Kitchen Garden Forum

Interested to hear your plans for next years planting. I admit I could be more organised in the garden, I only get snatched moments between caring for a highly dependent 92 yr old mother. Any tips ? My hopes ? - To get some advance planning done during the winter and be more organised.

I've been pretty happy with my rather very crammed garden plot this year. Most things I've grown have done well, except carrots which were too cramped to be very big although they had a delicious flavour.

I've experimented with some new varieties of tomatoes which was interesting. I'll try some others next year and especially want to try the Orange Santa mini plum variety. I also want to grow more red lettuces, having got some interesting varieties from Tozer Seeds.

Not sure I'll grow Blauhilde purple climbing French beans next year. I'll allow myself just half a dozen runner bean plants and concentrate on Cobra climbing French beans which always seems to do well for me. I find they freeze well too.

AND DEFINITELY ONLY TWO COURGETTE PLANTS, NO MATTER HOW MANY SEEDS GERMINATE !

I'll concentrate more on successional sowing - I kind of do it but
not in a specific time frame and still do too many in the first instance,
the 'just in case' they don't germinate thought pattern.

The other thing I'll concentrate on is securing my pea and bean frames
better - always after the first puff of wind mine are always at a distinct
angle despite how many knots I tie around each pole!

Westi

Dear Nature's Babe, i'm just going to take one day at a time.

Not much of an answer i know!

I'm afraid I am a real anorak, NB: I have already drawn up the sowing/planting plan for next year. I do like to be well prepared and then I know where I need to put the manure, where to lime etc. Over the next few weeks, I will spend a lot of time looking through the catalogues and ordering the seeds.

There'll be little change in the types of vegetables grown because over the 25 years on our allotment I know what will work and what won't. Occasionally, I try to do something different, like trying to grow butternut squash, but I tend to stick to the basics: potatoes, carrots, parsnips, all the brassicas, including kohlrabi, swedes and different kales, peas, broad beans, dwarf and climbing French beans and a few runner beans. The only unusual things I always grow are Florence fennel and celeriac. Tomatoes and chilli peppers we grow at home in the greenhouse (they wouldn't thrive outside here) and then I grow lots of herbs at home, both outside and in the greenhouse. I also occasionally update the varieties, based on recommendations in KG and other magazines, but mainly I stick to well tried varieties like leek Musselburgh, tomato Gardeners Delight and cauliflower All the Year Round, because I know they work for us!

You see, I am a "stick in the mud".

Primrose, like you I like trying different things, I tried blauhilde too this year, they did well and were very productive, I have saved seed for next year. I plan to try climbing borlotti up the sweetcorn next year and leave them for dried beans. Also trying to overwinter chilli peppers this year
Westi like you I need to concentrate on more successional sowing, and plan it better....but the best laid plans .......sigh.
Monica, I should take a leaf out of your book,
OH, I tend to be a bit like you and take it one day at a time,
You all cheered me up, I don't run a neat and regimental garden, its a bit wild but very productive and stuff grows like mad, the grape vine pergola is propped up with a step ladder as the weight of the grapes pulled it over, i have loads of grapes plenty to eat and some to barter with the stall down the lane. The nasturtiums I interplanted are huge now and fast as I pull some to feed the chickens, others take up the space, they are still flowering like mad, a late feed for the bees. before winter sets in.
Well today, I was reading about bumble bees, I get loads in my garden and encourage them, I felt a lot better when they said bumble bees like an overgrown tatty garden.
Oh yes, and I thought i might try some of these next year -
http://www.originaltouch.co.uk/acatalog ... ml#a30211A

I keep a page free in my gardening log and jot down things I want to change for next year.

I've put: grow fewer runner beans, less sweetcorn, more peas including sugar snaps. Don't bother with Cobra climbing bean - not as good as Mr. Fearn's, District Nurse, Cosse Violette or Poletschka. Grow fewer varieties of tomatoes, only one cucumber and two courgette plants. Don't bother with red onions they aren't as nice as white ones.

I also always put a reminder to make more sowings of lettuce and salad stuff in summer, but usually forget.

One thing I'm definitely going to do is to thin the apples ruthlessly next year. I thought I had taken a lot off this year, but I could have taken another third off and still have more than enough larger fruits. I'm knee deep in apples and pears in the conservatory waiting to be sorted and put into store or used in some way. I think my friends and neighbours have already had enough. I'd thought about putting a stall out and an honesty box, but there are some very dodgy people going past who look as if they would more likely take the gate as well if I fastened it to that.

Plum Pudding - I think one of the saddest things of our current society is that the "honesty box" is not longer respected. We have a place near us selling asparagus with an asparagus stall outside the door saying "if unattended, please put money through the letter box". I know the majority of local people really enjoy going there to buy their asparagus and wouldn't dream of leaving without paying, but I suspect if a secret camera were put up, it would reveal a lot of people not paying for what they took.

Am surprised you haven't been happy with Cobra beans - perhaps I should try some of the other varieties you suggest and see how they compare. the problem with experimental growing if you haven't got much room is that sometimes you only want half a dozen seeds or so and if you want to try two or three new varieties you end up having to buy packets of seed that you might not necessarily use again in the future.

Hi Gallotments, with you on sorting out the apples better, I did the same as you, thinned them, but not enough, and it's a triple apple, I need some advice on pruning as I am still learning about fruit.
I would like to try district nurse beans, that was my job before retirement,
where did you get yours from?
Primrose, flag up what you want to try on seed exchange, I usually have more than seeds than I need, would be happy to send you a few of any if I have what you want. others probably would too.

Hello NB
After many years at this growing business I tend to stick with things that I know will do well without too much hassle. I do try a few new things each year. Next year I'll be trying T&M's new runner bean 'Moonlight' which if you believe the catalogue blurb combines the best features of french beans into a runner.


John

I have a packet of those to try too John, also wondering if they will live up to the blurb. Last year I lost my autumn sown broad beans to the snow
and I usually play safe with Aquadulse but in spring all I could get locally was red epicure, growing red epicure again this autumn as they were a definite improvement, a really good flavour.

Hi NB and Primrose,

I've only saved a few District Nurse climbing french beans, but can let you have some to try if you let me have your address, I think they were from Heritage Seed Library. I found the Cobra a bit coarser than the others, especially the Mr. Fearn's which stay tender even when quite large and they freeze very well, they are also more productive than the Cobra. But perhaps your growing conditions suit the Cobra better than mine.

I've also saved seeds from a few of my favourite tomato varieties so I'll put them on the Seed Swap if anyone wants to try them.

I shall be trying again to get a good size crop of carrots - I thought I might try the tapes next year to convince myself the spacings are good. I will grow sweet peas near the runner beans next summer, not through them! I won't bother with sweet peppers, but will grow more chillis in my tiny greenhouse. I will go back to the smaller tumbling style of tomatoes - and earlier for eating, but maybe try just a few other plants for cooking sauces. Less beetroot, fewer courgettes, and delay sowing on those Squash families! I think those are my ideas for next year - oh, mustn't forget Tim's rhubarb!

Plum Pudding, thank you, yes please for a few district nurse seeds, message me with your address and let me know if there are any seeds you would like?

Now that I have another 10 perch of allotment to play around on, I will be able to grow lots more than this year
I had no room for squashes this year, so butternut is a must. Also will be trying borlotti beans, telephone peas, sweetcorn and probably many more when it comes to it