The orchard in Spring: care and advice

Very good to all Agrohuerters. Since March 20th, Spring is officially here. The good things are already beginning, the heat, allergies, terraces and of course the time when our orchards look more splendid and flowery, so it’s time to talk a little about what orchards are like in spring and what to plant in them.

Characteristics of the garden in spring

Well, as always, this is a bit of a draw, but this time of year, spring, is characterized by the fact that we receive more hours of sunshine than in the past months (I am referring to the northern hemisphere), which is great for our crops to develop.

But it will also make them evapotranspire much more, so we will have to water them more frequently. If we are a little savvy, we can save a large part of the water that our garden consumes if we pay a little attention to the weatherman, since at this time of year there are usually abundant rains and if precipitation is coming we can stop watering a couple of days before to take advantage of that excess water on our crops.

Keep in mind that in some areas it can still freeze during spring, the saying goes that you don’t take off your coat until May 40, but with the crazy weather we’ve been having lately, it could be said that the Late frosts are already a very punctual phenomenon and it is most likely that they will not affect you if you are more or less aware of the weatherman.

What to plant in spring? Garden and Balcony

The most logical thing is that we plant the seedbeds that we already made a few months before, if you have not done them yet I recommend that you take a look at how to make a seedbed for beginners. Cheer up because you still have time to make them to enter the correct dates even if you are a little later. Those of you who have already done your homework, first of all congratulations on having come this far. Now you just have to transplant your seedlings to the place that seems best to you, always a soil rich in nutrients and with a good irrigation system.

For those of you who prefer to go to a nursery to buy seedlings, I will tell you a little about which species are the most recommended to grow in April, always thinking about the phenological cycle of the plant and the planting dates, since this April crop In theory, it should finish around the end of July and the beginning of August to start the cultivation of other varieties more oriented towards the start of Autumn and to resist the heat of summer.

Tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, courgettes, cucumbers…

They are the stars of spring, since they need many hours of sunlight for their development. They can be sown both directly in the ground and from seedbeds and their water needs are different depending on each crop. As you know a lot of different varieties, the important thing is that you try which is the one that best suits your area or ask local farmers which varieties are best for them, with that information you will ensure a much better harvest.

I leave you the video that I recorded last year of a traditional garden around the end of May, so you can see the amount of things that they already had there:

I believe that these varieties are valid both for cultivation in a garden and in pots inside the house, as long as you have few plants and apply the correct pruning and tutoring so that growth does not get out of control. With courgettes and cucumbers I see it more complicated because they are creeping plants and grow a lot, for their cultivation on a terrace it would be necessary to tie the branches so that this does not happen, with which the plant loses photosynthetic power as it does not have as much foliar surface exposed to the sun, so the production of fruits is less, I personally do not like this type of practice because I think it is wasting water, space and time on a bush that at most will give you one or two courgettes.

Melons, Watermelons, Pumpkins…

These species are the ones that give the most joy at this time due to the large final size of their fruits, their flavor and color, but their cultivation requires a lot of space and care, so I do not recommend it at all on the terrace or at home. Normally these species are planted directly although you can also make a seedbed to ensure.

There are many more species, realize that the time is right to plant almost everything you can imagine, as I always leave you with a guide sheet so you can see the most particular care for each species in spring, more specifically in April:

And little else, a greeting and enjoy the spring