MARCH

 March is the month when planting gets under way and before planting it's worth spending a bit of time to improve the soil and raise yields. Most vegetables are hungry feeders and it's a good idea to enrich the soil with organic matter such as well rotted manure, chicken pellets, or compost. Digging the soil and mixing in organic material will break up the soil ensuring it is not compacted, and prepare it for the growing season. However if it is very wet, or has been a wet winter it is more important to keep off the soil so it doesn't get compacted.Many crops such as salads and carrots like a fine soil and stones are a hindrance. Raking the plot to render the soil finer makes it easier to plant into and creates a better growing medium, as in the image.

This month you can either carrying on Chitting potatoes, or plant early Potatoes.  Potatoes are an easy, and rewarding crop to grow; for tips and advice.  Potatoes can take up a lot of space in the veg plot. Potatoes are one of the vegetables which are ideally suited to growing in containers.    If you have a greenhouse, you can even start potatoes off in containers in the greenhouse and move out once all risk of frost has passed. Frost will damage the new potato shoots, called haulms. The time growing on in the greenhouse will get the plants off to a good start.