I forgot to mention my little chilli pepper plant, which grows on the kitchen windowsill. It's behaving rather strangely this year! It produced one fruit quite early, which still looks exactly the same as it did back in June. But no more fruits - despite a second flush of flowers. I'm a bit puzzled by this, because it's produced a good little crop for the last few years. I also didn't mention my herb garden. I've got rosemary, sage, thyme, marjoram, fennel, mint, bay and parsley. Having a good supply of fresh herbs is great, and well worth the relatively small amount of growing space that they take up.
Yeh,I think eventually they run out of steam,you could re-pot it and/or take some cuttings though maybe better doing it in the spring if it will survive till then.
My better half and I tried running an allotment for a couple of years. We got some decent lettuces, tons of potatoes, onions and very small carrots out of it, but really we didn't have the time to dedicate to it so most of our crops never really got anywhere. I don't know whether it was the soil or insects but I never managed to get a successful crop of peas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_foot_gardening ''The original square-foot-gardening method (per Bartholomew) uses a four-sided box with no top or bottom to contain a finite amount of soil, which was divided with a grid into sections. To encourage variety of different crops over time, each square would be planted with a different kind of plant, the number of plants per square depending on an individual plant's size. A single tomato plant might take a full square, as might herbs such as oregano, basil or mint, while most strawberry plants could be planted four per square, with up to sixteen radishes per square. Tall or climbing plants such as maize or pole beans might be planted in a northern row (south in the southern hemisphere) so as not to shade other plants, and supported with lattice or netting.'' I bought this guys book years ago (1981?) and think he has something for people in limited/non-traditional spaces. Worth looking at his web page http://www.melbartholomew.com/ I think, particularly for people living in small spaces, and who have difficulty with hip/knee pain ,may be able to have a garden at a manageable height. There is less waste and crops are complimentary/rotated. LFD
My dad taught me a lot but a great source of information in my first years of growing was a book called Dr Hessayons vegetable and herb expert which I can recommend.It has now been expanded into a whole range of gardening books,all clear,concise and easy to follow.
I got hit by a giant infestation of mexican bean beetles in my squash plants but other than that it has been a good year. I dont spray pesticides and i dont even water much but the stuff still grows. I gotta thank God and New England summers!
Thought I'd bump this thread as now's a good time to try and get some early sowing in. Weather looks to be fine all week(at least down here in the south)and I spent this morning hoeing,weeding and preparing seedbeds in which I've planted spring onions,early cabbage(can be picked early as spring greens and harvested as a cabbage later in the season)and perpetual spinach,aka leaf beet. My sowing of this last crop from last year has lived up to it's name by over-wintering and sprouting anew,alongside some self-sown new seedlings but I've done another sowing as quite often it'll do this then go to seed early.Should still get some decent pickings off it though. Next in will be broad beans,carrots,spuds and lettuce.Later when it's a bit warmer I like french beans,cherry tomatoes and courgettes. Of course the nay sayers will be crying-'too early,you'll get caught out by the frosts' but you're fairly safe with broad beans and spuds and anything delicate can be covered with fleece. My attitude is give it a go and if it fails just do another sowing later. As a general rule if the soil sticks to your boots it's still too wet,ideally(if you dug it over in autumn)when it's dry enough you should just be able to lightly turn it over with a hoe and break up any big lumps to make a crumbly tilth. A little bit of effort over the next month or so brings big rewards in terms of fresh,vitamin packed,convenient veggies. A good idea is to keep a log of what you sow and where so next year you can move things around to ensure crop rotation,because if you're like me you think you'll remember but never do. Anyhow,get digging,happy planting and feel free to add any handy hints of your own!
Yes, frozen fruits and veggies are more nutrient dense foods than produce picked and left sitting in storage for a few days. The second a vegetable is picked from it's root it begins to lose nutritional value and freezing arrests the process.
I have a small apartment. But I do grow my own herbs, veg, and fruit. I have been able to grow different types of chilis, the local lime called calamansi, two types of basil, two types of oregano, rosemary, thyme, dill, local mustard, chia, and aloe vera. Aloe vera is like a weed here, just like cuban oregano. Coffee is your friend.
You should name it Lazerus ! That is one of the amazing things about growing stuff-the new growth and regeneration that the passing of the seasons brings(especially after the long wet winter we've endured over here)
I've just started looking into this, planted an apple, pear and plum tree in 20 ltr planters and found a company that do an edible hedge that I want to plant along the walls of my garden, fresh fruit and nut and some natural barbed wire
Like the sound of an edible hedge ! Might have to give that a go myself- hazel,raspberry,cherry,pear and plum.I've already got some bramble.Guess I can keep adding to it and fill any gaps.
