Seeding in the Rain

Woo Hoo! the sun is shining, even though the forecast is for continued rain on “the wet coast”. It’s the perfect time for more seeding and weeding.

The peas were all sown two weeks ago and the bulk will be ready for harvest on Canada Day (July 1st). But before that we will have a May harvest of snow peas. We’ve given up on the varieties that are harvested in fall because the fighting the bugs isn’t worth the effort.

The last week of March or first week of April was the the time to sow summer cabbage seeds in peat starter pots. The early spring cabbage seeds are sown directly into the ground in August. For winter harvest the seed is sown directly into the ground in the last two weeks of May.

In the case of purchased seeds it’s not really that confusing because the seed packets have their harvest times printed on them. However, in the case of local collected seed unless one is very careful about labeling packages before storing them confusion can result. Well, you guessed it didn’t you? The bargain priced sticky labels will peel off the zip-lock baggies in the freezer … argghh!

Cauliflower seed is usually sown between mid-April and mid-May for October and November harvesting but it’s a cold wet spring so we maybe transplanting those we start in peat pots a little later than usual.

Carrots are an easy crop to grow. The short varieties are best for immediate eating and the tapered ones are best for storing over winter. We seeded the tapered carrots last week and first crop of garden to table “shorties” along with. We will seed more “shorties” in May and June.

In this climate we seed the green varieties of broccoli in late April (this weekend) and that will provide us a September and October harvest. Broccoli like cauliflower needs frequent watering and if the small plants suffer from lack of water then they will flower and the heads will only be a couple of inches across.

We won’t sow runner beans and until mid to late May because the seed is really sensitive to low ground temperature. But the bush beans will probably be in the ground a little sooner.

Golden Rules of Pacific Gardening
1. Raised beds - loosen native soil two shovel-lengths deep and work 3 or 4 inches of compost or other well rotted manure into it. Use stakes and string to mark off beds that are about 4 to 5 feet wide and 4 to 6 inches high.

2. Mulched paths - lay down landscaping cloth and cover with 6 to 8 inches of mulch hay each spring. It packs down to half that in no time and does a great job at stopping weeds.

3. Crop rotation – not growing the same crop on the same place each year, thus reducing disease build up. Another important reason for rotation is to make use of fertilizer left over from the previous crop. For example, follow potatoes with peas. Peas are greedy feeders and they will benefit from the well manured potato soil. The best description and illustration of what we do is found is on a UK website with great gardening information so please click their link below.

Red arrows indicate crop rotation.
1. Artichokes
2. Tomatoes
3. Sweetcorn
4. Compost area
5. Seed beds
6. Runner beans
7. Cold frames & cloches
8. Potatoes (new & main crop)
9. Root vegetables
10. Salads
11. Peas and beans
12. Rhubarb, broccoli, kale, chicory & asparagus
13. Herbs

3. Plant closely – Take advantage of the loose, compost-improved soil to plant in a matrix pattern so that plants will just touch at maturity.

4. Avoid tilling – Avoid walking on the raised beds there’s no need to till each year. Use a garden fork to lightly mix in an inch or two of new compost each spring or fall.

5. Companion plant – flowers and herbs among vegetables to attract beneficial insects and birds that eat the “bad bugs”.

6. Save seeds – focus on seeds from superior varieties selected for taste, nutrition and disease-resistance.

7. Sow succesively – as soon as one crop is harvested, replace it with another, such as replanting a patch of beets in late August with a fall crop of broccoli.

8. Compost – feed the soil with recycled organic yard and kitchen waste and composted fall leaves.

9. Cover-cropping – plant annual ryegrass when a bed is done for the season to discourage weeds and add organic matter to the soil when turned into the soil in spring.

10. Winter cropping – lettuce, kale, cabbage, turnips, carrots, beets, spinach and radishes are among the cool-season crops that can be grown in fall.