Allotments 4 All

Hi EJ,

I was wondering about your son's growbag garden.  it sounds like a really good idea.  have you any ideas for a 3 yr old.  he loves radishes and courgettes, but what does your son grow other than that (given that's he's probably older/more experienced)  Any ideas would be really appreciated.  Cheers.   :D

I've been working with the local nursery school (18months to 5 years old) and they have 10 x 1m square beds they seem to like almost everything that grows ( a bit of physical restraint is required at transplanting time but apart from that ....). The plants that we have sown/planted so far are The only thing that might not do well in the growbag is the giant pumpkin:

Veg   Â     Variety                     Reason   Â                   Comment
Beetroot   Â     Chioggia                  Colourful quick   
Carrot   Â     Amsterdam Forcing  Quick Taste   Â                   Eat Thinnings
Chard   Â     Rainbow   Â     Long season Colourful   
Climbing
French Bean Barlotta   Â     Colourful Taste   Â                  Climbing
Courgette     Jemmer   Â     Long season Colourful   
Cucumber   Â     Burpless   Â     Taste Interest- village show Trailing
Lettuce   Â     Lollo red&green   Â     Colourful   Â                  Repeat sowing
Marrow   Â     Tiger Cross   Â     Interest- village show   
Onion   Â     Monkston   Â     Interest- village show   Â   Giant
Peas   Â     Alderman   Â     Taste   Climbing
Potato   Â     Smile   Â                     Colourful Interest- village show   
Pumpkin   Â     Atlantic Giant   Â     Size Interest- village show   Â   Giant
Radish   Â     French Breakfast   Â     Very quick   Â                   Repeat sowing
Spring
Onions          White Lisbon   Â     Quick Taste   Â                   Repeat sowing
Sweet Corn   Kelvedon Glory   Â     Taste, size of plant
Tomato   Â     Gardeners' Delight
                     Derby Striped
                     Black Crimea   Â      Colours taste   Â                  Back of beds

I'll post the planting plan soon

Phil

I am using growbags at the moment but am gonna build raised beds - when i have money for wood!

Should i just fill them with the stuff in a growbag, or would it be better to use a multi purpose compost?

ps, excellent guide phil - am printing that out for keeps!

And the picture of how we planned it in 3' square beds - it has changed slightly eg the climbing french beans (bad germination) are now runners and form an arch between 2 beds so the children can walk through them

(http://www.hhdra.org.uk/Kindergarten.jpg)

Phil

fantastic phil, thanks a bunch, there's loads of ideas i can steal.  how did the kids make the arch for the runner beans?

Very nice Phil.  Puts my garden to shame!!

Well, for what it's worth, number one son divided his growbag into three, then wrapped brown parcel tape around it in 2 places, to make obvious sections, then in the first 3rd he planted 2 strawberry plants, which considering they were only last years runners, have produced plenty of fruit!  In the middle he did have pea's, but they have now finished and he oiked them out, and planted one cucumber seed and one melon seed, mummy might have to decide to cull one should they both germinate!  In the final section he planted a little row of radish, a little row of looseleaf lettuce - a mix, and a little row of spring onions.  The lettuce he has been snipping off when I wanted a few leaves and the radish are all gone, now replaced with fresh seed, just poking through!  The spring onions, I don't know if they will bulb up, but I can't see why not, but I can always use them like chives and just snip the tops.  Number one daughters bag is similar, except she has small sunflowers in the middle section, and a row of basil instead of radish.