learnt so much in that garden. though


here in south Devon we can grow these stone fruits outside, the best results are under glass or in a poly tunnel. the ability to stretch the growing season


s I sit at my desk looking out the window watching the rain top up the Dart estuary, the


115


By Alex Webster The humble


greenhouse has been a part of the


to almost fifty-two weeks is another appeal of gardening under cover. You don’t even need heat to sow seeds in late winter; a keen eye and a roll of horticultural fleece can protect the group of hardy vegetables and produce sizable plants for hardening off, with the intention of an early crop. the humble greenhouse has been a part of the


British garden for centuries


the greenhouse came into fashion during Victorian times when owners of stately homes wished to show off their wealth by growing and flaunting exotic and out of season fruit and vegetables. Not all of us have space for such a large garden item as a greenhouse or poly tunnel. there are alternatives - a member of our allotment group grows his seedlings followed by melons under a few old window frames propped up on a wooden frame. A cloche and just a cheap roll of horticultural fleece will also protect those delicates from the worst of the weather. originating from France, cloches were traditionally used to protect fragile garden plants from being bitten by frost – but these beautiful bell jars (cloche is French for bell) were adopted by english plant enthusiasts in the late 1800s for decorative but practical use with indoor gardening. As the season is extended so too do the problems of pest and disease get magnified. When growing in greenhouse borders, reduce the build-up of soil- borne diseases by digging out the soil


every three to five years and replacing it with bought-in topsoil or good garden loam. Large pots and grow bags are an alternative


British garden for centuries. they play an important role in protecting delicate plants from the harsher seasons and enable the gardener to get a head start on spring planting. they also provide an opportunity to grow species that wouldn’t ordinarily survive outside in the British climate.


where soil is suspect. Cover soil with plastic sheeting, ideally white and place pots or bags on this. Potting media including grow bags can be re-used at least once for different crops if no diseases are present. Pests such as red spider mite and green fly will need


to be monitored and dealt with as will diseases like grey mould and the problem of damping off i.e. when the seedling germinates but rots out at the base of the stem.


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