What are you growing this year?

[Andy Hamilton]

I thought that if we told each other exactly what we are all growing this year that we will all be in a better position to know who to ask for for advice and perhaps be able to swap seeds at the end of the season.

This year I am growing-

On the allotment

Rosemary,Sage,Chives,Marogram,red Onions,Garlic,Curley Leafed Parsley,Potatoes,Beetroot,Beat Spinach (perpetual spinach),Beans,
Sweet Peas,Panseys,Courgettes, sweetcorn, tomatoes, Swedes, leeks, lettuce, chinese lantern.

In window boxes

Cherry Toms, courgette, baby beetroot, beetroot (for the leaves), rue,French and Italian parsley, corriander, Big boy tomato, Avacado, plum, lemon, radishes.

I think that is about it for now although I am sure I have forgotten something. All are pretty much in the early stages at the moment except for some of the perenial herbs.

[Magpie]

Well, we have just moved into our house, and winter is a-comin', so I haven't planted anything yet. But, this summer, I was growing spuds, cauliflowers, runner beans, all kinds of herbs, onions, ... I, too, am sure I have forgotten something!
I am also re-arranging the whole backyard, so I can have at least a little garden in the sun... any suggestions for removing the lawn which I now want to be garden? I have usually mulched with newspaper to acheive this, but I would like to get a few seedlings in before winter, and find the weeds sneak up through any holes I make for the seedlings. I'll probably just dig it all up, but I am a bit lazy for that!

[FluffyMuppet]

Hmmm... I have 3 raised beds, one of which is brand new. 1 1/2 are filled with overwintering onions. 1/2 contains a broccoli plant which was supposed to be an annual flowering last summer but which I have tried to overwinter (it's looking OK so far!) under a cloche. It's surrounded by my garlic.

The third raised bed is hosting my HDRA experiments. I signed up for one which aims to decide which is the best way to grow onions - sowing direct, sowing in modules and transplanting or planting sets. I was a little late getting going, so they're just starting out. Up the other end of the bed I have just sown 3 rows of flowering plants for an experiment to see which ones attract beneficial insects - I've got Corn Marigold, Coriander and Phacelia.

In pots I have two blueberries and a nectarine which I've had for a year. And I have four minarette fruit trees which were new over the winter - an apple, a pear, a cherry and a plum.

Other than that it's just odds and sods in pots and some herbs.

I love growing sweet peppers and have two plants on my desk at work which have overwintered and fruit quite regularly. I have some more pepper seedlings growing in the hope of having a greenhouse reasonably soon.

I like plants

[hay331]

I am growing (hopefully)

On Bigger Patch: Peas, Carrots, Parsnips, Red Onion, Shallots, and Cabbage (not sure what kind, got offered some plants this morning), Perpetual Spinach.

On Wee Patch: Spring Onion, Lettuce Mix, Garlic, Marigold/Calendula (my daughter tells me you can eat, drink and make face/hand cream with it!)

In tubs outside: Parsley, Mint, Lemon Balm, Thyme, Nettle

In mini greenhouse outside (tied to fence): Strawberries and Cherry tomatoes.

Inside (window sills): Basil, Pepper, more herbs but not sure which yet.

Plus lots of sprouts (mung, alfalfa, wheat, and peas just now).

A lot of the stuff won't get planted out till end of May/June time because we still get frosts (Scotland) up till then.

[Luath]

Growing all the usual suspects, but some with a twist - I like unusual ones from eg HDRA - purple podded peas, crimson flowered broad beans,heritage varieties of climbing beans and tomatoes, lots of chillies, lots of other stuff. Huge variety of herbs for all sorts of uses, lots of fruit too. Will get the first cut from my asparagus (in third year, grown from seed) this year, which I'm looking forward to.
I also love herbaceous plants, especially variegated ones, so lots of flowers and plants in the garden. Practice companion planting too, so lots of flowers and other things among the fruit and veg as well.

[Lyds]

Hi! I am trying chard for the first time this year - please dont laugh- I rather thought the red and yellow stalks would look pretty in with the other green stuff!

Is anyone having trouble with courgette seeds this year? I planted a doz and only one has come up (looks good). I rootled around in the pots and some of the seeds had rotted while the rest were just lying there doing nothing... I may have built a giant marrow heap for nothing!



Also thought I'd try the old growing marigolds in the veg patch to ward off pests which is what my father used to do. Many gardeners say this is an old wives tale but I'm going to try it anyway.

[catalyst]

i´m in portugal, so been busy for some time already... although it has been a colder year than usual, so things are behind...

i plant marigolds and basil all over, good against pests, and helps many plants grow

here goes, if i can remember it all:
100 kilos of seed spuds, 4 varieties...

in the garden: yellow chard, swiss chard, coriander (grows thru winter here), broad beans, italian dandelions, okra, ginger, onions (red, white and normal), tomatoes (red, yellow, black, red pear, stripey, sweet pink) broccolli, red cabbage, cabbage trees, kale, beetroot, piripiri, sweet peppers (various sorts), aubergines, globe artichokes, cucumbers (various), lots of flowers for my bees, parsley (2 sorts), borage, quilquina, sunflowers, courgetts (various types), pumpkins (various), squashes (various), melons (8 sorts), asparagus (evesham), dutch round cabbage, hickory corn


perrenial herbs, always adding more, and more varieties: thyme, rosemary, basil, salad burnet,

have put in a couple apricots and nectarines, some eating grapes, and 30 more wine vines

think thats it... our spring planting time is soon over (it gets too hot), and i havent gotten round to planting the maize, terraces of sunlowers, butter beans, or french beans yet, may just about manage it..:)

andy

[wulf]

Chard is brilliant - I grew a variety that I think was called "Rainbow Lights" last year and it's ornamental as well as good for the table. It also overwintered well although most of my row has now been displaced for other crops.

Wulf

[greenchi]

Well it's winter here so things are a bit quiet......

I have growing...... Kale, Chard ( Rainbow), Pac choy, Wong bok, all sorts of lettuce ( Mesculan), Beetroot, Radish, Leeks, Onion, Chicory, Cauliflower, Broccilli, Peas, Cabbage ( red/green), lotsa herbs.. sage, Rosemary, chives, parsley (flat and curly), Tarragon, Chervil, Sorrel, Thyme, Rocket, Dill, Fennel, various mint and lotsa edible flowers for my salad mixes.......

[Millymollymandy]

My god, what do you grow in summer?!

[cheap&cheerful]

By the time we over to France it's going to be to late to grow anything this year But I've been collecting giant variety seeds for next year.

The one I am really looking forward to trying is the Giant Amaranthus. It grows to about 10'high and has this big flower head on it that hold thousands of tiny seeds, which I will be sprouting for my chickens. Along side the Amaranthus I am going to grow runner beans. The idea being I use the stalks of the Amaranthus as bean poles. With a bit of TLC I could get a double crop. The worst that could happen is that I end up with ornamental bean poles!!...Nothing ventured, nothing gained.


Jill..

[shiney]

We are having a go at spuds, spring onions, leeks and beans. Also some little gem lettuce and some rather slow carrots.

Got herbs already, such as rosemary, sweet marjoram, mint, lavender and sage. There is a cherry tree which has the sourest cherries on, but add some sugar and alcohol (brandy) and voila, something edible and drinkable.

Not much but we have a small garden and two hoofin' kids running about.

[ina]

Marigold/Calendula (my daughter tells me you can eat, drink and make face/hand cream with it!)

Eh... How do you drink Calendula? I know about the eating and the hand cream, but drink, that would be interesting to hear more about!

Anyway, I can't really say what's growing, only what seeds I've put into the soil - the growing is having a bit of a problem this year (allegedly the soil temperature was 2 degree lower than normal average this May, plus the rain was about 40% more...)

I'm TRYING to grow
- potatoes (looking reasonably good), French beans, runner beans, broad beans, sugar snap peas, normal peas, onions, bunching onions, rhubarb, perpetual spinach (overwintered), kohlrabi, lettuce (some also overwintered), carrots, parsnip, rocket, radishes, beetroot, leek, broccoli, purple sprouting broccoli, sprouts, white cabbage, pumpkin, courgette, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers (the last three in a polytunnel which I have the use of - not my own);
- herbs - parsley, chives, lovage, black mint, three kinds of sage, rosemary, chervil, coriander, basil (indoors!), thyme. The bay unfortunately got heavily "pruned" by one of my goats , she also harvested my blueberries before they could get past the flowering stage, but there's still strawberries to come plus all sorts of other soft fruit, all in its first year, so no masses to be expected.

I think I'll have to try to get more stuff sown/planted in autumn for overwintering. The winters are not that cold here, so it'll have a headstart in spring (broad beans for example, also spring onions and cabbages). Next month I'll be sowing lambs lettuce again, that's good for all winter picking, too.

Ina

[Millymollymandy]

What I can't grow sadly as I've found out are radishes, rocket and an oriental mix called Nice & Spicy which has mizuna and radishy type leaves. Everything is destroyed by the flea beetle. My cabbages are just about pulling through although I have lost about half of them but only time will tell. It's sad as I should have had 4 crops of radishes by now (all different varieties) but they were even eaten under the soil surface so were holey and tough.

So I am trying all three of them in window boxes well away from the veg patch. Radishes look OK but you can't fit many in a window box. The oriental mix is being eaten by something but no sign of slugs or snails. I just can't win!

It seems that ladybirds eat the flea beetle - I've seen a few on my cabbages. Quite how they catch them I have no idea - never seen a ladybird move fast. However there are just not enough ladybirds!

[cheap&cheerful]

When I had my allotment I used to plant a row of onions and garlic around the border of my salad veg. The onions and the garlic never came to much but the salad stuff fared well.

I also read that if you spray with a garlic solution as an organic deterrent it helps......That's alright if you like garlic.

I never seemed to have much success with my onions and garlic but the chaps next to me his used to be almost competition quality. Unfortunately he wasn't a social gardener..it was food, he came in did what he had to and was gone. Which is fair enough...or maybe he had a secret formula that he didn't want to share, 'cos come to think of it he did used to show them and win at the district show.

The "old timers" used to make me laugh. They would have their veg on the allotment, but whatever they were going to enter in the show, oh no, that was grown at home under cloak and dagger. One chap used to show runner beans that were incredibly long and as straight as a die. They said in 30 years he had never divulged his secret..it will probably go with him to the grave!!


Jill..