Took the camera and had a walk around the garden to see where I can squeeze more plants into come spring time. Must admit the garden looks grim at the moment I'm hoping that logging progress will spur me on to greater things. Looks like I've got about as many packets of herbs and flower seeds as I've got veggie. Not sure I can really justify four varieties of calendula plus saved seed from last year.
The obvious place for veggies - the veggie plot! This is only 15M x 8M so a bit limited and I can't enlarge really given the walls and fruit trees to the side. I've used a free garden planner software to sort out the planting scheme for this area. I did the same last year and found it brought a bit realism to my initial planting plan which assumed an ever expanding plot where veggies reached maturity at just the right time for a second crop. All the usual suspects are to go in here. I've had to abandon sweet corn though - no room!
Screen shot of the garden planner below. I find this so useful as it works out the number of plants per square metre. You can print it out as shown and also as a list of plants with sowing and harvesting times. It's free for 30 days at
Growveg.com great if you want to cram in as much as you can! The fifth row shown below is what I intend on growing once the potatoes have been lifted - you'll notice above the veggie plot only has four rows.
So with the veggie plot packed I'm looking for more growing places. The recently created herb area should allow me to sow some chervil and maybe some garlic chives along with a little pennyroyal. I only created this in September so it's looking a little sparse as I hacked everything down before I transplanted into this area. The 36 sage cuttings along the back row all look like they've taken though and also the rosemary behind them. This was eight foot high of brambles in August and I know some roots are still in there just waiting.
These island beds were created with the help of friends in August. I've planted bulbs, seven trees and a few plants so these are ripe for some veggies, herb and flowers. This first one already has artichoke in which seems to be doing OK. I've pencilled in two types of kale, okra, winter squash, coriander and fenugreek for here. Oh, and not forgetting some calendula and agastache honey bee blue.
Not much room in this second one as I've packed it with iris (currently looking dreadful) but I'm thinking maybe more coriander and sweet rocket along with some calendula mezcla magnifica. I doubt if I'll get any flowers from these iris this year but come 2015 they'll be in full bloom and looking a lot better than they do now.
This third one is going to be a problem as it's ponding in the middle so I'll have to sort that out. I'm not sure if the group of lupins in the centre have made it or not. Looks like a couple of squashes might take their place if they fail to arrive in spring. I've got some restharrow and yellow toadflax that might make their way into this bed. The little bed behind this is planted up with blueberries bushes a few more calendula plants in that one me thinks.
Oh la la ...more work. This nettle patch is going to be replaced with Good King Henry, lovage, parsley hamburg and a few wild flowers. With a bit of luck I might be able to salvage some of the perennial sunflowers that are in with the nettle. I think I need a gardener!
Finally, at the top of the garden I dug this asparagus trench last year then planted what looked like 20 dead pieces of string. I was somewhat amazed when the fern like plants arrived. I don't think I'll get a cutting this year but maybe in 2015 we can feast on tender green shoots. It's only about 7m long but I reckon once I've edged it again I can have tomatoes along the front and maybe more squashes at the back while allowing the asparagus room to grown in the middle. Like I said that's the easy bit done, seeds bought, planning done...now just have to get everything to grow!
The obvious place for veggies - the veggie plot! This is only 15M x 8M so a bit limited and I can't enlarge really given the walls and fruit trees to the side. I've used a free garden planner software to sort out the planting scheme for this area. I did the same last year and found it brought a bit realism to my initial planting plan which assumed an ever expanding plot where veggies reached maturity at just the right time for a second crop. All the usual suspects are to go in here. I've had to abandon sweet corn though - no room!
Screen shot of the garden planner below. I find this so useful as it works out the number of plants per square metre. You can print it out as shown and also as a list of plants with sowing and harvesting times. It's free for 30 days at Growveg.com great if you want to cram in as much as you can! The fifth row shown below is what I intend on growing once the potatoes have been lifted - you'll notice above the veggie plot only has four rows.
So with the veggie plot packed I'm looking for more growing places. The recently created herb area should allow me to sow some chervil and maybe some garlic chives along with a little pennyroyal. I only created this in September so it's looking a little sparse as I hacked everything down before I transplanted into this area. The 36 sage cuttings along the back row all look like they've taken though and also the rosemary behind them. This was eight foot high of brambles in August and I know some roots are still in there just waiting.
These island beds were created with the help of friends in August. I've planted bulbs, seven trees and a few plants so these are ripe for some veggies, herb and flowers. This first one already has artichoke in which seems to be doing OK. I've pencilled in two types of kale, okra, winter squash, coriander and fenugreek for here. Oh, and not forgetting some calendula and agastache honey bee blue.
Not much room in this second one as I've packed it with iris (currently looking dreadful) but I'm thinking maybe more coriander and sweet rocket along with some calendula mezcla magnifica. I doubt if I'll get any flowers from these iris this year but come 2015 they'll be in full bloom and looking a lot better than they do now.
This third one is going to be a problem as it's ponding in the middle so I'll have to sort that out. I'm not sure if the group of lupins in the centre have made it or not. Looks like a couple of squashes might take their place if they fail to arrive in spring. I've got some restharrow and yellow toadflax that might make their way into this bed. The little bed behind this is planted up with blueberries bushes a few more calendula plants in that one me thinks.
Oh la la ...more work. This nettle patch is going to be replaced with Good King Henry, lovage, parsley hamburg and a few wild flowers. With a bit of luck I might be able to salvage some of the perennial sunflowers that are in with the nettle. I think I need a gardener!
Finally, at the top of the garden I dug this asparagus trench last year then planted what looked like 20 dead pieces of string. I was somewhat amazed when the fern like plants arrived. I don't think I'll get a cutting this year but maybe in 2015 we can feast on tender green shoots. It's only about 7m long but I reckon once I've edged it again I can have tomatoes along the front and maybe more squashes at the back while allowing the asparagus room to grown in the middle. Like I said that's the easy bit done, seeds bought, planning done...now just have to get everything to grow!
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