[Daisysandbeans]

We have a small half plot so have to use space wisely, didn't grow spuds last year but this year have grown a few 1st and 2 nd early ones, no main crop though.  I was just wondering what people put in the space left by spuds, they won't be ready for a while though (august) as didn't go in till mid April as we missed the warm spell in march and were then on holiday!

[Yorkie]

Leeks, perhaps.

Or you could start off something like salad or dwarf beans ready to go in.

[sunshineband]

First earlies: carrots, salad leaves, radishes, florence fennel, pak choi, beetroot, fenugreek for leaves, dwarf french beans

Second earlies: spinach, more florence fennel, chervil, spring onions

(I put my leeks in after autumn onions are up at end of June)

Beetroot and beans are started off in modules

[upert]

i tried transplanting squash from pots to my first early site lest year - it wasn't very successful - one quite small squash per plant if i was lucky.

[angelavdavis]

I also have a half plot and only have salads and earlies in at the moment, anything else is in very large pots.  So, it will be leeks for me too, currently languishing in modules as I type!  All my beans and roots are in another bed.  I have six rotation beds so have the luxury of using one as a transition bed for potatoes and leeks every year.

[mumofstig]

i tried transplanting squash from pots to my first early site lest year - it wasn't very successful - one quite small squash per plant if i was lucky.

That's a shame - I do that most years, and find it works for me, here.

[upert]

I seem to leave things in pots just that little bit too long.

That said I was quite disappointed in this squash as I'd dug a pit, filled it with rotted manure, mulched and watered and they were still rubbish.

[sunshineband]

If you planted the squash out by mid June, with a couple of proper leaves, then it had a decent chance of fruiting imho

[BabbyAnn]

I seem to leave things in pots just that little bit too long.

I think that's half the problem - a lot of summer crops such as squashes and sweetcorn need to get off to a cracking start and then growth encouraged all the way.  When they get a little pot bound, the root ball remains confined even when the planting hole has been carefully filled with all sorts of goodness and the plant basically exhausts the original compost that was in the plant pot.  If you have to delay planting out, perhaps pot on to a bigger pot so that those roots are actively growing outwards.

[Growster...]

We'll be sowing 'Bright Lights' Swiss chard. Last years' crop is still growing, but as it is out of place (on a new path), it will eventually go south.

Great crop and not too fussy either!

[Daisysandbeans]

Thank you for the ideas, the leeks are going in where the purple sprouting is coming out of soon, but I will use the area for  carrots, spring onions, beetroot, Spinach and fennel and some salad and chervil. trying to avoid putting brassicas there as we grew them there last year.    

[angelavdavis]

I seem to leave things in pots just that little bit too long.

I think that's half the problem - a lot of summer crops such as squashes and sweetcorn need to get off to a cracking start and then growth encouraged all the way.  When they get a little pot bound, the root ball remains confined even when the planting hole has been carefully filled with all sorts of goodness and the plant basically exhausts the original compost that was in the plant pot.  If you have to delay planting out, perhaps pot on to a bigger pot so that those roots are actively growing outwards.

I am with you on this - I have just planted out my squashes, having been grown onto 12" pots.  I also think they run out of nutrients too.  I literally ran out of room for them, so had to plant them out in the end!