[AmandaLouise]

hello everyone.  I have read and read and asked around, and feel a bit dizzy taking in all the information for successful crop yields.

here is my plan for the year, if you dont mind taking the time out then please correct me if I am wrong, but here is where I am at for now, and what my aims are:

2 apple trees and plum tree - pruning this weekend. 
Aim to ensure no branches are crossing, and aim for a nice neat goblin shape

I bought some elephant garlic today, which I am going to  plant, is that okay?
I have 5 empty beds that have been cleared of weeds.

Bed 1 - potatoes
(I have 3 varieties - charlottes & pentland javelin (earlies) and Kestrel - mid early)
Need a main crop - I like Maris pipers, but heard hard to grow so was aiming for Cara or Desiree)

Bed 2 - Roots and Carrots
Carrots, Garlic, Leeks, Onion sets, shallots, spring onions and salad leaves or lettuce
(I am going to keep the carrots and onions in rows next to eachother to avoid carrot fly and onion fly??)

Bed 3 - Peas, Green Beans
(I cant think of anything else for this one, I'll use the smallest of the beds for this crop)

Bed 4 - Brassicas
Broccoli and Brussels, rocket

Bed 5 - Asparagus
I know you need crowns and these are difficult to grow and can take 2 years to establish, but I am a real fan and would like to give it a try

Greenhouse - tomatoes, I was going to buy a tomato plant to give a head start or is it better to start by seed.  i was thinking of doing two varieties, alicante, and not sure on the other one yet, a larger tomato maybe.  Strawberries too!

the other veg i would like to grow is:  Spinach, Squash and Cucumber, However I do realise the above is a bit ambitious for a new beginner!!, but I am doing lots of reading and I am very eager to grow my own as best I can.  I do so much cooking I think it would be wasted to not get into properly, and also have my husband to help.

Now I know the plot has not been worked for about 3 years; so I bought a soil test kit today from the garden centre which I will use at weekend.  I have 5 tests altogether, should I check the soil in each bed?

Is my understanding regarding the soil for Potatoes, it needs to be manured year before (in my case it hasnt so not sure about that one); acid soil; no lime; high organic matter

Brassicas - lime loving soil so will need lime (previously used for peas/beans)

Onion and Roots - Dont like rich soil, or heavily fertilised, general purpose fertiliser 2 wks before planting or sowing, no manure, no lime

when we were digging, there were these randomn little orange ants deep in the soil, I have not managed to check that out yet, they bite though!!

Marigolds will go in too wherever they are neeeded.

I am out all day so wont be able to reply, but will do tomorrow night  :blink:

All the best to everyone
Amanda xxx

[gobs]

hello everyone.  I have read and read and asked around, and feel a bit dizzy taking in all the information for successful crop yields.

here is my plan for the year, if you dont mind taking the time out then please correct me if I am wrong, but here is where I am at for now, and what my aims are:

2 apple trees and plum tree - pruning this weekend.  
Aim to ensure no branches are crossing, and aim for a nice neat goblin shape

I bought some elephant garlic today, which I am going to  plant, is that okay?
I have 5 empty beds that have been cleared of weeds.

Bed 1 - potatoes
(I have 3 varieties - charlottes & pentland javelin (earlies) and Kestrel - mid early)
Need a main crop - I like Maris pipers, but heard hard to grow so was aiming for Cara or Desiree)

Bed 2 - Roots and Carrots
Carrots, Garlic, Leeks, Onion sets, shallots, spring onions and salad leaves or lettuce
(I am going to keep the carrots and onions in rows next to eachother to avoid carrot fly and onion fly??)

Bed 3 - Peas, Green Beans
(I cant think of anything else for this one, I'll use the smallest of the beds for this crop)

Bed 4 - Brassicas
Broccoli and Brussels, rocket

Bed 5 - Asparagus
I know you need crowns and these are difficult to grow and can take 2 years to establish, but I am a real fan and would like to give it a try

Greenhouse - tomatoes, I was going to buy a tomato plant to give a head start or is it better to start by seed.  i was thinking of doing two varieties, alicante, and not sure on the other one yet, a larger tomato maybe.  Strawberries too!

the other veg i would like to grow is:  Spinach, Squash and Cucumber, However I do realise the above is a bit ambitious for a new beginner!!, but I am doing lots of reading and I am very eager to grow my own as best I can.  I do so much cooking I think it would be wasted to not get into properly, and also have my husband to help.

Now I know the plot has not been worked for about 3 years; so I bought a soil test kit today from the garden centre which I will use at weekend.  I have 5 tests altogether, should I check the soil in each bed?

Is my understanding regarding the soil for Potatoes, it needs to be manured year before (in my case it hasnt so not sure about that one); acid soil; no lime; high organic matter

Brassicas - lime loving soil so will need lime (previously used for peas/beans)

Onion and Roots - Dont like rich soil, or heavily fertilised, general purpose fertiliser 2 wks before planting or sowing, no manure, no lime

when we were digging, there were these randomn little orange ants deep in the soil, I have not managed to check that out yet, they bite though!!

Marigolds will go in too wherever they are neeeded.

I am out all day so wont be able to reply, but will do tomorrow night  :blink:

All the best to everyone
Amanda xxx

Kisses to you to Manda. I like your drive. This will work.

1. Do not prune plum tree types/prunus in winter. May-summer time job.

2. Do cover carrots with enviromesh or fleece, that also means no interplanting.

3. Salads can happily go under/around peas, depending on space and layout.

4. Roots and carrots is a bit funny. I'm just hoping I'm laughing with you. The carrot is a root, quite some of the rest, are not. Can and should treat allium(onion types) seperately from real 'roots'.

PS:
1. Dead easy it is to grow toms from seed. If you can't find the time, of course, bought plants will do.

2. Have you ordered your asparagus plants, for you want to. Much better quality than off the shelves and plant when they come(+/- weather).

3. Elephant garlic is quite tasteless in my opinion, do not hope for much if you like garlic.

4. Kestrel is regarded as the worst potato ever invented in our neighbourhood by many. It falls apart on boiling, not much flavour to mention either to compensate. People who grow it only do so for the slugs do not eat them. I understand them. The slugs I mean.

[sunshineband]

Wow that is one heavy lot of questions and your enthusiasm shines through  

For starters it looks fine:

Elephant garlic is Ok to plant now and you get big mild bulbs. You could plant garlic too

Good range of potatoes (Kestrels are pretty and grow well, make good roast potatoes too, and will stay in the ground growing bigger so you might not need a maincrop unless you have a lot of space)

The only way to guarantee carrots unspoint by carrot fly is to grow them under enviromesh, otherwise they are ruined by grub tunnels

You could grow some runner beans as well as french beans or mange tout

Don't forget to net the cabbages or broccoli so that you donlt get cabbage white butterflies laying eggs on the leaves

Onions are strightforward from sets planted in the spring

Tomatoes are easy to grow from seed, but two or three plants would be cheap to buy and there is usually a good selection in garden centres around April time

Strawberry plants prefer to be outside than in a green house

Squashes (and courgettes) are straightfoward and most are prolific croppers

ants will do no real harm

(takes a breath now)

So good luck and read around all you can

More questions are always welcome  

PS Don't prune the plum tree now.. leave it until |May?June or you riak diseases like silver leaf

[sion01]

Wow thats really well planned /thought out.Its a bit scary actually as I remember going out with a girl who on the first date planned my social calender and outings for the next month complete with accurate times etc.I ran for the hills as fast as I could.

[gobs]

Women can be scary.

[allot2learn]

Uh ho...............! I ordered Kestrels as they were recomended on this site!

[born_2b_mad]

Grew Kestrel last year and they were the best of my crops, tasted great and boiled up well, even better as chips! Have to agree though that there were near to no slug damage.

[gobs]

Uh ho...............! I ordered Kestrels as they were recomended on this site!

Some seem to be hooked on them, I don't know why. But here grown Red Duke of York also falls apart and Desiree - who is a father of that one - is pants performance here any year I've tried.

It could have some to do with location and soil.

[gobs]

Some more notes on that Amanda:

Plums do not really need pruning as such at all. They tend to fruit and very well or best without, especially if you are guessing at it.

You only would want to do sick/dead wood removal and if needed kept to space maintenance ideally.

Squashes and cukes are very easy to grow, get into there with confidence.

The spinach does like to bolt endlessly.

[Kajazy]

Also, under legumes - have you thought about broad beans? (Not everyone likes them, but I found them really easy to grow, and they were among my earliest crops - last year was my first year of growing too!), also mange tout and sugar snap peas? All go in the same bit, but a bit more green for your money, and a bit less shelling...!

[DD.]

I agree with gobs about elephant garlic - tasteless pap! It's not true garlic after all and is a close relation of the leek - may as well just grow them.

However, I wouldn't be without my Kestrel spuds, lovely bakers with a great flavour, but it's horses for courses and unless you try things, you'll never personally know.

[savbo]

I'll stick up for Kestrel too, and vote for mangetout..loads from a small space, none of ours makes it home as 8yo eats every one

While I would vote for growing your own toms from seed, they are usually fine and strong from local nurseries (you've got a few out on the Moss haven't you?) and I always manage to get a few spares of interesting varieties from other plotholders...

sav

[AmandaLouise]

Wow thats really well planned /thought out.Its a bit scary actually as I remember going out with a girl who on the first date planned my social calender and outings for the next month complete with accurate times etc.I ran for the hills as fast as I could.

Urmmm are you suggesting Im a bunny boiler?!  My personal life and allotment enthusiasm are quite different,  I never did the above for any fella!!!

[sion01]

I would never dream of suggesting you were a bunny boiler