After many back breaking and soul destroying hours I finally have 2 weed and couch grass free raised beds. I cant believe it has taken me so long. You guys weren't joking when you warned me things would take longer than I expected!
My main question is this. Bearing in mind I am a complete beginner have I missed the boat this year or can I still plant something this year? Have read so many conflicting pieces of writing that i am really confused ???
regards,
Mog
hi mog, no you havent miss the boat as you say, ;D
if start now, things will grow well, they will be late, but you will have a crop, so enjoy
Well done and definitely not. You'd be pushing it for spuds and onions but you can still sow loads of seeds or buy young plants. I'd get some salad seeds sown - leaves, radish, spring onions - they crop really quickly and you can keep sowing more over the summer. Then beans and peas, brassicas, carrots, spinach, squashes whatever you fancy and have room for. Check the back of seed packets - they have sowing dates on them.
Happy sowing!
We took our first allotment on in the month of june and were very surprised at how much we harvested. I saw some pentland javelin potatoes the other day in Wilkies so you could still get some spuds in. They would just be ready a few weeks later. I'm gonna sow some more parsnips tomorrow cos mine never came up. They are usually the first things we sow. Better to have some small ones that none at all
Don't panic, you can still sow most things (we did runners in july when we first got our plot, and still got a crop....) Only things you probably won't get away with are onions and garlic...
I agree, there are lots of things you can plant. You could even pop some main crop potatoes in the bits you haven't done yet - they'll break up the soil making it easier to work.
The part of the country you are in does have some bearing, though. The further south the longer the growing season. For example, I'm just about to sow my sweetcorn but I bet our friends up north have already done so indoors, but I'll have planted out things they might normally leave for another week or so - like french and runner beans.
You can sow beans now, runners and french - in fact I think french beans can be sown up until the end of June. Courgettes go out in June.....
Have a look round this site - it'll give you an idea.
[url]http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Veg/May.htm[url]
(copyright Tee Gee)
some of our garden centres are selling pots of onion seedlings so, maybe onions as well ;D
if you check out the garden catalogues on line, e.g. Fothergills, T&M, they're selling plants to put in now :)
I've planted spuds in May before, and had a decent crop. I'll be doing it again this year as an order went astray. They've promised that I'll get the replacements this week.
I'd echo what everyone else has said. Also think about overwintering crops such as leeks, savoy, winter cabbage, brussels.
As to sweetcorn, I sow mine a month ago and they're now nearly a foot tall. All I've got to do is sort space out for them :( ;) ;)
If you want spuds, try rocket or swift as they have the shortest growing period.
Something can be sown, planted or harvested pretty much any month of the year so we are always too late or too early for some, and still in with a chance for others.
The hard part is over , if like here there are market days in your local town you will be able to buy plants that are ready grown and these will give you a good head start. You might still be able to get some seed potatoes and you dont have to weed the beds too much to plant them. Get somthing growing and dont try too hard to get all you want as there is always next year, somthing home grown is better than none.Plant leutice, radish or whatever you want you will still get somthing. Dont know what you are looking to grow but you will still get enough to give you the a taste of what can hapen next year.
Aiden
Have a look down the columns for Late April/May/ June
http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Planners/Fruit%20&%20Veg%20planner.htm (http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Planners/Fruit%20&%20Veg%20planner.htm)
Thanks for the input guys. Have just read this after a hard day at work and cant wait to get home and to the plot. ;D :D ::)
Watch this space.
Mog