Planning a Vegetable Garden

[whisker]

We're starting off at a good time, if we are to think of having a veggie garden this year. Mostly my gardening is very haphazard - and I have to say it often shows the sign s of that! It can be haphazard to say the least!

Planning is of the utmost importance if you want to get the best of your garden.

I've done some research and have come across this site, which has lots of valuable info and tips re Planning.

www.vegetablegardeningguru.com/getting-started.html

I like that chart at the bottom that gives list of veggies in categories from "Very tender" to "Hardy". Obviously, if you are a newbie, or not-so-newbie, like me, go for the hardy plants, for starters.

Here's my cabbage bed - looking the worse for wear after winter has done it's thing. Nevertheless, there's still lots there to eat. Curly kale and Brussels sprouts, to name a couple. There are some savoy heads coming on too. So my top recommendation for a good hardy crop is cabbage - there are lots of varieties. My other top recommendation is beetroot. Very easy and trouble free to grow.

Unfortunately all of my beetroot has long been eaten, by now - but it was good while it lasted. ;D

[alphacat]

That link is very good Whisker. We've only been growing veg for 3 or 4 years now and there are always new things to learn or better ways of doing things. Every year we try not to make the same mistakes we did the year before. We just make new ones instead.

[whisker]

I don't think we're ever done learning, where gardening is concerned, AC! I'm sure you will agree with that! ;D

[alphacat]

I saw the photo showing your sprouts. We grew them in 2010. They are great to grow except that I had to go on caterpillar watch twice a day, every day. We did have a great crop but the hastle of the caterpillars put me off growing them again. We try to be as organic as possible but I must confess to using 'organic' slug pellets. Shame they don't do organic caterpillar spray.

[whisker]

Funny, I had no problem at all with caterpillars or slugs. Maybe it was because I planted them late in the year - mid Autumn, I think. I had bought the plants, already started in pots at my local hardware / gardening store, so they had already had a head-start. They did produce small sprouts for Christmas Day, but I think now is the time to really start picking them.

[alphacat]

I might suggest planting some in the autumn to John then. I love sprouts. Thanks. ;D

[whisker]

[Curly Kale does well in cooler climates]

Hearing about the top ten mistakes new gardeners make, is a good way of finding out what we should be doing.

www.grow-it-organically.com/starting-a-vegetable-garden.html#topten

We all make mistakes and can learn form them - that's part of the satisfaction of gardening! ;D

One mistake a lot of us make is trying to grow plants that don't do well in our particular climate. a good way of finding out what does best in your area is to chat with your neighbors or look at what's happening in local allotments.

[alphacat]

Good tip. A new to the village gardening club starts next Wednesday night. It's at 7.30 and that's a bit late for me to want to go out.