[leemap]

:roll:
hello.....
this is my second year at growing veg i have 4 raised beds 6 x4 & tow bed 4x4.... i dont seem to be able to get the supply right its all or nothing... my aim was to grow enough for 4 people to have fresh veg each week and some for the freezer.........i  seem to have loads of cabbages not enough broad beans, peas there was enough for two meal....beans are not too bad.....
i have sprouts and parsnips in there doing well broc :cry: they look a bit sad,,,,,,

what am i doing wrong and what can i do to keep me going through the winter??? i have a bit of space left..... should i have got maore raised beds

am i living in a dream world hoping for this
all advice welcome
thanks

[Jodie A]

The Expert books by D G Hessayon give an average yield per plant.  Work out the fresh harvesting season, how many servings you would like per week and whether the veg is freezable.

As a guide. 24 runner bean plants = 2 meals per week fresh.  Grow 48 plants and eat 2, freeze 2.  Harvesting August to Sept say 10 weeks. but that will also give you an out of season 1 meal per week from the frozen produce for 20 weeks.

That's 30 weeks of the year covered for runner beans.  If you want a whole yearsworth 72 plants should do it.

Do similar with other crops.

[paintedlady]

As you are probably aware, growing your own is a steep learning curve - I get it wrong too on many an occassion.  The changeable British summers make planning very difficult - in 2006 I had a fantastic outdoor tomatoe harvest, this year I feel as though I'm still waiting.  My brassicas were rubbish then, this year I've done so much better! :roll:  

I agree with Jodie - the Expert books by D G Hessayon are a good guideline.  It also depends on what you like - I dedicated quite a lot of growing space to squashes because I love them over the winter months, but my main crops of potatoes, parsnips, swede and onions are also important.  I like courgettes/marrows but I'm rapidly learning that 2 plants is more than ample for me (I can't believe the 1st time I had 12 plants :oops: ) and summer crops of sweetcorn & tomatoes can be frozen.

[crowndale]

I would also suggest that you'll need a lot more space than you currently plant out.  fairly precise planning, making sure you sow successionally (which I always fail to do) and use ground left by previous crops but remembering there is only so much abuse ground can take and sometimes it likes to rest, just like we do!  And it likes to be well fed, again like we do!!  I'm sure somehwere out there there'll be a formula for the optimum amount of land needed for your plans to, I'm fairly certain we discussed it on here a while back so a search might help answer the query.  I think too that only experience of actually growing stuff yourself shows you how truly measly the harvest from one or two pea plants is, or how many corn cobs to expect in an average year etc from x number of plants.  some space wasting plants return little in harvest and others are prolific.

[mashauk]

The Expert books by D G Hessayon give an average yield per plant.  Work out the fresh harvesting season, how many servings you would like per week and whether the veg is freezable.

As a guide. 24 runner bean plants = 2 meals per week fresh.  Grow 48 plants and eat 2, freeze 2.  Harvesting August to Sept say 10 weeks. but that will also give you an out of season 1 meal per week from the frozen produce for 20 weeks.

That's 30 weeks of the year covered for runner beans.  If you want a whole yearsworth 72 plants should do it.

Do similar with other crops.

If I grew 24 runner bean plants I'd never want to see another runner bean as long as I live

[paintedlady]

If I grew 24 runner bean plants I'd never want to see another runner bean as long as I live

Are you feeding a family of 4 all year round?

[mashauk]

No but feeding 2 vegetarians who eat a lot of veg!  I've got 2 freezers full of stuff now and no more room, and have given 8 people runner beans and am still picking, and we only have 8 plants, maybe next year I won't put them all out together

[leemap]

the book sounds good, il get it and read it over the winter then plan a bit better. thanks for the advice on successional planting i didnt do that. ive got more room for beds ive got a 3/4 of acre....

i seem to have lots of visitors since ive moved to the country and all ready have a family to feed so to grow more to freeze would be good.
great hel and advice thanks.
il start with the book
thanks  :shock:

[gobs]

If I grew 24 runner bean plants I'd never want to see another runner bean as long as I live

Are you feeding a family of 4 all year round?

I kept posting my amounts in the past and people always come in to say they plant a lot more, so I've been thinking about that. It's not just liking and amounts, it is also how much variety you grow, I think.

If you have a lot of different things going you need less of each, also the less your variety, the more you need to plant of the same for a crop of sorts, as the seasonal weather will have a lot to say in what they do.

[muntjac]

staggering your planting of any bean is the answer even with brassica's stagger .. say you want to have cabbage  sow early cabbages in early sept for planting out in late october offenham flower of spring is may fav .now sow some more again in end of sept for planting out in nov .youy can sow some under glass  in december if ya want to stretch them right to may . do the sumer ones as you normally would but again stagger the sowing then again with winter ones .do this with caulki's brussels brocoli etc .even carrots can be sown under glass in feb for picking in may if ya take care to protect them.............sow ya runners and then after 2 months plant some more plants out sown a month before . or drop some seed in alongside the established plants  

[compostqueen]

Joy Larkcom covers this in her veg growing book and gives detailed plans on growing for a family of four

[sharky]

enough veg for four peopl all year how do i do it

with great difficulty..  :roll:

[gobs]

enough veg for four peopl all year how do i do it

with great difficulty..  :roll:

I did have quite a bad year with all sorts and I have 2 freezers full , run out of jam jars and there is the dry store and winter crops. Some planning and some practice and a bit of elbow grease should do it.

[leemap]

good advice il try the book and plan on paper what im going to plant then if i need to create more beds that will keep me busy over the winter months.....
my mistake was just to plat this and that and not work out what the yeild would be it ment i had a bit of everything-but nothing in reserve or to store.
thank you

[paul meese]

One way is, when you harvest your onion,s plant spring cabage (if you like them that is) try to leave parsnips till later, they taste nicer after frost, plant broan bean,s Oct for early crop in spring.  When plantin runner,s leave 3wk,s between sowing& sow a lot of catch crop,s. Depending what you like to eat, ok.