Time to redesign the veggie plot (with pics)

angelavdavis

The garden is looking better for the rain. The onions and garlic in particular look better for the soaking and the second planting of broad beans are looking much stronger than the original overwintered planting (which is actually starting to produce crops now). My huge waterbutt is full again thankfully as it was almost empty. The chickens, however, aren't impressed with the rain!

I am intending to plant some runner beans in the conservatory as the ones planted in the garden three weeks ago are still yet to make an appearance and I am concerned I may have planted them too deep.

I am hoping by Wednesday when the wind is forecast to die down, I will be in a position to build my temporary polytunnel for my tomatoes and cucumbers. This polytunnel is as a replacement to the original idea of a lean to, as it will be easier to set up. I will make a trip also to the tip this week and hopefully get the mound of prunings shredded for the compost heap this week too, I have turned two heaps and one was practically 100% rotted thanks to the chicken poop contribution which has sped up the process, so I used it to make my second strawberry planter to match the larger one I completed earlier in the year. The GW strawberries were a disappointment, with two being completely dead when they arrived, although the other 8 have picked up. I ended up buying some more plants to fill the gaps. The newly turned heap will be the home for the melon plants.

The second bed has been converted to SFG format and planted so far with carrots, leeks, cabbages, cauliflowers, beetroot, mini sweetcorn, radishes, lettuce, marigolds, spring onions, mange tout and courgettes.

The remaining potatoes have been planted and earthed up once, so I am pleased with their progress.

My overwintered mange tout, spinach and salad leaves have been producing for some weeks now and I have planted the next crops which are picking up well.

I have planted up the window troughs with some of the lobelia and petunias and will make up two hanging baskets with the remainder, and two more with edible displays of tomatoes, mixtures of basils and black eyed susies and nasturtiums to trail down. I will also be planting some cabbages and cauliflowers in large windowbox liners.

With the arches and shed painted, the hydrangea has been planted (and subsequently stripped of its leaves by the chickens, although is now protected!) and the kiwi plant has picked up no end. I will plant some of the tomatoes out this week too.

It really feels like summer is almost here! I will post updated pictures this week to add to this post.

angelavdavis

The enviromesh frame prototype and HM larger scale polytunnel have both been completed - thanks to my inlaws who helped me.

I now have planted in my SFG planting schema:

Leeks
Carrots
Cabbages
kale
Caulis
Spring Onions
Lettuces/salad leaves (producing)
Tomatoes
Runner Beans
French Beans
Broad Beans (producing)
Mange tout (producing)
Spinach (producing)
radishes - red and white
courgettes
patty pans
butternut squashes
parsnips
celery
baby sweetcorn
beetroots
white and red onions (planted in September)
garlic (planted in October)

The growbags in the polytunnel and the glass coldframe bed are planted with:
plum and beefsteak tomatoes
cucumbers
okra
oriental aubergines
aubergines
cape gooseberries

Rooster, maris piper, charlotte, Kestrel and duke of york potatoes are growing in pots. I also have three strawberry pyramid planters.

I planted the two flower baskets, window boxes and wall troughs with petunias and lobelia.

Two of the compost heaps have melon plants growing in them, each with a cloche over the top.

Other fruit growing:
rasperries
tayberries
blackberries
blackcurrants
nectarines
cherries
apples
rhubarb
kiwi

I have two herb gardens fully planted with seed sown herbs and will start off more seeds in modules ready to replace the onions and garlic which should mature in July, as well as replacing any short crops such as the salad leaves, spinach, radishes and spring onions.

rhiwfield

Angela, I'm currently trying to make a veg cage using enviromesh but having some problems in joining the mesh. How did you do it?

angelavdavis

I stitched it together where necessary using a zig zag stitch, but used velcro to fix the enviromesh onto the frame (stapled on the frame and sewn to the hoops.

Dex

your garden is sounding amazing, I wish I had the space for chickens, a water butt and a compost heap(really must make space for this!) please post some pictures I can't wait to see it all