Planning a year of veg growing

serena

After I was woken by poorly DS1 during the night, I couldn't get back to sleep for ages, and spent a lot of time thinking about your question - see, I told you I can go on for hours about growing veg!

I have a four bed rotation, although I have probably a lot more land as I grow my veggies on an allotment, with a total of eight beds, which I use in pairs.The beds are 30 ft long and 5ft wide.

I use a different crop rotation to the traditional one, basing it on when the crops are occupying the beds, trying to leave vacant land for as little time as possible.

Bed 1/2. Main summer crops. I start sowing in March/April. Beetroot, carrots, lettuce, spring onions, radish (these three I sow one row across the bed every three weeks) spinach, french beans, cabbage (only about 12 plants, early pointed type like Greyhound), and also shallots and onions. When the shallots and onions are cleared, I can sow oriental greens.With carrots I do sow several diffeent types, including maincrop ones. With a smaller space I would concentrate on sowing finger carrots, either Amsterdam forcing or Early Nantes every 3-4 weeks. Every time a row of something is cleared, sow a different crop there.I keep carrots covered all the time with Environmesh a fine netting which keeps off carrot fly (Use it over brassicas as well)

Bed3/4. Late summer crops. These are following the previous year's overwintering crops which are cleared by the end of May, compost spread over then planted with sweetcorn, tomatoes, squashes and courgettes which are pot raised in the greenhouse ready to plant out.

Bed 5/6. Early crops/overwintering crops. I also squeeze in a strip for a seedbed. There are already broad beans and peas here that were sown last November.I cover part of the bed with plastic now to warm the soil, then cover with a big home made cloche (plastic stretched over wires or water pipe). This is planted with module sown beetroot, round carrots and spring onions. Sow 6 seeds into a module, and do not thin. I sow 4 rows of parsnips in early April. The crops must be cleared by the end of June or thereabouts, to plant out with crops such as early purple sprouting broccoli, winter cabbages, leeks, which are transplanted from the seed bed.

Bed 7/8 Potatoes. I choose early potatoes, two rows the length of the bed, clearing both at the same time from one end, so as to free up a block of planting space. I usually follow them with autumn sown broad beans and peas, although you could have salad crops, or oriental greens.

On this plan, the crops all move along to the next pair of beds each year - I hope this is clear!

I would recommend keeping notes in a diary of sowing dates, and write 'sow lettuce, radish' etc across the appropriate weeks throughout the season as a reminder.

I can recommend Tuckers for seeds. They don't have a fancy illustrated catalogue, but the seeds are good and well priced. There is a website.

All the best,

Serena. (PS I promise I will not put in such a long post again!)

Alfietinker

Thank you very much Serena - I love long posts!! It's given me lots to think about and has really inspired me I don't know how you actually manage to fit your allotment in as well as looking after your kids! I had an allotment a few years ago but had to give it up as it was too much. Instead we turned a 1/3rd of our garden into a kitchen garden about 35 x 21 feet. In that we've got 4 raised beds 4.5 feet by 6 feet, a currant patch, 4 apple trees, a raspberry patch, and a greenhouse with cold frame. There's also lots of space for pots. The currants will be moving elsewhere to make way for some chickens in the summer! It's not a massive area, but I feel it could be much more productive veggy-wise.

I've spent the weekend sorting through my seeds and trying to work out a plan. I've sorted them into different vegetable groups and am aiming to use one bed for each. I've already sown some lambs lettuce in the greenhouse - here's hoping!! I've even cleaned and washed the greenhouse in readiness - just mustn't get too keen and sow too early. I'm trying to germinate a few old seeds on kitchen paper to see if they're still any good, so I know what I need to buy and what I can salvage.

My biggest problem is I get too keen and then get overwhelmed or end up in a glut. I've got loads of currants or raspberries and lots went to waste last year because I hadn't got the room to store them, or the time to use all of them. So I'm going to concentrate on sowing little and often, like you suggest.

I've got a shopping list and have found a Netto, so I'm going to see if it's open on my way home from work for the 19p seeds. If not then Wilkos tommorow. (Incidentally, did you know Johnsons, Mr Fothergill's and DT Brown are all produced by the same company? Just different packaging for different markets A little insider info by somebody who used to work on the packaging)

Thanks once again Serena - and to everyone else who's replied. I'm feeling much more confident about where I'm going now! :T

moggins

I think the trick is to just have some fun for the first year and experiment. That's what I did last year and found some things worked and some things didn't. The carrots that I just popped into planters because I had loads of spare seed did brilliantly although I picked them as babies because they wouldn't have had enough room to grow bigger. My beetroot came to nothing so I'm going to try a different variety this year and growing strawberries in a planter on the wall didn't work either.

I had an awful time with slugs and snails last year so am going to try the copper pipe experiment that is going on on Downsizer at the moment.

Alfietinker

Stocked up on 19p seeds from Netto last night! For less than £4 I think that's set me up for the year!

I've put some lambs lettuce on damp kitchen paper - hopefully they'll germinate and then I can sow them. (It's a very old packet).

I've bought some broad beans and early type peas to sow. I once sowed peas in a gutter in the greenhouse so I'll try that in a couple of weeks. I'm going to start a few (about 10) broad beans in pots in the greenhouse to see if they'll work - might give me enough for a couple of meals before the main crop?

I've also sown a couple of pots of herbs in my propagator to move to the windowsill when they come up. (old seeds again)

I'm sending hubby off to Wilkos today to get some Nantes carrot and aubergine seeds. (I'm going to put aubergines in the propagator and the carrots in a big pot in the greenhouse).

Inspired by the sprouting thread I've got bean sprouts sprouting in a jar in the kitchen too

Roll on the spring!

Marisan

Hello,fellow gardeners.

Hubby and I are fairly new to vegetable growing.We dug over half of our garden two years ago and have had some success with potatoes,runner beans,swede,carrots,lettuce and onions.Not so much luck with sprouts as they were 'blown'.

Just bought our seed potatoes (First Earlies - Rocket) and this year we're going to try growing peas.Last year I grew Moneymaker toms,but was disappointed and I'm thinking of a cherry tomato this year - anyone grown Gardener's Delight?

A book my hubby recommends is The Vegetable and Herb Expert by Dr D.G.Hessayon.

This is a great hobby as you are getting fresh air,exercise and healthy (and cheap) produce.

serena

Gardeners Delight is a really good cherry tomato, and the seeds are not as expensive as some varieties.

Happy growing!

Serena.