Re: Growing your own Veggies?

There are 67 people on my allotment waiting list. Half of them will be dead before they get one. Some of them have been in the same family for 70 years. I grow apples, pears, plums,blackcurrants, blueberries, strawberries, rhubarb, salad veg, cabbage,sprouts, pots, onions, chard, peas, beans, toms, peppers, cucumber and lots of herbs. I also have 12 hens and 7 ducks who eat all of the leftovers and are such fun I spend far too long sitting watching them.

Re: Growing your own Veggies?

I have an allotment. This will be my second full year. I am currently building raised beds made from scaffolding planks. It hasn't been allotment friendly weather just lately. I have grown onions, tomatoes, potatoes ( just eaten the last of my spuds from last season), artichokes, courgettes, pumpkins and other squashes, lettuce, radishes and my favourite - runner beans. This year I will be trying to grow Jerusalem artichokes.

edit - I waited three days for mine

Re: Growing your own Veggies?

Make sure you plant your Jerusalem artichokes at the back. Mine grew to 8 foot tall and I had 5 rows of them. It was like a jungle. I expected snipers popping out with poison darts.

Re: Growing your own Veggies?

Grow beetroot this year. It is supposed to be the next health food, and good for the brain and memory.

Re: Growing your own Veggies?

Dont panic when you go to the toilet after eating them

Re: Growing your own Veggies?

Oh, don't remind me, I had the fright of my life for a couple of seconds just last week, I love beetroot and had three whole ones for lunch.

Re: Growing your own Veggies?

I've planted broad bean seeds today in the greenhouse and I've got seed potatoes chitting upstairs on a window sill. Yes I know it's still freezing out there, but I just can`t help myself. Anyone else bitten the vegetable bullet yet?

Re: Growing your own Veggies?

Planted my first earlies today


Will plant peas this weekend.


Have started tomatoes,onions,lettece and sprouts on the window sill.

Re: Growing your own Veggies?

Have a lotty which is still giving gyp due to the fact the previous owner had a 'no dig' policy so the soil if full of weed seeds that keep on coming back! This is our 2nd year. Looks like it wil be down tome to do the toil as husband not able to any more. Planning this year's crops and also looking at completely covering 50% with fruit trees and bushes.

Re: Growing your own Veggies?

It's tough taking over a poorly kept allotment Babooshka, good luck with it and keep us informed of how you get on. I am lucky that I have a good sized back garden and have used around 100 square yards for veg and fruit. Over the years I've put in raised beds with gravel paths around, installed a greenhouse and improved my sandy soil to give it more body and good fertility.

Here's the veg garden..



And here's my fruit garden



The garden gives great pleasure now that all the back breaking has been done and I can manage to weed pretty much with just the hoe. What is your soil type and what veg are you planning this year?