[Chook]

I've turned a small part of my garden over to raised beds for veg. I've got 3 beds at the minute so can't grow a huge amount. I just want to dabble a bit 

Have I left it too late to sow my own seeds? (I've got a greenhouse if that helps?)

Any advice very much appreciated.

[ben]

Its not too late to plant anything really ... what do you like to eat ?

[Chook]

We eat a lot of leeks, onions, potatoes and celery. Can I get those in do you think?

[Christine]

Leeks no problem, potatoes should be OK. Onion sets should have been in at the start of March as they are day length sensitive. No idea about celery.

Lettuce, radish, spring onion, salad leaves of various sorts, peas if you get going now.  You can start off purple sprouting broccoli to stand for after Christmas in May.

Runner beans if you like them, swede, turnip, red cabbage, calabrese can all be started out now. Outside tomatoes go out June after the last frosts.  I've got sweet corn coming on for going out at end of May.

Nope you are not too late - well except for onion sets and new potatoes. 

[andtiggertoo]

I'm only in my second year of veg growing myself and I have four raised beds at the back of my garden (4' 4" by 13' each). I would suggest if you can still find first or second early potatoes in shops then you could get those planted now. You could sow a packet of leek and or onion seeds in deep containers asap ( I use root trainers, others have advised using a cat litter tray as an alternative). If the growing depth available is deep enough the leeks could then be left to get to pencil thickness before planting in the space left by the potatoes when you dig them out.

Other things you can still plant are peas and beans, carrots, beetroot. I'm doing brassicas ( just a few at a time as they will take up a lot of room when maturing), I'm doing celabrese, red cabbage and kale( which I read can be used as salad leaves when baby leaves and can be grown to maturity right through the winter months as apparently it's as hardy as veg gets). In between you could do lettuces, spinach, rocket, radish. My beetroot seeds are interplanted in my brassica bed ( not strictly in accordance to rotation though)

I planted onions, shallots and garlic from sets last autumn so they are quite far on now, something to think about when this autumn comes.

I have heard that celery is quite hard work.

I'm sure more experienced posters will have lots more ideas ( and correct any that I've got wrong).

Good luck and enjoy, I'm really loving my new veg plot

[kermit]

Re celery - I sowed some under cover a while back, not knowing its supposed to be hard.  PLanted seedlings out last weekend in our raised beds.  They look pretty good, still small but perfectly healthy. 

[Chook]

Thank you everyone. Have a guess as to what I'll be doing bright and early tomorrow? 

[sclarke624]

Self blanching celery dead easy just keep well watered in the summer.  Pale green stalks you can blanch if you want.  Cut the stalks instead of whole plant as you want i.e. cut and come again. Just start off indoors. Harden off a bit personally I didn't bother hardening off last year.  Stick in ground when about 5" inches tall just like any other plant no trenching or anything.  Well thats how I did it and have this year and have loads.  Everyone who eats celery seems to say "tastes like celery used to".  I don't eat celery hate it.  I grow these:
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/603/1.html

Cheaper here but haven't used him think he is quite well known though think his seeds are T&M anyway.
http://www.alanromans.com/p-1808-celery-galaxy-lathom-self-blanching.aspx

[Kristen]

Spuds take up quite a lot of space, although with 4 beds at 4M long, you may well want to have them as a crop.

With 4 beds I would suggest a 4 year rotation cycle - so make sure all the potatoes are in one bed only.  If you aren't familiar with it there is an article on crop rotation on this site or just ask!

[Trebor]

No idea about celery.

You still have plenty of time to plant celery.

Celery is not proving difficult for me. Threw it in a propagator on the windowsill and up it came. Thinned it out and thought I would have a go at potting on the thinnings for a laugh – really thought no chance they will survive as I wasn’t careful in doing this. I was shocked to see that all of them are growing well. The growing celery is hard thing is just a myth in my opinion. Earthing up or putting collars on to blanche maybe a bit of a hassle, and some don’t need this as the self blanche, but it is no more difficult that earthing up potatoes.

Now parsnips, that is a different story…

[Debz]

Last year I planted my onion sets in the middle of May.  Although they weren't prize winning size, they grew to an acceptable size, stored really well hanging in the kitchen and the only downside was I used them all by January.  Give it a go - what have you got to lose.

[andtiggertoo]

I was put off from growing celery by advice given to me, but on the basis of all these reports of success i think i'll have a go myself. 

 

[kermit]

Yea, I wasnt going to bother after what I read, but I'd already purchased the seed so thought, what the hell!  As I say, easy so far - not sure what to do once they start putting on growth though... 

We use so much celery - raw, in stews, roasts etc.  Great veg.