Topic: ideas on wot to grow this coming year

[slyfox-mal]

as some of u may know i have got my  first allotment  and ive been very busy trying to get it in order of sorts ive got five beds dug and weeded the bed sizes are 5 meters by 4 meters the soil is clay based  but not really heavy wot may i grow in this type of soil and any ideas on wot and wot not to grow and maybe if u have time  the when to plant  woul;d be nice this land has not been cultivated in over five years and up until last week it was head high in brambles
this soil seems to retain a good amount of  moisture  im in middlesbrough  north east england i would be there now but its blowing a gale and raining and i dont have a shed yet :(

[aquilegia]

The best place to start is - what do you like to eat?

I tend to grow what we eat a lot of and also some more unusual veggies that are expensive in the shops.

I also have heavy clay and have not as yet had much luck with root crops, but I'm hoping that digging in more compost will help with this.

As the soil's been out of use for so long - dig in a good load of well rotted manure or compost first. It might also be worth sowing a green manure to overwinter. I've ordered some seeds of one that is supposed to be good for breaking up heavy soil and can be sown now. But I can't remember what it was called.

[slyfox-mal]

ok i love my veg and love  spuds i use loads of herbs in cooking (shop bought)we eat lots of salads during summer i love sweet corn
basically ill eat just about any vegs as will my family and extended family my gran daughter loves broccally but calls it trees lol the soil is clay but breaks up  quite easlilyi have been told  up untill a few years ago  my plot was looked after really well and  loads of manure was put on it every winter

[aquilegia]

Well a herb bed is a must, then.

As for salads - you can get some varieties to sow now for harvesting earlier than spring grown ones. Some are suitable for growing outdoors.

You cannot beat homegrown sweetcorn - it's just the sweetest, yummiest...

[Jesse]

Tomatoes are a must for me. They're easy to grow and you can't beat the flavour and smell of a home grown tomato picked straight from the vine. I have always had good success with the cherry tomatoes called Gardeners Delight.

French and runner beans are easy to grow and produce high yeilds and are easily frozen if you have a glut.

Sweetcorn, nothing compares to freshly picked and cooked sweetcorn. My children like to eat them raw straight from the plant.

Herbs (including garlic), I love to be able to pick what I need from the garden, my children know the names of most of the herbs in the garden.

Soft fruit like raspberries and blueberries, I've never grown them before but this year I've put some in at the allotment. They are so expensive at the supermarkets so I hope to be able to supplement our supply this summer.

When I thought about what to grow this coming season I considered what we like to eat, what is expensive at the supermarkets which I can grow myself, what tastes better freshly picked and what I call hassle factor. For me cabbages and brussel sprouts have too much hassle factor. They occupy valuable space for too long, I am hopeless at germinating them, I usually end up killing the ones that do germinate and what I don't manage to kill the catepillars and every other bug seems to have a good go at. We don't eat much cabbage and brussels so it's easier to buy or swap what I need. There's an old chap at our allotment site who grows the most beautiful looking cabbages and brussels, he kindly gave me some of his pickings and I returned the favour by giving him some of my homemade jams and chutneys.

[Sarah-b]

You can't really go wrong with courgettes - unless you put them out before the last frost - which means definitely not before the beginning of June (unless you give them some protection).

Runner beans and French beans are great - and like a nice moisture retentive soil.

Try some onion sets - make sure you leave room to hoe around them - cos they hate weed competition - and by the sounds of your plot, come April or May you will have lots of lovely weed seeds germinating and making a little carpet of green around everything you sow... (you will defeat this problem after a year or so)

Sarah.

[GardnerJ]

hello
i am growing the things i like and have always wanted but couldn't justify buying! things like sprouting broccoli, kohl rabi, sweetcorn, strawberries, blueberries, gooseberries, squashes and pumpkins.
then there are the staples for everyday like toms, potatoes of which i am growing 1st earlies in pots at home and maincrops at the lottie, small cabbages like hisip or greyhound, i am going to try a whole range of brassicas but i have learnt this year to keep them well covered or you will succomb to the cabbage butterfly big time! carrots i have never felt strongly about growing but will be growing anway cause i do like them, and i do want to see if i can grow them,and i can give some to my daughters class as part of their free veges for school thingy! i will be growing lettuces, leaf beets instead of spinach, huge amounts of herbs but still not sure wether to grow at home or on lottie? parsnips, swede, leeks, onions, pretty much everything really. if i don't have much luck with anything i will make a decision wether to grow it again or not, but i hate failure! so i might persevere!!! :D
it is a question of experimenting and seeing what you and your family like
happy christmas to you!!!

[Ofer]

We tried potatoes in a recycled plastic pod- we loved it and will do again this year!
herbs are must for us,radishes are dead easy and fast- so great on small plot. not sure yet about tomatoes- this year- it is too slow here.
 

[SMP1704]

Gawd, not more product placement :P

[flitwickone]

good luck for your first year im in the same boat im gonna try carrots pots1,2,main

just about everything especially sprouts

[pro7fgf25]

start with basics.    recomend to read grow your own veg book by carol klien

divid plot upinto areas that are managble.

area one.

board beans    very easy and a good crop per row, can frezze to store
peas                easy-medium  good crop and stable food group can frezze to store
runner beans  medium thier needs are grater but the results are one of the best food groups.

area two

potatos           very easy great stable food group and can store for months in hesian or paper bags.

types               first earlys / second earlys / main crop.  start planting march after frosts finished
recomend        charlottes for boiling and salard potato
                       international kidney for boiling  and salard potato
                       nadine  for boiling and baking potato.

follow instructions for planting times and spacing requirments.     

area three

mark out into smaller managble areas or rows

 salards eg, lettice, spring onions, beetroot, onion sets, garlic,raishes etc,

area four

 brasicas  cabbagies , cauliflower. sprouts etc.

these need more atention as requires garden liming to get the requires ph that brassicsa love to grow in.



fill in other areas with fruit bushes blackcurrents etc strawberrys
try to find an area for rhubarb


easy to grow corgettes you dont need many plants as the are cut and grow plant and produce  a lot of fruits so buy one or two plants from garden centres etc.

best of luck it will all come to you.
 
you just need to talk to other members on the allotment older people are more wiser and have alot of free information to help you with.