What to leave out?

[FelixLeiter]

I want to add my voice to the raised beds "just say no" campaign. If bending is an issue for the gardener and they are at waist height, then they're of benefit. Otherwise they are slug hotels (in my experience), can waste more space than they create, are easy to trip over, dry out easily and cost money which most of us these days just don't have.

My advice to beginners is always to start from the kitchen and work back. Grow what you enjoy eating and concentrate on what you're going to enjoy eating freshly picked. I also advise to hold back, sow when the soil has fully warmed up and the season has properly advanced. Sowing early can be disappointing if the gamble does not pay off, which can be a dispiriting start. Coaxing crops to produce early or slightly away from their natural season should come later, when confidence has grown.

[Johnboy]

Hi Felix,
A little late with the reply to your posting but am desperately trying to catch up with all the posting whilst I have been away.
A very long time ago my grandfather drummed into me that it is far better to be a little late sowing something that sowing early to be clever and ahead of the pack than losing the plants through a late frost.
My experience of seeds sown late is that they generally catch-up surprisingly quickly and in many cases out grow those sown early.
JB.

[Primrose]

Yes, I'd definitely leave out potatoes too & concentrate on vertical crops like climbing beans since apart from taking little space, it's very difficult to buy quality beans like home-grown from supermarkets.

Growing Tumbling Tom red & yellow tomatoes in patio containers will provide prolific crops without taking up veg. patch space.

I would also think about giving up exclusive flower borders and growing vegetables like kale, Swiss Chard, & spinach amongst the flowers to provide some different textures. Beetroot & Kohl rabi can also be grown in this way.

[sally wright]

Dear All,
what you grow in your own space should be a matter of personal taste first and formost but other factors should be taken into consideration.

yield / M2 / year eg how much space would you have to devote to it to get a crop worth cooking with ie asparagus. Or do you use so much of it there would be little land left for anything else if you wanted to grow all that you ate of it ie onions or maincrop potatoes.

cost of produce / m2 / year eg is it something that you could not justify buying on the grounds of cost in the shops. Or is it something so cheap it is more expensive to grow it yourself ie peas.

is this a crop that is better the fresher it is. eg new potatoes or sweetcorn

is it a crop that is not easily available in the shops eg yellow raspberries or white currants.

I grow yellow raspberries because I like them but I do not grow maincrop onions because by the time the rest of society has helped themselves it is not worth the space or money.

that's my thoughts on the subject folks.
Regards Sally Wright.

[Tigger2shoes]

To save space a friend and I share crops ,, she does the runner beans I do the peas , she does the beet root I do the asparagus, We both do different toms etc. We also share hard jobs and look after each others gardens when on holiday. Best of all she makes all the perserves and jams( older wiser and better than me) I cook the soups and prepare and freeze all our excess . We both also grow things that we like for our selves and do other swops of crops with women from our book club as some one always has some thing you havnt done .
So my tip would be to share space if you can.
As to raised beds I have them because Im on very low soil which is mainly river bed shingle it makes for great drainage but I need deeper soil for my root veg. also it defines the area for my dog so keeps her of my beds and slows down the weed infestation and is easier to cover/ warm up in the winter

[Elaine]

I always advise folks to grow only what they enjoy eating and leave out stuff they haven't tried. Buy fruit and veg from a shop to try it, to see if they like it, before buying seed and trying to grow it....nothing worse than wasting valuable growing space on produce you end up not liking.

I had never tried Celeriac before and we were given some plants, so we thought we would give it a go. Having now tried it, I find I dislike it intensely! I steamed a small amount and mashed it with potato...I didn't like the flavour and it left a horrible after taste in my mouth. Although I dislike celery, I was assured celeriac had only a mild celery flavour. Mild or not, I didn't like it, especially the after taste, which even brushing my teeth didn't clear.
A whole row taken up with stuff which to me, is inedible!!
Cheers.

[dirt-digger]

also think of hanging plants
i grow peas french beans tomatoes in hanging basket have done so for about three years with good crops each year
they grow just as well as if they was climbing up

[Trixie74]

I have a problem...

This is my first full year owning an allotment (got it in May last year and only planted half).

1) We love cooking
2) I'm an avid pickler, preserver and jammer
3) The things I don't like my husband loves (parsnips & radish)

Therefore I've opted for the route of grow everything - things we use a lot, things that are expensive/difficult to but in shops.

Bet you are all laughing in your boots thinking "she'll learn"

I'll be happy this year with a freezer full of peas and caulis, courgettes and onions ready at the same time for homemade piccalilli, and a wellie tan.

Also completely fallen for the 1st year planting early...rationaising it by saying that its slightly warmer here and we don't really get frost. Oh I know - I am a fool.

[Westi]

Hi Trixie74 - Welcome!

If you like preserving your produce then grow away as it won't be wasted but don't put everything in at once wait a couple of weeks between each sowing of the same thing.

You don't say where you are from but if frosts are rare in your area give it a go but just use some protection as well - just in case! The whole point is you learn more from doing than anything else and as you gain experience you will naturally learn to frow things that suits your soil best, your pocket and your taste.

Good Luck
Westi - the one that can't bear any bare soil, bargain or giveaway!

[Trixie74]

We're in the Isle of Man....right at the tip of the gulf stream or something so a wee bit warmer. Though very windy.

[Westi]

Nice spot Trixie - you are lucky and yes you would get a little micro climate that could avoid frost having the gulf stream so close.

Grow away and stay on the forum to compare notes from around the country as I think you are the only member from there.

Westi

[Marigold]

Grow too for the sheer pleasure of it.. I am not particularly keen on courgettes, but watching them grow is a joy.

[Ricard with an H]

This thread has been an interesting read with varying opinion but one issue I would like to raise is the issue of raised beds.

I did a lot of research before I built my raised beds, research on the reasons why and yes, were they just twee and a fad.

If it wasn't for raised beds I wouldn't/couldn't raise much anything other than grass and invasive species. The few species of wildflower I managed to reinstate have gone into the Pembrokeshire-banks which in-effect are raised beds.

The soil here is clay and stony, not much top soil at all. After a lot of preparation the raised beds drain well and will drain better together with being more fertile after a few years of introducing composted material.

I had considered "Mound-planting" and am still considering it in one situation as a test-rig to compare with the raised beds. Has anyone tried mound planting ?

I haven't grown any fancy plants yet, just a few species to get my feet under the table and whilst i'm really looking forward to the purple sprouting broccoli, yes it's been hit by slugs, now i've got slugs under some sort of control the growing tips are covered with creatures.

Leave out carrots ? No-way,

"store bought carrots are for horses"

And what would Molly do for snack-ettes.

[Johnboy]

Hi Richard,
There is really no excuse for leaving out Carrots even if your ground is mainly clay and stony. There is a way to overcome your problem.
Prior to living in Herefordshire for the last thirtyfive years I lived in Hertfordshire renown for its clay soil which is really heavy clay and drainage is a well known joke in the area I lived.
The method takes masses of hard work and needs a young person to undertake the task. Now if you are retired I can understand your use of raised beds because the method includes double digging and masses of manure and compost.
Clay is extremely fertile and without much effort carrots grow exceedingly well.
Should anybody be interested in the method used I will make a further posting.
JB.

[Ricard with an H]

Thank-you John, and of course i'm interested in your method.

I did do some research learning that carrot like sandy soil, I can't imagine how I would end up with sandy soil though it's possible for me to end up with looser soil than I have.

My last batch of carrot how been sown into a mixture of peat, peat-free and grit. The container is one of those fabric containers constructed similar to the builders 1 ton bags. I could actually get six of those into one half of this particular cold-frame/raised bed but it'll cost quite a lot in bags of planting material.

Oh-yes, and for the naysayers, nothing twee about my raised beds. I've seen twee raised beds, about the size of that little fabric thing i've sown my carrot in.