What are we planning to grow this year?

[CynicalSurvival]

What do you guys grow peas in? I have some in containers and they have been pretty good, but not a huge amount.

Harvesting chamomile for tea this week - it's lovely and there are loads of flowers to dry.

[cornerstone]

What do you guys grow peas in? I have some in containers and they have been pretty good, but not a huge amount.

Harvesting chamomile for tea this week - it's lovely and there are loads of flowers to dry.

you need some sort of wooden frame, like bamboo, the man next door but one grows them, they grow upwards it looks like and so do beans.

[featherstick]

What do you guys grow peas in? I have some in containers and they have been pretty good, but not a huge amount.

Harvesting chamomile for tea this week - it's lovely and there are loads of flowers to dry.

Peas are a hungry plant, people think that becasue they fix nitrogen they don't need feeding but it's not true, they need quite a bit of fertility. My best ever peas were grown on top of compost trenches, where I had put fresh kitchen compost over winter before sowing in spring. In general I've found it difficult to grow peas on my current allotment.

Some varieties are self-supporting and only need a couple of sticks, other bigger varieties need frames and so on.

[jansman]

I grow mine over trenches too. Dig em out in Autumn, line with news paper, soak and soak again and then fill with kitchen waste, rabbit and chicken muck. I grow, 'Champion of England' which is an old variety that climbs and crops over a long period. Makes a good dry pea too. This one climbs to 8' easily, so you can grow a lot in a small space.

[featherstick]

I might give peas one last go, thanks for the recommendation. I've seen good write-ups about them elsewhere.

The pea that has done best for is a mange-tout called Carouby de Mausanne, great yield but a bit bitter so it went into soups and curries a lot, which seems a bit pointless for a mange-tout.

[cumbrianish]

Is anyone planting for over winter crops?
If so do you have any recommendations, I'm trying to reduce our dependency on shops for fresh veg

[CynicalSurvival]

Many thanks for the tips. The only trouble I've had with growing peas in borders rather than containers is that snails really go for them. Good tip about the composted kitchen waste. I've also heard that it's worth starting them now, and they grow bigger and stronger than if u wait till spring.

Yeah mange tous one are great - more to eat if you eat the pod, plus don't forget the pea shoots are edible. Great companion plant too.

[Mr R]

Is anyone planting for over winter crops?
If so do you have any recommendations, I'm trying to reduce our dependency on shops for fresh veg

The usual - kale, turnips, leeks and lettuce. I made a point of planting them early, so that they should be ready to eat over the Winter.

I will also be planting onions and garlic soon, for next Spring.

[Wales1]

Anything LOL...let me explain ...it was my first year with a greenhouse, the 3 ripe tomatoes and 2 chillies I had off them dont sound like much but to me were a huge sigh that it could be done.
Next year I will be taking the garden/greenhouse much more serously.

[featherstick]

A little bit of an update.

Came to realise how much of our produce comes from South America - tomatoes, potatoes, squash, sweetcorn, beans...

The sweetcorn did well and I will grow it again. The Czar beans are now all off and the last lot are drying on top of the tumble dryer. They will make very nice pork and beans later this year. I've grown Yacon for the first time this year, another South American tuber which can be eaten raw and gets sweeter in storage. I had two plants, they both did well, if it is worth eating I will grow more - no pests, no disease. Oca is just dying back so I'll dig it in a week or so. Another very easy crop so if it fits in to what we eat I will grow more.

Swedes have put on some growth in the last few weeks, that's another relatively easy crop and tastes much nicer than what you buy in the shops. I didn't get any leeks in this year, that was a fail as they are a great winter crop.

I grew some mooli radish this year for the first time - got loads of big long heavy radishes but don't really what to do with it so we are eating it slowly in salads.

Raspberries have established really well in their new home, I shall stake them next year and look forward to lots of lovely raspberries. Gooseberries got mould and need to be pruned back hard. Strawberries need digging out and replanting, they are swamped with weed.

Comfrey patch is now well established so that's lots of fertility for next year, hurrah!

Hoping that the weather stays dry now so I can get on with tidying and preparing the plot for next year.