Veggie Garden Plan for 2007

I've now finished putting together a plan for the raised beds layout, which makes me feel a bit more organised and also helps to work out when things are to be sown etc.

Unfortunately, although the weather is pretty much perfect today, James has had to go into work and so the digging has been delayed further. Hopefully there will be time to get started on one of them tomorrow. I'd like to get the back right bed done first so I can get some jerusalem artichoke tubers in quite soon. I've considered everyone's advice about their potential invasiveness, however I love them too much not to grow them! I shall just be vigilant when taking out the tubers at the end of the season and hope for the best!

I'm not sure if this is legible from the photo, so here is a listed version of my bed plans along with the varieties I have chosen to grow:-

Bed 1 - (Bottom Left)

- Tomato 'Tigerella' (A medium-size tomato with stripy skin)

- Basil and Tagetes (to border the tomatoes and help fend off the pests)

- Calendula (one of my edible flowers choices and the colours should work well with the toms)

- Spinach 'Whale'

- Wild Rocket

Bed 2 (Top Left)

- Mange Tout and French Beans (at the back to grow up homemade wigwams)

Mange Tout 'Ezethas Krombek Blauwschok'

Dwarf French Beans 'Tendergreen' (this is my second year growing these)

- Courgettes 'Nero di Milan'

- Leaf Beet 'Canary' (A yellow-stemmed variety, hence the name)

- Garlic Chives

Bed 3 - (Top Right)

- Jerusalem Artichoke 'Fuseau'

- Leeks (I've chosen an early and a late variety to try and prolong my leek harvesting)

I've chosen 'Pandora' (early) and 'Atlanta' (late)

- Shallots 'Longor' (a traditional french variety)

- Spring/Pickling Onions

I've chosen 'Purplette' which is a purple/red-skinned baby onion harvested as spring onions or left longer to form small bulbs for cooking and pickling and also 'White Lisbon Winter Hardy' again to try and prolong my picking season. White Lisbon is a standard spring onion.

Bed 4 - (Bottom Right)

- Carrots 'Chantenay' and 'Yellowstone' for a mix of colours. (I grew chantenay last year in a container and they worked really well. I'll be growing some carrots in the ground and some in a container this year)

- Parsley 'Forest Green'

- Kale 'Nero di Toscano' (Hopefully this will give us something to eat in the winter months)

- Mizuna

- Sorrel 'Buckler leaved'

Container Veggies

To make the most of the sun on the patio by the house, most of the sun-loving veg will be container grown to maximise their exposure to the sun. These are:-

- Tomato 'Totem' (A cherry tom variety which I grew last year. We had 4 plants in a large pot and we had a bumper crop!)

- Beetroot 'Bolivar' (Some to be picked as baby beets and I'll leave a few to get to a mature size)

- Aubergine 'Little Finger' (Produces baby aubergines up to 15cm long)

- Mixed salad leaves such as 'Red and Green Salad Bowl' (If there are gaps appearing in the beds, I may fill these will some cut and come again lettuce also

- Herbs: Coriander and mint are definites. (No doubt I'll end up growing quite a lot of herbs in pots though!)

There will also be container-grown chantenay and yellowstone carrots and all of my salad potatoes will be grow in special potato planters at the back of the plot. I am growing two varieties 'Roseval' and 'Pink Fir Apple'.

I am still working out a plan for the back end of the year as to whether we will grow much. We don't get the sun in the winter months, which I think will restrict most things. We'll have a few things on the go such as kale, jersulalem artichokes and mizuna and I'll probably have a go at overwintering a few things under cloches to see what happens. So, we will see.

I'm also planning to grow nasturtiums along one boundary fence as a climber to add to my edible flowers selection. I was hoping to make space for a small cut flowers bed but we are tight for space and for this year, I feel that I should use as much for veggies as I can. I'll have to be content with a cut flower container 'bed' instead this year!