March is a great time of year to get onto the allotment, depending on the soil temperature now is the time to get sowing.

With the recent cold snaps the soil temperature may still be very low. Frosts are important to maintain the soil quality, to breakdown large clumps of soil, and improve texture. As a consequence, you must allow exposure of your soil over winter, but late winter/early spring is the time to think about raising the temperature back up for sowing. Seeds need warmer soil to help them germinate. Until the soil warms sufficiently seeds will remain dormant, awaiting a warmer spell.

It is possible to raise you soil temperature prematurely by covering your soil with fabric, fleecing or cloches for a couple of weeks prior to sowing seeds.

It is important to know how long your crops will take to mature so that you can plan a crop growing programme. It is a waste of valuable space to leave a patch of land clear because you need to wait a couple of months before your next crop can go into the ground.

Some crops are known as sprinter crops because they only need a short time in the ground whereas others need longer, these are known as long-distance crops.

Below is a guide for various crops and how long they need to mature.

Sprinter Crops and months in ground
Beans, different types 3-4
Beetroot 3-4
Cabbage, Summer 4
Calabrese 3-4
Endive 4
Kohlrabi 3
Lettuce 2-3
Onions, salad 4
Peas 2-3
Potatoes, first early 4
Radish, summer 1
Spinach 3
Squashes 4

Long-distance Crops and months in ground
Broccoli 10
Brussels sprouts 6-10
Cabbage, autumn 6
Cabbage, winter 8-10
Cabbage, spring 8
Cauliflowers 5-8
Celery 6-9
Kale 10
Leeks 8-10
Onions, maincrop 7-8
Parsnips 8
Potatoes, maincrop 6-8

With spring fast approaching it is the time of year to be purchasing all your seeds, plugs and sets for the coming months. Many of these can be bought in advance and the mail order companies will post you them when they are ready. This can save you loads of time scheduling what time of year things need to be planted on your allotment.

To get things started early every allotment holder should either have a coldframe or a greenhouse so their seedlings have a chance to propagate. This item is one of the most expensive things you will need to get for your plot but they are long lasting and a worthwhile investment. Coldframes are smaller than greenhouses but because of this they only hold a limited amount of plants. The best choice is a greenhouse, these are however more costly so always look out for deals at garden centre’s and on the internet. If you need a greenhouse now and haven’t got any spare change some sites offer interest free credit, buy now pay next year or have a look around to see if you can find any homeowner loans available.

Whichever option you choose, one of these items is a must for every allotment so make a point to consider your choice carefully.

Now is the time of year you should be planning your carrot bed, carrots don’t like lots of manure before you sow your seeds so if you have planned in advance you will have prepared your soil late last year. Otherwise a small amount of general fertilizer will do the trick when you dig the patch over.

The soil should be turned well and any weeds or stones should be removed until the soil has a fine well-tilled texture. Carrots like sandy soil, free from obstructions so their roots don’t split or become stunted. The seeds should be sown around mid to late March on a dry day when the soil is easily parted into shallow drills around 1 inch deep. The drill should then be covered and lightly watered. The seedlings can be thinned once germinated leaving around 2 inches between the plants.

One of the biggest problems that your seedlings and carrots face is the dreaded carrot root fly, this nasty little pest lays its eggs in the soil near your carrots and the larvae destroy the carrots by burrowing into their root system leaving multiple tunnels. It is extremely difficult to stop this pest, but using fleece over your carrots (leaving no gaps for the little blighters to get in) and companion planting (onions or garlic between the rows of carrots) may go some way to help.

The carrots can be pulled from July, as soon as they are an eatable size, young carrots are sweet and tender so don’t wait until they get too big.

If you have just started growing your own vegetables and need some tips or advice because you are having difficulties with any element of gardening, then the West College of Horticulture is offering free courses on gardening to people when demand is high enough. Janet Ryder, Assembly Member for North Wales has praised the College by saying

“this will help promote healthier lifestyles”.

A new allotment site at Pentre Gwyn will be the focus of the College’s attention and anyone taking a new site will be offered help by the college. The Caia Gardens Association will hold an open day on March the 15th between 3pm and 5pm for anyone who is interested. Mark Simkin who is principal of the college stated that starter courses will be available if there is enough demand for people who for example; want to learn ‘how to grow your own brassica crop’.

It was noted last year that there are still some councils in Wales that have lists with over 1000 people still waiting for allotments.

Janet Ryder has praised Wrexham Council for their commitment to keep allotment availability as one of their top priorities and with the help from the West College of Horticulture gardeners from all walks of life can get the most from the new allotment site.