Veg Plot

mardatha

Is there anything I should/could be doing re the veg plot just now - or can I ignore it until next year ?

serena

Hi mardatha,

depends a lot on what your soil is like, and what you may have growing!

We've had our first frosts, finishing off the courgettes and annual flowers, so I'm clearing those, and other crop remains, and removing crop supports (eg bean poles) and odds and ends of fleece, and any net covers. I shall wash my Environmesh covers ready for next yaar - I use them with carrots, and any brassicas.

I've finished lifting my potatoes, and will be digging over that bit of ground.

I'm removing the weeds from the overwintering crops, and other areas, eg fruit.

Where I haven't added compost earlier this year, I shall be spreading the contents of one of my bins, and leaving overwinter for the worms to work in. Then, I shall probably turn the contents of the other two bins into one. My soil is very good, but otherwise, I'd be thinking about digging in some decent manure.

I have prepared an area of ground today, and sown overwintering broad beans, and planted garlic cloves. I could have sown mangetout pea Oregon Sugar Pod, but we've too many pigeons around this year, so I don't think the peas will survive. I found quite a lot of seeddling and small plants of lamb's lettuce which sows itself around my plot, and I lifted them and planted a couple of rows in the winter bed, where they won't get in my way, and will be picked to add to salads.

I have collected seeds from my corander plants, and may try to collect from some of the annual flowers as well, depending on whether it stays dry enough.

I'm hoping to sort out the fruit area - cutting out fruited summer raspberry canes, and winter pruning the gooseberry and redcurrant. I also want to plant the strawberry runners in a temporary bed, as I'm taking them into school for the kids' poytunnel.

When the weather gets too bad, I shall be going through the seed catalogues, and then doing my order after Christmas - I like to do it then! It's my post Christmas treat!

After Christmas, I shallcover an area with clear polythene to keep it a bit wamer and dryier, and then plant out lettuce, round carrots, spring onions and beetroot that I've started multi sown in plastic divided trays in the greenhouse in early February - I'll probably plant out in March.

I'm considering adding some more bulbs for cutting - I have a flower border on one edge of my allotment, and love to be able to pick loads of daffodils - tulips would be good, and it's not too late.

Enough ideas to keep you going??;)

mardatha

I could empty out a compost bin and just leave it to merge into the garden.. ? And I do have strawberries in containers that are too small - maybe I could put them into a patch in the open garden now ?

serena

Compost - the compost I'm going to spread is fairly well rotted - most of the contents are brown and look a bit like rough multipurpose - if your compost is like that, go for it!

I'd be tempted to get the strawberry plants in as soon as possibel.

mardatha

OK can do strawbs. The compost is a bit dry and has lots of totally unrotted plants in it. not to worry, it aint going anywhere and we do have all winter!

cootambear

get the strawbs in asap.
also now is a good time to dig in manure/compost etc.

dizzydaydreams

Has anyone had experience with the best kind of veg to grow during these winter months? I keep hearing different things, off different generations in my family, but would like a try a good selection of veg that I can start planting early next year. I've recently gained access to my auntie's own patch and would love to get organic as my new year's resolution! Just wondering what you would suggest for a novice? Bound to save lots of my weekly shop if it goes well (I hope!) Thanks!

roosterpotatoes

You definitely should get those strawbs in
Also regarding the plot, gather loads of leaves, obviously no probs at this time of year, and if you grew peas this year dont pull the roots up, leave them as they will replace the lost nitrogen and feed it back into the soil
dig in manure, cover with a thick layer of leaves, cover with bin bags and leave alone (no pun intended)lol

Ive still got carrots growing in my plot and my winter cabbages, need to pull up the leeks too. When i know there will be a frost i cover the area with tarpaulin that way my little darling plants are safe

dizzydaydreams- the only thing i would suggest to grow early would be chilli peppers and the like, this year and last year i left it until the beginning of feb and i only got one chilli, very disappointed

Sambucus_Nigra

roosterpotatoes wrote: »

You definitely should get those strawbs in
Also regarding the plot, gather loads of leaves, obviously no probs at this time of year, and if you grew peas this year dont pull the roots up, leave them as they will replace the lost nitrogen and feed it back into the soil
dig in manure, cover with a thick layer of leaves, cover with bin bags and leave alone (no pun intended)lol

Ive still got carrots growing in my plot and my winter cabbages, need to pull up the leeks too. When i know there will be a frost i cover the area with tarpaulin that way my little darling plants are safe

dizzydaydreams- the only thing i would suggest to grow early would be chilli peppers and the like, this year and last year i left it until the beginning of feb and i only got one chilli, very disappointed

You can't sow much now - wait until after the shortest day [21st Dec].

I sow most of my chillis after Feb and always have loads - I can't see that being the reason that you only got one.

The trick with chilis is to put them in as big a pot as you can, put a good amount of manure or organic potassium based fertiliser in the pot and nip off the first flower when it shows. Then, you get a good root ball, good nutrients even if you forget to feed it, and it thinks it's dying so throws out new flowers and at least doubles or triples your chilli harvest. Oh, and keep them on the dry side of moist, not the wet side.

Sambucus_Nigra

dizzydaydreams wrote: »

Has anyone had experience with the best kind of veg to grow during these winter months? I keep hearing different things, off different generations in my family, but would like a try a good selection of veg that I can start planting early next year. I've recently gained access to my auntie's own patch and would love to get organic as my new year's resolution! Just wondering what you would suggest for a novice? Bound to save lots of my weekly shop if it goes well (I hope!) Thanks!

Yes, but what you grow now needed to have been sown 6-8 months ago. You still have time to pop onion sets and garlic in, plus sow broad beans for a late spring harvest.

Start sowing seeds after the 21st Dec for onions, you can do peppers Dec-March/April, you can start a few tomatoes off Feb, and then March/April kicks in and that's when most other stuff needs sowing.

Sambucus_Nigra

mardatha wrote: »

Is there anything I should/could be doing re the veg plot just now - or can I ignore it until next year ?

I'd cover everything I'm not using for winter crops with cardboard.