{"id":10155,"date":"2021-03-20T12:56:42","date_gmt":"2021-03-20T11:56:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hex.webmatic.be\/?p=10155"},"modified":"2022-12-20T06:01:05","modified_gmt":"2022-12-20T05:01:05","slug":"de-moestuin-in-het-voorjaar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hex.be\/en\/verhalen\/de-moestuin-in-het-voorjaar\/","title":{"rendered":"It's spring in the kitchen garden"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The vegetable garden of Hex Castle is part of a long tradition of a seasonal and self-sufficient life. The garden is a reflection of the kitchen of the castle. Or the other way round, cultivating what you would like to have in your plate.<\/em><\/p>

\"\"<\/p>

The agenda and cultivating techniques have been transmitted and improved through generations from gardener to gardener. This overview will help you create your own sowing calendar for the coming months: from end of February until June, for all gardeners - amateur, connoisseur, professional -these are the three busiest months of the year.<\/em><\/p>

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>

FEBRUARY\/MARCH
<\/b>The winter months are definitely over: the temperature is rising steadily and everything is moving in the garden. But despite the spring jitters, some caution is needed - certainly in the first weeks. It can still be quite inclement in March, and the soil is still wet and cold. In the meantime I already put the greenhouse and flat containers in order.\u00a0<\/p>

\"\"The first crops that require our attention are the vegetables that grow slowly or sprout, like the celery species<\/strong> - celeriac for example. We sow celery in a conservatory <\/b>in one of the seed trays with a sifted soil, the seeds lightly covered with sharp sand. I divide the fine seeds with ample space - so that the seedlings do not crowd out until they are ready to be weaned. Celery is very slow to germinate and needs therefore a temperature of at least 18 to 20 \u00b0C: ideal for the veranda or on the windowsill of your kitchen. Good advice: keep an eye on your seed tray; keep it moist daily and be patient.<\/p>

\"\"<\/p>

In addition to the celery, I make room on the tablet for the summer leek <\/strong>. Leeks are also a slow sprout with a need for heat. We sow in a deep container with a raised edge.<\/p>

\"\"\nPaprika<\/b>, peppers<\/b>, aubergine<\/b> and melon<\/b> are plants that naturally have a long season. In order to harvest the first fruits in mid-summer, they must be sown early. I sow them in seed trays. They all germinate quickly. I transplant them into pots and keep them in the warm conservatory until May.<\/p>

Then we also provide space for cardoon<\/b> and artichoke<\/strong>, and this year I will also be sowing asparagus<\/b>. I usually sow the perennial plants in trails or pots.<\/p>

I keep the heat-loving vegetables warm on an electric heat mat <\/b> with thermostat - with an extra non-woven cloth over it at night. In the old days there was a coal stove to heat the conservatory.<\/p>

Cabbage<\/strong> and lettuce<\/strong> don't need much heat. In the conservatory we can get started when the temperature fluctuates around 12 \u00b0C. I sow the cabbages for spring and summer such as pointed cabbage <\/b>, early cauliflower <\/b> and broccoli <\/b> in containers, and then transplant them as soon as the seedlings have a few real leaves and show a branched root system. It is best to stay under the glass of the flat container until the weather allows them to be planted in the vegetable garden.<\/p>

I sow the first sugar peas <\/b> directly in pots after soaking them overnight. After a few weeks I plant them out under the glass of the flat container. Later in the season they can grow in the vegetable garden.<\/p>

\"\"The seed potatoes <\/strong> of the early potato varieties is now also being placed in the greenhouse. We display the seed potatoes over a number of boxes with straw for germination. For organic cultivation, we choose tasty old varieties with a high resistance: \"Belle de Fontenay\", \"Franceline\", \"Rosabelle\" or \"Roseval\".<\/p>

In the flat container <\/strong> I sow spring vegetables in rows under the glass. I usually start with the \"Golden Yellow Gotte\" because it is ready for harvest with its small crop. \"Golden yellow Gotte\", \"American red border\", red oak leaf lettuce, \"White Dunsel\" are all also very suitable as romaine lettuce <\/strong>. Pending our first heads, we can harvest a mixed salad from this in a few weeks. \"\" In addition, we sow a row of endive <\/b> 'Always white' and salad herbs <\/b> such as cress <\/b>, arugula <\/b>, leaf mustard <\/b>, coriander <\/b> and flat parsley <\/b>. I also sow rows of radish <\/b>, stem onion <\/b>, celery <\/b> and chervil <\/b>. If necessary, you can also sow spinach <\/b> or lamb's lettuce <\/b> this month.<\/p>

Then, I sow a large container full of early bussel carrots <\/b>. \"Amsterdam Box\" is an unparalleled old and tasty variety for a first harvest in June. With the \"yellow blunt of Doubs\" and a purple variety, we also vary in color.<\/p>

\"\"In the vegetable garden <\/strong> we start to remove the winter layer. We are going to break open the loamy earth with a stirring fork <\/b> to let the soil dry and warm up in the sun and wind. A few days later we will start milling, raking and sowing.
<\/strong> We are also preparing the fields where we will only sow in April or May (think carrots, chicory, onion or salsify). In the meantime, the weeds will germinate and we have the opportunity to hoe once before sowing, which saves us a lot of weeding afterwards. This technique is called the false seedbed <\/b>.<\/p>

\"\"<\/p>

The first crop that can go in the ground, even in bad weather, is the lab bean <\/strong> (broad bean). Lab bean is an often forgotten or undervalued vegetable. Not only are the thick beans harvested green juicy and sweet, but the leaves, the flower buds and the pods also have all kinds of tasty preparation methods. The cultivation is rather simple. So do not hesitate to add this old vegetable to your range.\"\"
In the first half of March it is often possible to sow leaf crops <\/strong> in open ground, such as turnip greens <\/b>, spinach <\/b> and chard <\/b>. As spinach, we choose \"Viroflay\" this month; the chards are of the variety 'blonde Lucullus'.
We sow a bit more with sowing peas <\/b> in open ground. Peas rot easily if conditions are not favorable. To ensure rapid emergence, we soak the seeds overnight and pre-germinate them in the greenhouse for a day or two. To prevent them from getting into trouble in the event of persistent rain, we ground the row - largely diverting the fallen rain from the row. Also remember to protect the emerging peas with a net from the birds as soon as possible.
It is also time to sow onion <\/strong> and plant onion and shallot <\/b>. A sowing onion (such as a \"Rijnsburger\" or \"Alison Craig\") will be preserved for longer than a plant onion.<\/p>

At the end of the month the early potatoes <\/b> can also be put in the ground. Their place in the conservatory is immediately occupied by the late varieties (such as the \"Cornes de gatte\") which in turn quickly germinate.<\/p>

CHORES FOR MARCH<\/strong>\n
The permanent crops are checked and supplemented.
Chives, rhubarb, sugar root or sea kale are split.
Sea kale is covered with flower pots to bleach.
Asparagus beds are raised. The strawberry bed is weeded, fertilized and covered with straw.<\/p><\/blockquote>

\"\"<\/p>

APRIL<\/b>
April is the pre-eminent month of spring, but the risk of night frost remains until mid-May; and that entails a lot of risks for the summer fruit crops <\/strong>. In addition to paprika, pepper and aubergine, summer fruit crops also include zucchini, tomato, pickle, cucumber, melon and pumpkin - and for convenience, sweet corn and basil.<\/p>

These summer crops require a temperature of at least 20 \u00b0C to 22 \u00b0C to germinate, and at a later stage a temperature above 15 \u00b0C. In the veranda or in the house in front of a window is a possibility, and with insufficient light you can quickly see the seedlings crawling towards the source of light. The greenhouse with temporary heating is ideal for the cultivation of these varieties.<\/p>

\"\"Bell peppers <\/strong>, aubergine <\/strong>, peppers <\/b> and melon <\/b> have been sown as early as possible (see above). However, a long period in the house or in the conservatory also entails the risk of all kinds of damage. That sometimes makes the cultivation of some of these summer crops an adventure. Don't be discouraged by your setbacks.
The first tomatoes <\/strong> are sown at the end of February. These are the earliest varieties, which are planted in the greenhouse - or creeping varieties for under the flat glass. The majority of tomatoes, the mid-sized outdoor tomatoes, are only sown early April. They are weaned after two to three weeks, and preferably are repotted a second time after a few weeks - before they go outside. When repotting, I take the advantage to plant the tomato plants a little deeper each time.
Pumpkin <\/strong> is the fastest grower. We therefore sow pumpkin only mid-April, so that these plants don't stay in the greenhouse for more than four weeks.<\/p>

WARM SOWING<\/strong>\n
In order, from February to mid-April:
<\/em> celeriac - celery - summer leek
artichoke - cardoon - melon - pepper - aubergine
zucchini - tomato - basil
pickle - cucumber
pumpkin<\/p><\/blockquote>

With all the hustle and bustle surrounding the cultivation of the warm fruit crops, it is not surprising that the sowing of the autumn and winter crops <\/strong> is overlooked in April. Therefore make sure to note in your diary already: white and red head cabbage<\/strong> 'Langedijker storage', kale<\/strong>, savoy cabbage<\/strong>, Brussels sprouts<\/strong>, winter cauliflower<\/b> and winter leek<\/strong>.\"\" It is not necessary to sow them in the greenhouse - they do very well in a seed bed in open ground or in the container.
For the cultivation of winter leek we choose the variety \"Blue of Li\u00e8ge\". We also sow an early cauliflower <\/strong> one more time. In the flat box we now also sow summer purslane <\/strong> for the first time and a little radish every four weeks, lettuce, iceberg and some salad herbs.<\/p>

In open ground <\/b>, we start sowing the \"Nantese\" root <\/strong> (for summer and for storage) in April. Furthermore, beetroot <\/strong>, \"rainbow\" chard <\/b>, tuber fennel <\/strong> and salsify <\/b> are sown; and then between the rows of vegetables marigold <\/strong> interspersed with nasturtium <\/b>; and cut flowers <\/strong> such as cosmos, zinnia and sweet peas.
It will be close to May 1 when it is the turn of the late seed potatoes <\/b> and finally head lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli , leeks and celery are planted out.<\/p>

\"\"<\/p>

CHORES FOR APRIL<\/strong>\n
Soil life has awakened - we start by making the compost heaps again.
The insects are also back - we put pheronome traps in the fruit trees.
The carrot plot is covered with insect netting.
Grapes, peach trees and roses are sprayed with sulfur for the first time.
The young cabbage plants are protected with a net against the wood pigeons.<\/p><\/blockquote>

MAY<\/b>
May is a month with two faces. On the one hand, we see nice summer weather with sometimes peaks up to 25 \u00b0C - on the other hand, the nights are sometimes still frighteningly cold.<\/p>

The conservatory is overloaded. From May, the fruit crops <\/strong>, such as tomatoes, are allowed to go outside carefully to get used to the wind and the sun. However, always bring them back in time because the shock of a single cold night can weaken them forever.<\/p>

\"\"Mid-May, together with \"the last of the Ice Saints\", the night frost traditionally ends. After that, the planting material of the summer fruit crops is allowed to go to the garden. In the first half of the month we are busy preparing the parcels for the fruit crops so that the planting can be done without delay.
At the same time we sow peas<\/strong> again during this period - for a longer harvest.<\/p>

We sow parsnip<\/strong> and rutabaga<\/strong> for a Autumn harvest; and some time later we sow sweetcorn<\/strong> and New-Zealand spinach<\/strong>.
From May we can also sow chicory<\/strong> . Sowing chicory is like sowing carrots, it is a precise and patient task - which you can only do in good weather. The more precisely you sow, the less work you will have to do with the rows. Finally, we plant the tubers of Dahlia<\/strong> in the first half of May on the borders of the vegetable garden.
If the weather good is, I will sow the first in the second half of May bush beans<\/strong>. I lay every 30 cm three to five beans in the row, after which - just like with the peas - I increase the row. After all, beans cannot withstand cold nights or wet soil.<\/p>

For the rest, the days until June are filled with planting pumpkin, zucchini, tomato, pepper and basil, cucumber, pickle and melon. The earliest tomatoes<\/strong> , just like melons<\/strong>, are planted in the flat trays under the glass. The other tomato varieties are led up on a rope under a roof.
For pumpkin<\/strong> we keep a large parcel. Pickles<\/strong>, aubergine<\/strong> and cucumber<\/strong> go in the flat containers that have now been released for spring cultivation. Also pickle and cucumber are usually led on a rope, while aubergine and pepper are supported with a simple stick.<\/p>

\"\"<\/p>

CHORES FOR MAY
<\/strong>The first treatments against insects are urgent: a simple ecological insecticide based on soap or oil against louse on cabbages and leafminer in the leaves of leek does the trick.
Nettle vulture is prepared to serve as a liquid fertilizer for the fruit crops.
The potatoes are raised when night frost threatens.
The carrots are thinned.
We build a roof for the tomatoes.
Ample compost is added when planting the fruit crops.
The bean stakes are straightened.
The parcels of the fruit crops are covered with straw after planting.<\/p><\/blockquote>

AND FURTHER<\/b>
We look forward to the activities of the coming months. Early June we sow stake and runner bean<\/strong> - five beans around each stake- as well as dry bean<\/strong> \"Flageollet\" and a second time broad bean. In the flat tray I sow lettuce, iceberg, fennel, late cauliflower and Chinese cabbage again for a September harvest.<\/p>

With the longest day ahead, the first of our late crops appear in the meanwhile well-stocked vegetable garden. After all, the autumn and winter cabbages are ready to plant out one after the other, and the winter leek has yet to find a place. Fortunately, there are the lots of early potatoes that are released.
Then, we will sow sharp and flat-leaved endive<\/strong> ('scarole') green chicory<\/strong> and radichio<\/b>varieties like 'Castelfranco' and 'Red of Verona' in the flat tray to wean out in the summer months.
To sow spinach<\/strong> again, we will wait until July; we will then go for a slow grower such as 'Viking' to harvest in September. To sow corn salad<\/strong>, winter purslane<\/strong>, turnip<\/strong> and black radish<\/strong> we wait until after summer.\"\"<\/b><\/p>

Veel succes!
\u00a0Gust Duchamps, moestuin Hex.
<\/em><\/p>

\u00a0<\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

De moestuin van kasteel Hex kadert in een lange traditie van een seizoensgebonden en zelfvoorzienend leven. De tuin is een afspiegeling van de keuken van het kasteel. Of omgekeerd, zo je wil, ligt de tuin er op het bord. De kalender en de teelttechnieken\u00a0 zijn generaties lang\u00a0 van tuinman op tuinman overgedragen en verbeterd. Dit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":10161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"class_list":["post-10155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-moestuin"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hex.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hex.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hex.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hex.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hex.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10155"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.hex.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28244,"href":"https:\/\/www.hex.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10155\/revisions\/28244"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hex.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hex.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hex.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}