Jobs on the Smallholding: March

Are you a smallholder? Would you like to know what other smallholding folk are occupying themselves with as Spring awakens? Or are you just keen to find out what is on the jobs list for us smallholders in March? Then this post is just what you’re looking for. Keep reading to find out about the jobs on my smallholding this March.

I am so ready for Spring this year! Winter has dragged on for far too long. Here is South-West Scotland, Winters are generally mild. So we don’t experience a lot of really cold weather or any snow to speak of. Instead, the days are dreary, grey, windy and wet all Winter long.

But as we get into March, suddenly we are treated to warmer weather, glorious sunshine and the emergence of bright yellow daffodils. And I begin to feel hopeful again that better days are on the way. Spring is my absolute favourite time of year!

Not least because it is finally time to get started in the garden.

Start Sowing!

It’s time to take your packets of seeds, plant labels and module trays out to your potting station. Ensure you have some fine seed compost. (You can simply sieve ordinary compost if you don’t have seed compost to hand.)

While we make every effort to use home-made compost on the garden beds, we do buy in seed compost each year. The main benefit is that commercial seed compost is fairly “sterile” in that it does not contain any weed seeds. Whereas we cannot guarantee that our compost bays will have reached a high enough temperature to sterilise our home-made mix.

This is only really important when you are trying to germinate seeds. If little green shoots start to pop up in your module trays, it is helpful to know that they are the seedlings which you planted, and not weeds!

Once you have everything you need, sow your seeds according to the instructions on the packet. We always prioritise heat-loving crops first, to give the seedlings plenty of time to get established on a windowsill during March and early April.

Keep the compost in your module trays damp; much better to sprinkle them daily with the rose head on your watering can, than to drench them weekly. And ensure they are in a warm, sunny spot.

On your plant labels, write the name of the crop in large letters (e.g. tomato). Then add the variety and date sown in small letters underneath. If you wish, you can add any special instructions on the reverse side of the plant label for future reference.

(Re)skin Your Polytunnel

Whether you are just setting up your new polytunnel, or replacing the plastic sheet on an existing one, NOW is the best time to do it.

If you have been following along, you will know that our polytunnel was severely damaged by Storm Eowyn earlier this year. So we are re-skinning our polytunnel out of necessity this year, only five years after we first erected it. (Ideally your polytunnel cover should last 7-10 years.)

We have taken the opportunity to invest in some upgrades and improvements – more on that to come in another post soon!

But after spending several weeks carrying out repairs on the frame, we have been waiting for the perfect day to cover the tunnel with a new sheet of plastic.

Ideally, you should aim for a perfectly still, warm day.

Even a gentle breeze can cause the plastic sheet to lift and flap as you deploy it over your frame. Primarily, this will add extra stress and make your job much harder as you try to anchor the cover into position. But if the plastic flaps around, it can develop micro folds (little opaque lines) or even tear. These plastic covers are a big expense; so you don’t want to damage yours on day 1, before it is even secured to the frame!

A warmer ambient temperature will make the plastic cover slightly more pliable and stretchy. This will help you get a drum-tight finish when you tension your cover. This is essential for preserving the life of your cover for as long as possible.

If you are in the process of putting up a new tunnel, or re-skinning an existing one, then we cannot recommend First Tunnels highly enough. The products are of excellent quality. Their customer service and informational materials are both outstanding. This is not sponsored in any way, but I truly recommend you check them out!

Harvest Remaining Standing Crops

Our final job for March is to pull up the last of our crops that have stood over Winter. We still have about half a bed each of carrots and leeks. I will pull these up and use them fairly quickly in soups and stews, chopping and freezing any that remain after a day or two.

We have found this to be an excellent way to keep this vegetables over Winter. They neither bolt nor rot. And we have access to some lovely fresh vegetables over the coldest months of the year, and into the hungry gap.

That concludes our smallholding job list for March. Stay tuned to find out what is on our to-do lists throughout the rest of the year!