Hello, March!
March seems far more like the beginning of the year than January. It was the new year for the Romans and, astrologically, contains both the last sign of the zodiac (Pisces) and the last (Aries). Folklore says March "comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb," which refers to the windy weather at the beginning of the month and the, hopefully, calmer weather at the end. This year's lion must be a very wet and bedraggled cat.
March brings the Spring Equinox on the 21st as we enter the light half of the year. Gardening starts in earnest, but there is still a risk of frost and nights may be very cold, especially when the day has been sunny.
Veg in season this month:
Rhubarb, chicory, cabbage, cauliflower, celeriac, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, parsnips, potatoes, purple sprouting broccoli, salsify, shallots & swede.
Flowers to look out for:
Snowdrops, crocuses, coltsfoot, wood anemone, cuckoo flower, bluebell.
Insects you may see:
Peacock, small totoiseshell, brimstone, small white, comma and red admiral butterflies. Beetles, spiders and ladybirds.
Facts about broad beans
Many gardeners will be starting off their veg and one of those vegetables could be the broad bean. Dried broad beans are known as “feves” in French or, more commonly, fava beans. Surprisingly, broad beans are thought to be one of the oldest cultivated crops grown in Britain. Even more surprisingly, they are still widely grown in Norfolk, often for export to the Middle East. Broad beans are a great crop for sustainable agriculture. As a legume, they help to fix nitrogen in the soil for whatever is grown the following year and their scented flowers are attractive to bees and other pollinators. Add to that the fact that they are hardy and easy to grow, that they are high in protein and rich in vitamin C, and its a wonder why we don’t make more use of this reliable, traditional crop. Try growing some in a sunny sheltered corner of your plot. Eat them fresh but save some to dry and I will bring you a recipe for them later in the year.
Whilst you wait for your beans to grow, you could look for some Three Cornered Leeks (Allium triquetrum). The leaves of this edible plant are tall and similar to those of the daffodil, but the defining feature is the triangular cross-section of the stems and leaves which gives them the name “three cornered”. The flowers look like white bluebells but with a green vein running down each petal. Do not mistake them for other toxic species, three cornered leeks smell like leeky garlic.
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Pictures: Three-cornered leeks (Allium triquetum) Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_triquetrum |
https://www.wildfooduk.com/edible-wild-plants/three-cornered-leek/
They can be used in cooking in a similar way to leeks but have a milder and slightly garlicky flavour, they can be eaten raw when young or cooked. They make an excellent creamy pesto similar to a garlic guacamole.
The tiny bulbs have a stronger flavour than the leaves and can be used in place of onions or pickled in vinegar to make mini pickled onions. The flowers taste like mild leeks mixed with cucumber and are a pretty additon to salads.
We have these growing in our allotment field so, if you would like to see them, just ask.
Do enjoy your March, the lighter days and the promise of better weather to come and we will see what April brings...
