What are you growing this year?

[thesunflowergal]

I enjoyed last years thread so much, I thought I'd start another.

We are growing:
Pots
Mache
Rocket
Toms
Cucumber
Runner beans
Courgettes
Red currants
Spinach
Carrots
Raspberrys
Gooseberrys
watercress
Apples
Pak Choi
Pumpkins
Peas
Dwarf french beans
Rhubarb
Strawberrys
Various herbs.

Well unless the chooks get there first

[Mrs Gert]

Hello again,

This is an interesting post. I like seeing what other people are growing. This year I will mainly be growing:

veg - garlic, onions, shallots, potatoes, sweetcorn, runner beans, french beans, butternut squash,
courgettes (millions of them that everybody will moan about eating) carrots, parsnips (right angled) lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes.

Fruit - strawberrys, gooseberrys, blackberrys, tayberrys, blackcurrants, red currants and rhubarb.

Every year I think about making an asparagus bed and never get round to it. Maybe this is the year.

May the sun shine on your garden sunflowergal and may your chickens wander next door instead
Mrs G

[pelmetman]

Hello Mrs G

Vegetables -

Potatoes, red onions, shallots, garlic, runner beans, french beans, borlotti beans, sweetcorn, butternut squash, chillies, peppers, tomatoes, lettuces, spring onions, leeks, carrots, chard, spinnach, sprouts, purple sprouting, jerusalem artichokes, sorrel, courgettes, pak choy. beetroot.

Have also got an asparagus bed which is Dave's pride and joy.

Fruit -

Apples cooking and eaters, plums, raspberries, strawberries, tayberries, blackberries, rhubarb, redcurrents, blackcurrents, gooseberries. Oh forgot the cherry tree but the blackbirds eat most of these

Herbs -

Rosemary, thyme, sage, basil, corriander, chives, bay, parsley, mint, fennel, curry plant, bergamot, horseradish, lemon balm.

We are self sufficient with fruit and herbs. Although we grow a lot of vegetables we still have to buy in veg to carry us through the year.

[Mrs Gert]

Hello Mrs Pelmet

We too are self sufficient in most things through the summer months and make an effort to store as much as possible to use in the winter. I can't really get excited about gardening in the winter. Winter is for craft.

Deep jealousy about the asparagus bed. If I'd got on with it when I first thought about it I'd be picking it by now.

Mrs G

[pelmetman]

Hi Mrs G

Now is the ideal time to plant asparagus. I know they take for ever before you can start picking, we usually wait around 3 years, but they are so worth it, they're really expensive to buy usually a hand full of spears for £2.99. If you plant them now just think in 3 years you'll be out there picking your own!

[Odsox]

I originally decided not to post what I'm growing as it looks like boasting, but as most of you know I'm totally self sufficient in vegetables ... all year round, and almost self sufficient in fruit, I thought you might like to see my list anyway.
Sorry if it disheartens you a bit, but remember I do this as a job, 8 hours a day, 7 days a week .... except when it rains.

Fruit ....
12 varieties of apple cookers & eaters, plum, sweet cherry, sour cherry, quince, figs, apricot, grapes, blackcurrants, redcurrants, gooseberries, raspberries, blueberries, myrtle, strawberries, melons & rhubarb.

Vegetables ...
Early peas, maincrop peas, mangetout peas, early broad beans, maincrop broad beans, climbling French beans, Borlotto beans, runner beans, spring onions, maincrop onions, garlic, shallots, cauliflower (successional), brocolli, tenderstem brocolli, summer PSB, winter PSB, kale, spring cabbage, summer cabbage, savoy cabbage, Jan King cabbage, red cabbage, Brussel sprouts, red sprouts, celery, celeriac, parsnips, carrots (successional), beetroot, turnip, scorzonera, summer leeks, winter leeks, cucumber, lettuce (successional several varieties), sweetcorn, butternut squash, potimarron squash, courgettes, peppers, tomatoes (6 different varieties) and early, 2nd early, early maincrop & maincrop potatoes.

Nuts ...
Walnut, cobnut & almond.

I do grow a few herbs, chives, rosemary, bay, sage, thyme, basil, marjoram, mint, but we are not really into herbs that much.

Phew, that tired me out just typing that and most of the above have already been planted, so I think I'll go and lie down now.

[pelmetman]

Hi Tony

Don't know how you found time to type this at all It must be really satisfying to be self sufficient in veg, what a wonderful selection. Do you run it as a business or purely for your family, I'd be interested to know.

Our dream would be to be self sufficient but we are a long way off of that at the moment. How an earth do you manage to keep everything watered when you're away. We are trying to concentrate on stuff that is expensive in the shops but must try and get more organised with winter crops.

[Odsox]

No, not a business although I do think about it from time to time, we just eat VERY well

Watering is easy, first of all I only go away for a week at a time (like next week) and I have automatic watering systems to cope with that while I'm away. I do have a private water supply so I can afford to be a bit generous with it ... I have outside taps everywhere and have water computers switching on whirlygig lawn sprinklers in the polytunnels plus I have a drip system in the greenhouse.
It's just as much fun designing and building the watering system as it is growing the stuff it waters.

[bonniethomas06]

Mrs Pelmet - isn't it a bit late to be planting asparagus now?

If it isn't, I may well have a go myself!

[pelmetman]

Hi Bonnie

You had me thinking then as it's been quite a while since we planted our bed. I was sure it was April time we planted them. Anyway checked in our vegie book and yes April is the time to plant although it did say some growers supply the crowns in Autumn too. Make sure you pick a sunny spot which is sheltered from strong winds. Sue

[jampot]

im very jealous at all your veg-to-be lists i do not have a garden or even a window box this year (uni halls) but in september i get a small yard so will think about all the stuff i can grow next year eeek
for now i have a tiny sage and oregano in pots on my desk so not totally plant free

[red]

Early peas, maincrop peas, purple podded peas, mangetout peas, broad beans, climbing French beans, purple climbing beans, Borlotti beans, runner beans, spring onions, garlic, cauliflower calabrese, , spring PSB, winter PSB, cabbage, savoy cabbage , red cabbage, Brussel sprouts, , parsnips, carrots , beetroot, summer leeks, winter leeks, gherkins, lettuce (successional several varieties), sweetcorn (2 varieties), mini sweetcorn, butternut squash, pumpkin, courgettes, chilis, tomatoes (6 different varieties) and early, maincrop potatoes, physallis, basil, the usual perennial herbs (sage rosemary thyme lovage chives), lemon grass, corn salad, sorrel, radishes

(i just edited Tony's list!)

fruit: apples (cookers and eaters), plums, damsons, raspberries, blackcurrants, red currants, pears, gooseberries, just a few strawberries, rhubarb.

I'm sure ive forgotten something..

ah yes - dye plants - woad. and someone is sending me some madder

edit to add forgotten items

[Nomada]

This is quite fun looking at what everyones doing! Here's mine:

Fruit: black and red currants, gooseberries, rhubbarb, raspberries, pears and apples, strawberries (all already on the plot) white grapes in the greenhouse (thanks mum!).

Herbs: parsely, chives, basic, oregano, tarragon, thyme, fennel, rosemary, sage, mints and lemon balm (thanks seed swap people) , bee balm if the seeds germinate, not looking good so far, chamomile.

Dye plants: madder, woad, weld, safflower.

Flowers/other plants: sunflowers, anemones, rannunculus, red rose that belonged to my grandad (if the cutting takes!), phacelia, wild flower mix, borage, marigolds, calendula, nasturtium.

Veggies: onions, welsh onions,garlic, spring onions, shallots, potatoes, tomatoes (cherry, vine, nice big paste making ones), peppers, chillies, aubergine, okra, sun burst and butternut squash, courgettes, cucumber, carrots (nantes, paris market), parsnips, ormskirk and red cabbages, kales, sprouts, cauliflower, beets, rainbow chard, sweetcorn (minipop and strawberry), broad beans, runner beans, borlotti beans, french beans, achocha, sugar snap pea, early pea, maincrop pea, spinach, lettuces (cut and come again types), watercress, corn salad, sweet potato, leeks, PSB, calabrese, swedes, rocket, pak choi.

[fruitcake]

At the mo - too much. All seeds have gone mad, most have germinated, it was 3 degrees outside this morning so no hopes of evicting said triffids from the living room yet, am down to one coldframe after winter storms, cows etc trashed t'other one and I need to dig and build more raised beds cos the ones I've got are all full. And we're away on hol next week, trauma
oh and panic - I haven't even got my parsnip seeds in yet, aaaargghhhh

Still on the plus side, I've got 1/2 doz asparagus shoots on the ones I planted last winter - I wasn't sure they'd make it My earlies are through, garlic and onions are doing well, rhubarbs up, new rasp canes appearing, buds on the cherry trees, all soft fruit busy growing - including the cuttings, most herbs have made it through the winter tho' a couple are still 'thinking' about it...

[citizentwiglet]

OK, here's mine....

At home, in pots or in the herb border:

Herbs: Basil, coriander, parsley (on windowsill); three kinds of mint (peppermint, applemint and spearmint), sage, rosemary, thyme, borage, dill, chives, summer savory, oregano, tarragon and marjoram. I also have some wild garlic that was dug up for me by a friend who has it rampaging all over her garden, that seems to be doing quite well. Oh, and Lemon Balm, of course. Loads of that. I loves bees.

Vegetables: Spring Onions, carrots, rainbow Chard, Cut and Come Again Salad and stir-fry mix, Climbing Beans, First early potatoes (Arran Pilot, first time growing them in sacks, not sure if they'll work well, to be honest). Most of my home plantings (except the herbs and salad leaves) are just experiments at the moment, I won't be distraught if nothing comes of them; it was more just about trying out different methods / soils / positions / pot depths.

In the raised bed in the community garden:
Dwarf beans, more chard, calabrese, PSB, more salad leaves, radishes, turnips (swede if we have room), carrots, leeks, spring onions, garlic and kale. Might plant some more brassicas where the beans have been once their season is over.........

In the polytunnel in the community garden:
Tomatoes, more basil, and OH wants to try his hand at some chilli peppers....when the season draws to a close we'll turn it over to more salad leaves, I think. We only have the space for two gro-bags in the polytunnel, so we have to use the space wisely.