[ziggywigs]

I grow too much of everything - but that's because i love growing. So i eat some, store/freeze some and give quite a bit away.     I do try and work out what i should be growing but still end up with too much...but then can you really get too much of a good thing.

[purplebat]

Theres just us two and the cats and they aren't fond of veg, so how do I work out how much to plant,sow and grow.?

i figured that as I haven't got a clue how much to grow, for the first year I shall grow whatever comes up, and then figure out whether to grow more or less next year,there are six of us so we should get through quite a bit. Plus one idea I had was to use any extra to make up into really fancy hampers, and give them as presents to friends, family etc, and it will look like I've gone to a posh shop and spent a fortune, that is if anything grows and doesn't look half eaten by slugs and snails. those can go to the choocks;

[ytyynycefn]

Runner beans were my nemesis last year - tons of the blooming things.  We've pickled them, curried them, you name it.  I'm only planting one row of them this year!  We were filling carrier bags with them, and tying them to people's front doors under cover of darkness in an effort to get rid of the glut!  I even gave several pounds of the * to my ex-husband... I'm going to grow lots of different types of bean this year instead, and am avoiding F1 varieties as far as I can to spread it all out a bit.

We gave quite a bit away as gifts - nice baskets of veg when we went to see people instead of a bunch of flowers, that kind of thing.  Mind you, when I sent in a basket of mad mutant proper muddy veg to school with the nipper at harvest, some of the teachers asked me if I'd sell them some, so maybe I could cover the cost of my seeds....

And we've made lots and lots of soups and pickles.

But we're only coming into our second season of growing veg, so I'm no expert!  Squashes and pumpkins keep well though, and the spuds in the hessian sacks in the shed are keeping just fine - probably got enough to last until March or April.

I'm hoping for bigger yields this year, as I had no manure in the soil last year, and very little water.  We'll see  :?

[purplebat]

there's always auctions too, you won't get much for them, but it might cover the cost of more seeds, every little helps! I've seen bags of veg for sale at Campsey ashe auctions each week, it's quite satisfying getting money back for what you've produced.

[muntjac]

i used to control rabbits at campsey ash ,on a farm near the churh lolo.loverly little village

[purplebat]

I go occassionally (when I'm not working), but my hubby goes to the auctions every monday, it is lovely there.