The Container Veggie Patch with PumpkinsandCats – The 2018 Plan and Overview
Welcome to the very first update of my Veggie Patch plans for 2018.
As this is the very first post about the Vegetable Garden in 2018. I am going to give a bit of an overview of my plans and my ethos, as everyone has their own growing process and what’s important to someone will differ to someone else.
Background …
I have been growing my own Vegetables for 3 years now, not enough for feed myself but more of a hobby. To be honest I end up giving most of the produce away, its more about watching it grow for me!
My Mum and Grandad both love gardening both flowers and vegetables. I have very fond memories of going to see visit my Grandparents and spending ages looking at his rows of onions, leeks, beetroot and in the Summer we’d pick gooseberry’s and blackcurrants from his plot in his Garden and makes pies, jams and chutneys.
My Mum once told me as stroppy teen and after denying joining my Mum in the Garden once again “Mark my words Hat, You’ll remember this conversation- I hated Gardening at your age but your very much like me and by the age of 25 you will love gardening”
Too this day I remember that conversation and she couldn’t have been more right!
The Garden …
My Veggie Plot is a container Garden as I have a shared front lawn and my back yard doesn’t have enough Sunlight. In year one I grew in the back garden Broadbeans and courgettes were the only success... and still always do well!
Last year I decided to move the Garden to the front as it has more sunlight but run’s the risk of the elements as its very open. You can read about here The Veggie Patch 2017
I have 4 wooden planters only now. The wind makes the greenhouses too hard to keep.
Ethos …
No Chemicals- No GM – Organic – Heirloom
I am a massive believer in non-Genetically Modified food, if plastic can cause fish to change sex I dread to think what engineered food can do to our DNA!
I don’t use chemicals and try to use as much organic material as possible. Such as eggs shells, water I’ve boiled vegetables in and manure mostly.
I wish I could make my own compost I don’t have the space.
The Seeds …
I spent a long time trying to find a NON-GM Supplier of seeds as a lot of the main seed company’s do not use REAL Seeds. Ironically enough the company I found are called the Real Seed Company.
I stumbled across this company in South Wales, who grow their own veg and save their own seed too and sell it to people like me. They hunt out Heirloom varieties and propagate often from very few seeds.
They have real funky varieties of vegetables I’d never heard of before check them out!
The link to them can be found here
This year I have decided to grow the following
Peppers
Sweet Aji Pepper
Orange Bell Pepper
Rotoco Pepper
Carrots
Dragon Purple Carrots
Manchester Table Carrots
Courgettes/Zuccini and Squash
Summer Crookneck Squash
Verde De Milano Mini Courgettes
Potatos
Any Good Mashing/Roasting Potato
Beans
Leidse Hangdown' Broad Bean
As you can see in the photo I have a good amount of seeds but not enough space to grow them all in! My broccoli and Cauliflowers always get attacked by snails to this year I am leaving them out to concentrate on other vegetables.
The Plan
Source- University of Illinois – Pinterest
I like to have a plan however it rarely sticks due to varies reasons including weather and life in general. I am planning on doing a new post for each new seed and then following through the growing season to harvest.
Living in Wales we don’t really have a lot of Sun but we do have a lot of rain. So a lot will be done indoors until it’s warm to move outside.
January
Germinate and Sow Broadbeans and Peppers
February
Sow Carrots
March
Sow Courgettes and Squash
April
Early April – Potatoes
May/June/July
Growing Time
Harvest Peppers/Courgettes as they are ready
Harvest Broadbeans as they are ready
August
Harvest Carrots and Potatoes
I think I’ve mostly covered everything!
I hope you’ve enjoyed my plan for my Garden = D
The next post coming tonight/tomorrow will be sowing Broadbeans and Germinating Peppers.
I look forward to seeing everyone’s Gardens and Allotments coming along!
The Container Veggie Patch With Pumpkins and Cats
Broadbeans and Peppers - My Container Veggie Patch With Pumpkinsandcats
I have been reading so many gardening plans' posts this past week and it is really getting me ALL fired up and ready to dig in some dirt!
The same here! I actually pulled my finger out today and got started after reading @brimwoodfarm post on their garden!
Determined not to overdo it this year.
Is your growing season much different to ours accross the pond?
Habla, blah blah blah blah blah, Español for my bunghole...
?
I always remember the rain in Wales. Four seasons in one day.
Thats is very true! Ha ha
I found your post in the coments section of @halcyondaze 's garden contest. I liked reading your posts. I'm also into organic gardening, using only non-chemical products. I use drops of (biological) peppermint essential oil and/or neem oil in water and spray my plants with that to get rid of aphids, I try to use companion planting schedules to fight other plagues (like planting basil next to tomatoes, because basil repels the white fly).
You say you have a problem with snails/slugs. I managed to keep them away from my veggies (most of the time) by using a couple of different methods:
(You can read more about snails and garlic, and find a recipe here)
Of course it doesn't work for 100%, because it's not like chemical stuff, but although there were loads of slugs everywhere else in the garden, they left my veggies alone most of the time.
I've bought some seeds from the Real seed Company too. I'll be growing the orange bell pepper this year, just like you :-)
I can't wait to read more of your gardening posts :-)
Thumbs up for neem. I use it for almost everything, and although it's not a cure-all, I find it to be a super easy preventative measure that doesn't harm the plants, is cheap, and easy to apply!
Appreciate you dropping in on this thread! Love seeing the gardening community grow.
Finally I have some people to talk to about my gardening ‘obsession’ ;-) because I’ driving my girlfriend crazy with all my ongoing stories ... lol