
The Hatfield Peverel Allotment Association has been around for over a hundred years, below is an article written by David Goodey and makes good reading!
Read moreThe Hatfield Peverel Allotment Association has been around for over a hundred years, below is an article written by David Goodey and makes good reading!
Read moreRhubarb & custard cocktail
An elegant vodka-based drink that'll wow your guests - it's made with creamy advocaat iqueur and homemade fruit syrup
The Hatfield Peverel Allotment Association has been around for over a hundred years, below is an article written by David Goodey and makes good reading!
Growing Florence Fennel
Fennel grows best during warm summers and needs an open, sunny site. Prepare a seedbed in fertile, well-drained soil, adding plenty of well-rotted organic matter the winter before planting. Fennel thrives on warm, moist, fertile, sandy soils.
Fennel dislikes root disturbance. Sow in cooler climates or, for early crops, better to sow in modules as single seedlings to avoid root damage. Plant out modules as soon as possible once the roots fill container from April, ‘harden off’, then plant out once the soil is warm and there is no danger of frost, from early May onwards. Early sowings are very liable to flower prematurely (bolt); there are bolt-resistant cultivars.
Alternatively, sow directly into the soil, 1.5mm (1/2in) deep in rows 30cm (12in) apart, thinning to 30cm (12in) apart in the rows when the soil is warm from May to early July. Use bolt-resistant cultivars from mid-June to mid-July sowings.
The soil is warm and the plants growing well. But watch out for a sneaky late frost.
August is the month of plenty, virtually everything you planted and sown will be giving you a crop, daily trips to the plot are recommended this month, harvesting, watering, and weeding all needing doing this month!
Sow seed outdoors
Vegetable growing really takes off this month. Chit and plant out second early potatoes in the first half of the month, maincrop potatoes in the second half. It's also time to sow seed outdoors in well-prepared soil.