Hi,
I'm not new here, but I haven't been on for a while.
I don't have an allotment, but I do have a decent sized garden which is about two thirds of an acre. I live about five miles from the seside town of Båstad (Southern Sweden), not far from where Agnethe Fältskog from Abba has a summer house.
Most of my garden is given to extensive lawns, with wide flower beds and also some fruit trees (apple, pear, plums, greengage, damson and red cherry), plus a herb garden with soft fruit bushes (gooseberry, blackcurrant, redcurrant, rasberry).
For the last couple of years, I've been trying to develop a veg plot. I have zero experience in growing anything, but I did manage to grow a few half decent radish, parsnips, carrots and onions last year. The area I have made for the plot is tiny - a measly 500 sq. feet - but it is a start. The soil was initially quite full of stones - some quite large - but most of those have now been removed. It is also prone to small clods of clay. The plot is very open and gets plenty of sun, but our winters are cold - it is not unusual for the temperature to go below minus 20. In summer, it's glorious - like living in the south of France in a good year - but the summer is short.
Last year, I had a few failures. I made the error of not thinning out my carrots and, as a result, we had oodles of baby carrots and not so many decent sized ones. I also didn't realise that birds would eat the young cabbage and caulis, so I lost the lot (yes, I know, stupid!!! But we all have to learn). For some reason, the leeks I grew were also quite thin - nothing like the big ones you get from the supermarket.
So, having regard to the fact that I have a small plot, clay soil, shortish growing season etc, does anyone have any general advice as to what I should, or should not, try to grow.
All advice is gratefully received.
Brutus