What is everyone growing this year?

[mallie99]

Thanks Su

[PreppingPingu]

I planted my carrots along with garlic and onions last year and seemed to work well. I just went down to my allotment to have a look as I had not dared to peek at it up till now. In spite of the allotment soil being very clay in places underneath and sited on old land fill, it wasn't a wash as I was expecting. Managed to weed the some of gravel paths and dig over some of the earth, pulling out the nasty weeds, though one patch was a little boggy if I stood there too long! I am building higher raised beds this year and may grab some old tyres for the spuds as an experiment to see how well they grow in a tyre stack. It felt good to be down there today in the fresh air and with blue sky and the sun out. The shed was still in one piece and only a bit damp inside.

My garlic and onions that I planted before winter set in, seem to have over wintered ok even with all the wet. I am just going to get my raised beds sorted and then work out what to plant. (Only had one raised bed last year.) I never have any luck with tomatoes but then I don't have any glass cover. My plastic grow bag frame and cover doesn't seem to be very good as the plastic rotted very quickly and I was just left with a "net" over the grow bag frames! I will try parsnips this year. Last year I grew spuds, carrots, lettuce and cabbage with a few onions and garlic. Can't see anything where my rhubarb was though. I will just have to wait and see if it come up or whether its rotted. This year I will add some more things like beets and parsnips. ( My beetroots didn't grow last year but they weren't in a raised bed and I think the seeds got washed away after I planted them.) Each year I try to add a few more things to my repertoire. This will be my 3 year in the allotment.

[featherstick]

I'll be putting some Maris Peer spuds in (bought in the supermarket, liked them, now chitting them outside) and some Anya, but won't be growing too many spuds because they are one of the cheapest veg anyway. I'll be doing some peas, probably Hurst Greenshaft as they did really well for me last year, and some Czar runner beans as they can be used fresh or dried for butter beans. I've got onions and broad beans in overwinter. I'll be renewing our strawberry bed with 30 early, main and late plants - I'm fed up propagating unknown varieties and not knowing what I'm going to get. I'll be doing squash for keeping overwinter as I love it. The gooseberry and redcurrant beds need a good clean and the raspberries need pruning, hope to do that soon. I'll be doing leeks, black spanish radish, swedes and turnips, and kale, for winter. I grow a lot of chard as it's cheap, easy, versatile, and can be harvested all year round. Oh, and I'll do some carrots too. And lots and lots of beetroot, we love it.

I want to experiment a little this year too - some oca, some asparagus peas, perhaps tomatillo.

[diamond lil]

I can't get started until mid May here but I've got it all planned out. Less potatoes this year for a start. Kale is hellish stuff but very handy for soup and it's one of the few things that lasts well through winter here. Might try chard for soups & stews as well. Going to do syboes instead of onions which I have problems with. And I want to try french beans but haven't a clue how to do it.

[featherstick]

I can't get started until mid May here but I've got it all planned out. Less potatoes this year for a start. Kale is hellish stuff but very handy for soup and it's one of the few things that lasts well through winter here. Might try chard for soups & stews as well. Going to do syboes instead of onions which I have problems with. And I want to try french beans but haven't a clue how to do it.

French and runner beans are pretty easy if you sow in pots in good light indoors, and then transplant. Dwarf french beans need little or no care apart from an occasional weed. I often put them in as a catch crop after I've lifted the potatoes, if the weather stays good enough for long enough I can get a harvest of beans for the freezer. Climbing french beans need support on a frame, bamboo is not ideal as it is too smooth for them to get purchase on, many people use jute string tied onto a frame. They don't need a lot of attention, but can be a bit hungry. If the weather is good enough you can leave the beans on the plant to dry and keep for winter as dried beans. Czar is a good variety for this - lovely big white butter bean. Main thing is to get enough ligt when they are sprouting, otherwise they will shoot up and then fall over.

[diamond lil]

I have got seeds for runner beans here.. thanks for that - will give them a try

[PreppingPingu]

Well I just stuck some spuds in the ground this weekend, will put a few more in, in a couple of weeks time. Made a raised bed this weekend and added a few bags of general compost (my homemade compost's not quite ready to use yet.) The raised bed with high sides is for salads - the sides hopefully to help with pest control. Will plant the salad stuff over this week.

[jansman]

Everyone seems to be getting busy. Great!
Here at Chez Jansman we have chillies, tommyatoes, leeks and onions pricked out and on the way. I always start me onions Boxing Day 'cos I like to put some into a couple of local shows in September. Climbing peas are coming up the sticks nicely, and lettuce pricked out and doing well. Early spuds are in 12" pots in the tunnel and the forced rhubarb looks great.
Lovely hobby isn't it?

[moocher]

I've got rhubarb ready to cut ,I have it in a raised bed with a large 2ft dog cage sat on top to stop cats getting in amongst it,and it's reaching the top.

I haven't sown anything ,as I still not sorted garden out,
I'm now considering getting some tyres to grow some stuff in.

[Arzosah]

Here at Chez Jansman we have chillies, tommyatoes, leeks and onions pricked out and on the way. I always start me onions Boxing Day 'cos I like to put some into a couple of local shows in September. Climbing peas are coming up the sticks nicely, and lettuce pricked out and doing well. Early spuds are in 12" pots in the tunnel and the forced rhubarb looks great.
Lovely hobby isn't it?

That *does* sound lovely, jansman - at mine, I'm still at the stage of composting with leafmould and live mulch, and re-weeding bits that I had to let go when I had my virus last year. But some edible plants that I managed to put in a few years ago are doing well (rhubarb, lots of herbs), as are my Alexanders that I planted this year. Its all about low maintenance for me, until the bones of the garden are done.