Is February the month of love? It is for us – but not as you might think!
Bright red and beautiful!
For some, it’s a time to show passion towards each other (particularly on the 14th of the month) but for us two allotmenteers, it’s our continued love of our allotments that shines bright as the start of the growing season approaches this month.
The hours of daylight lengthen, and the seemingly endless dark evenings dwindle, extending the time we can spend tending the plots as well of course, shortening the hours we spend in pyjamas at home!
Thinking of colours for this time of year, it’s the colour red that inevitably springs to mind. Synonymous with Valentine’s Day, of love and of energy, we scan round the plots to think of what we grow on the allotments that’s red.
We contemplated long and hard about the most popular things amongst our circle of plotting friends and decided – red potatoes, chillies and cabbage are the vegetables that spring to mind, but what about other plants?
February sees our harvest of the first of the forced rhubarb. Beautiful bright pink and red stalks of it appear from beneath the covers where the crowns have been concealed for weeks.
As the stalks are shown light, we grapple with pulling them from the bulky roots to add to the first of many crumbles and at its sweetest, to use as the base for homemade rhubarb gin.
Bright red is also the colour of the much-maligned radish.
Very much like marmite, you either love them or hate them, but as a very quick growing salad crop they are popular as a braised vegetable nowadays or simply a decoration finely sliced and scatted over salads.
Then what about strawberries and raspberries? Though both fruits are grown in a variety of colours, red remains the most common on the allotments.
February generally sees strawberries show initial signs of life after months of dormancy. The new tiny, green leaves of the plants appear amongst the brown, crispy foliage to the delight of not only plot holders, but to the glee of slugs too!
Conversely, there are no obvious signs of life in amongst the autumn raspberry canes, but this is the last month for chopping down any canes taking them down to ground level for a full fruit harvest later in the year.
And what about sweet peppers? The trickiest part of growing these is the initial seed germination, but on a warm windowsill they will soon show signs of life in these lighter days and once established as a plant, will prove easy to grow.
Our choice is the variety ‘Long Red Marconi’ a vibrant red, slender pepper with a sweet, mild flavour ideal for roasting and eating raw in slaws and salads.
Although we also grow the more common bell pepper, sweet peppers are more expensive in supermarkets, so it makes sense to grow sweet ones instead (and grow your savings keeping out of that type of red!).
Intred red lettuce (Image: Potty Plotters)
Red lettuce
It’s common knowledge that we love to plant lettuce seeds and/or plants in hanging baskets and containers as well as in the ground, and it’s red lettuce that’s the reason why we moved away from direct ground planting.
The shiny shimmer of the pink tinged leaves look beautiful draping over the sides of the baskets and naturally, as the baskets sit above the floor, the plants are well and truly out of the way of any hungry slugs.
Setting lettuce in individual pots is also a perfect way to give them to other people, particularly to those who live alone as it enables folk to take as many leaves as they need for a meal and leave the rest of the plant to continue to grow for other occasions. The plant will grow happily on a light windowsill as long as the roots are kept damp. In years past we have successfully grown varieties such as ‘Little Gem Intred’ a small compact romaine type lettuce that stays crisp long after being picked and rarely bolts – even when grown in heat!
We’re assured that lettuce leaves are rich in antioxidants making this variety a healthy choice for gardeners (but we just like it in a sandwich with salad cream).
Additionally, we adore growing the vibrant, frilly leaved ‘Marvel For Four Seasons’. Without doubt it is the sweetest tasting lettuce we grow and is the most fabulously textured lettuce to look at.
Stunning in hanging baskets and pretty enough for enthusiastic gardeners to set and admire in the flower boarders grown in rows.
You may ask: ‘Why eat or even bother to grow lettuce?’. Well, because the leaves are good for you, are full of nutrients and vitamins and work wonders on the digestive system – ask a rabbit!
Ladybird (Image: Getty)
Ladybird love
The easiest recognised red insect that visits us is the ladybird. They have proved to be so useful in the poly tunnel that we now order more in when plants are under attack from mites like greenfly or blackfly – by sending for new larvae via the internet! Who would have thought you could do such a thing?
But it’s true! The little black larvae look nothing like the full-grown version of the ladybird but once released into the tunnel, can each devour vast numbers of aphids and other soft-bodied pests proving to be a natural pest control.
Fully grown snap dragons (Image: Potty Plotters)
Snap dragons
The choice of antirrhinum seeds (more commonly known as Snap Dragons) seems to expand every year as we gander through our beautiful pictorial seed catalogues, with the taller varieties (up to 4ft) now proving firm favourites for us to grow on the plots.
As the plants grow, we stretch strips of wide-holed netting across the beds (just above soil level) keeping it in position with hand-painted, red ended wooden poles, an all-inclusive support mechanism for the antirrhinums as they grow, though the most effective protection for the taller varieties by far is the polytunnel (or ground adjacent to it).
Beetroot seeds (Image: Potty Plotters)
Red Beetroot
It’s easy to always associate the colour red with one of our favourite veggies, beetroot! Some would argue they are more purple than true red, but traditionally they are known as an easy to grow, red coloured root vegetable:
• Set the beetroot seeds in a tray of compost around an inch apart.
• Cover with a light smattering of additional compost.
• Label with date and content details.
• Place the filled tray in a shallow container of water and remove when the contents appear wet.
• Place on a windowsill and after 14-21 days the seedlings will be ready to plant out.
Go to pottyplotters.co.uk for more or search for Potty Plotters Plotcast.
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