The ups and downs of growing your own dinner 2016...

Dizzy_Ditzy

Hi folks! How are we all doing?

I've only got a few bits out now - sprouts, a single purple sprouting brocolli, spaghetti squash, cabbages, a single pumpkin which is neither big nor orange, carrots and parsnips. Oh and oca

Overall, I've done very well this year. Plenty of veg in the freezer, some fruit too but most of that went in the brewing bucket to give me the 60 bottles of wine for this year! :j

What will I do next year? All the fruit plus another rhubarb plant that we've put in. Chard is going to feature as the chickens love it and it doesn't take much growing I've got 21 more strawberry plants from runners which are destined half for the chicken plot and half for my garden, which I intend to use a pallet and grow them vertically. Potatoes are going at the first plot as the soil there is so much better and non-claggy. We might put a row or two in on the new beds but we've not decided fully yet.

The spaghetti squash is a winner and will definitely be doing that again, as we will kale and spinach.

Garlic is in the car waiting to be planted. I'm not sure if I'm going to bother with overwintering onions. I want to put some broad beans in soon too.

What will I not bother with next year? I don't think I've grown anything this year that I wouldn't grow next year. We've made good use out of it all :j

Still more digging to be done at both plots, and manuring but generally, that's it for number 1 plot this year. Number two plot will still get daily visits because of the chickens. I'll only be able to go at weekends soon because it'll be too dark by the time I get home from work

Soon to start planning properly for next year :j

Jazee

My main challenge for next year is to successfully grow cucumbers again. Last two years have been rubbish!

More use of raised beds here too.

Still eating all the salad still growing in the garden. Haven't planted garlic yet, will do that next weekend.

UnluckyT

Hello all. Mum and I have done poorly on our small allotment plot. What with mum breaking a bone in her foot plus me having a wobble and not seeing the benefit of having our third of a plot. I seen the light now though.
Were trying to widen the bed at the moment plus dig it over, add something to improve the clay soil and pray for rain to soften the hard bits. Plus praying for frost (when the time right?) to help break the soil down, while it being covered for winter.
It seems the typical first season of having the plot start to get it to the way it needed.
Fortunately I've a friend who is giving a hand to pull up and move some of my unwanted paving slabs from my garden to the allotment. Using the slabs to divide our big bed into 3 small ones.

Fruittea

Hi there I haven't posted for a while as the thread went very quiet but I expect that's because we are all finishing up a bit and not planting. I've been keeping an eye on the totals from the plot and I have around £623 saved by not buying and growing my own. I also have potatoes for the rest of the year in sacks. All tomatoes now finished but plenty of kales and parsnips to see me through and green broccoli and leeks to come.
New things ready to go in are broad beans, garlic and more artichokes for the front garden which is a mix of pretty veg and flowers. I also have kilos of fruit in the freezer. So all in all a very good year. Neighbours are giving me plenty of apples which I'm eating and juicing and will freeze as much as possible.
I've had a special offer on a veg box which I usually go for to get me through the winter months - so a small box is around £12 a week - I try to go for the toms and peppers and salad things as I have plenty of pumpkins to store. I'll do an estimate of the price of the stored stuff and update my totals as and when.
It's been great listening to all your veggies stories over the year and would be good to hear all the other round-ups when people have time.
All the best

zafiro1984

Hi Everyone,

On the whole I'm quite pleased with this year, toms, cucumbers, peppers all picked but I've still got Jerusalem artichokes, carrots, leeks, cabbage, sprouting broccoli and kale growing, I've picked one bed of potatoes today (then the back gave way) 2 more beds to go. I've got as much in the freezers as possible, so if I'm careful I think I should be ok until next Spring.

My tunnel was new this year and I'm so pleased with it, it really does add a few extra weeks to the growing season. I've salads, beetroot, fennel, dwarf beans, onions, garlic, more carrots and oca still in it.

Next year:- Vegetables Much the same as this year, but I must make more effort to grow parsnips and celery - as both failed this year. Also I need to grow less runner beans, less courgettes, less winter squash.
Fruit I need to make more effort with fruit, as we use rather a lot and I've been inspired by Queen... into thinking about making wine.

Yes - I'm quite pleased with 2016, I know my veg and fruit may not be perfect but I also know they are not full of herbicides/pesticides and they taste good. I've chickens for eggs, I've got some turkeys and hopefully next year a couple of pigs. We also have deer, partridge and pheasant on the place. Having said all that I'm finding we are eating much less meat and loads more veg - can't be bad.

One last thing - I've enjoyed this thread, you are a great bunch of people, helpful, supportive and entertaining, and I've picked up many useful tips - I do hope you continue with a 2017 thread. thankyou.

adom_thomas

Planning to guava! Trying to grow them from last 3-4 years but unfortunately every time they get decayed! Can anyone suggest me?

Fruittea

Hi Adom
I think you'll find them quite needy in the UK. You'll need a green house and they grow to around 20'. I found an article by Bob Flowerdew which talks about them https://hartley-botanic.co.uk/magazine/guavas-in-the-greenhouse/
I sounds quite promising.
I have Chilean guava which is completely different but really easy to grow. And I love the taste - sort of sherbity/strawberry and it grows just like a hedge.


Quote from Zafiro 'One last thing - I've enjoyed this thread, you are a great bunch of people, helpful, supportive and entertaining, and I've picked up many useful tips - I do hope you continue with a 2017 thread. thankyou'.


Totally agree with you Zafiro - the thread has been really helpful and I hope QOC runs it again next year - it's been really encouraging.

Dizzy_Ditzy

Bumping to keep us off page two

Jazee

Morning all. Just read back and realised I still haven't planted my garlic. Need to do broad beans and peas as well.

But not today, it's pouring with rain here. Still lots of salad leaves/chard/onions etc to eat here though.

Fruittea

Good to see some new posts. I put my garlic in and then decided I could use more - so there's still time but it will be wet planting it out.

I have plenty of food stored for over winter - in fact I decorated our church porch in an Italian theme ready for a pop up restaurant this evening with pumpkins and squashes, garlic etc. Someone commented that it must have cost a fortune to put on the show. Little do they know those pumpkins will get me through to spring. I did have to shell out for the lemons though.
I think it will be lemony pumpkin pasta for a while for me.

As I don't (or haven't) grow salad through the winter I've opted for a veg box from Abel and Cole for the winter months. This will be the forth week I've had them and so far it's been great - As mentioned before I took advantage of a half priced start up deal. I might go to a box once a fortnight as we go forward as I still have plenty of greens of my own. The tomato, fennel, peppers and land cress make a nice change though.

I've also been meal planning (and pricing it up) to make sure I use up a fair proportion of fresh, frozen and bought goods and it's really been very helpful so see where the money is being spent. It sounds a bit nerdy but to know that breakfast for 2 costs 70p (beans on toast) can be useful.

It's great to see the thread being used and I'd really be interested to hear how others are stretching the growing year and using their own - if any one has time that is.
All the best for now.