{"id":14228,"date":"2024-05-10T00:16:30","date_gmt":"2024-05-09T23:16:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=14228"},"modified":"2024-05-10T00:16:30","modified_gmt":"2024-05-09T23:16:30","slug":"the-soil-is-now-warm-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=14228","title":{"rendered":"The Soil Is Now Warm Enough"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/strong><\/em><\/span>HE VILLAGE GARDENER<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The Soil Is Now Warm Enough <\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Whilst weeding the flower beds, a couple of passers-by advised me to let the dandelions flower as they were a good early source of nectar for pollinators. These pretty yellow flowers seem to turn into seed clocks in a matter of minutes, you would need to watch them like a hawk if you don\u2019t want your garden covered in them by the end of the season. These broad-leaved weeds smother everything around them. Just try digging them up, it\u2019s nearly impossible, especially when they get established. Your neighbours will not thank you for spreading these across their borders. A few years ago, the authorities dug up 12,000 sq. metres of verge around Wenvoe, where weeds (wildflowers) were in their element.<\/p>\n

Slugs are out in force now so protect the young shoots of hostas, lupins and delphiniums. Some of the new shoots of delphiniums and lupins can be cut off at the base, then potted up and put in a plastic bag, these Basel cuttings root easily and are a great way of getting more plants at little cost. The new leaves of roses will benefit from a fungicide spray now to prevent black spot and rust, before it can get established. If you follow the advice given by tv gardeners to wait until April before cutting hydrangeas back, they will give a better display. Cut them back to a new shoot.<\/p>\n

This month the people at Greenmoor nurseries will be planting up their hanging baskets. These will stay undercover until established. Don\u2019t put these outside until late May at the earliest, or they will go back and not give their best. As with potted up plants they will need a regular feed and consistent watering\u00a0throughout the season, along with deadheading to keep them flowering.<\/p>\n

And so it begins, the annual fight at the allotments between man and beast. This spectacle goes on until the end of the season. The young plants have been nurtured by the growers then planted in the hope of providing produce. On the other side we have the foe – slugs, snails, mice, rabbits and birds all vying for their bit. Runner beans are one of the favourites of both man and beasts, we like them in a dish smothered in butter, but the pests love them as they come out of the soil. Onion sets planted in neat rows are scattered about by the birds looking to see what\u2019s underneath. There is still time to plant more peas to make sure you get at least some to cook as the mice will have decimated the first planting. Carrots planted earlier to avoid the carrot root fly need to be thinned out, allowing those remaining to grow on so the rabbits can have their fill.<\/p>\n

Remember don\u2019t be greedy when planting potatoes, it\u2019s tempting to cram them in. If you do there will be no air flow between the foliage, and they will be more susceptible to blight.<\/p>\n

Next month the Tuckers Spring plant sale will take place at the Church Hall on 11th May so if you have some extra plants you\u2019d like to sell, this would be a good opportunity. There will be a raffle with proceeds going to the Wenvoe Wildlife Group and homemade cakes sold by the slice to take away or enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee. See you there.<\/p>\n

Take care and happy gardening<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THE VILLAGE GARDENER<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE VILLAGE GARDENER The Soil Is Now Warm Enough Whilst weeding the flower beds, a couple of passers-by advised me to let the dandelions flower as they were a good early source of nectar for pollinators. These pretty yellow flowers seem to turn into seed clocks in a matter of minutes, you would need to watch them like a hawk […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[77],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-3Hu","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9150,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=9150","url_meta":{"origin":14228,"position":0},"title":"Gardening Advice for March","author":"Alan Williams","date":"28th February 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER Gardening Advice for March Pam Owens of Hopkinstown gardens, Carmarthen, offers her tips for March. Start mowing if the ground is dry enough. Enjoy the early Spring bulbs. Put new batteries in your torch and get out after dark to catch those slugs. As soon as daffs\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15209,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=15209","url_meta":{"origin":14228,"position":1},"title":"This Month for Early Spring Bulbs","author":"Alan Williams","date":"6th March 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER This Month for Early Spring Bulbs This month early spring bulbs and ornamental quince will be in bloom. The quince would have been in flower since last October and will continue to flower for months. When we were pupils of Wenvoe school, a long time ago now,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Items for March 2025"","block_context":{"text":"New Items for March 2025","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=420"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15040,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=15040","url_meta":{"origin":14228,"position":2},"title":"Happy New Year Everyone","author":"Alan Williams","date":"9th January 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER Happy New Year everyone This time of year, I love to look through seed catalogues, wondering if the plants will ever be as good as they look in the pamphlet. They never are. Don\u2019t start trampling all over the soil unless it\u2019s dry as compacting it now\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9584,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=9584","url_meta":{"origin":14228,"position":3},"title":"Star Gardening Tips for May","author":"Alan Williams","date":"3rd May 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER Stella Gardening Tips for May Alex Cooper's tips from the force Edge the borders to keep them neat and tidy. Don't sow all your veg at once , spread them out to prolong the harvest season. Pine needles make a good mulch for camellias rhododendrons and azaleas.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/waterCan-2-257x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":516,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=516","url_meta":{"origin":14228,"position":4},"title":"Wallflowers","author":"Wenvoeadmin","date":"9th June 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Sow wallflower seeds in the next few weeks ready for a display next spring. Wallflowers germinate readily if sown thinly into shallow drills in a wellprepared seed bed. Make sure the soil is moist just below the surface. You can expect the seedlings to show in a few weeks. If\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Lilac_wall_flowers_35191451941.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Lilac_wall_flowers_35191451941.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Lilac_wall_flowers_35191451941.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Lilac_wall_flowers_35191451941.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Lilac_wall_flowers_35191451941.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16766,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16766","url_meta":{"origin":14228,"position":5},"title":"Fed Up with What Claims to Be Compost","author":"Alan Williams","date":"27th March 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER Fed Up with What Claims to Be Compost I am so fed up with what claims to be compost just being a poor excuse for it. Even the expensive stuff for growing seeds and seedlings, needs to be sieved before you can use it to any effect.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Items for April 2026"","block_context":{"text":"New Items for April 2026","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=432"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14228"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14228"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14229,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14228\/revisions\/14229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}