IT’S a new growing season and our gardening expert JOA GROWER has some tips for gardeners wanting to grow their own vegetables.
WELL, here we are with another growing season ahead of us and all that gardening to look forward to. But where to start? Over the past ten or more years so many people have come to our nursery (at Yealmpton) or to the market stall (in Totnes) and asked me what they should be growing in their vegetable gardens. What a big question that is! My immediate response is how much space have you got, and most importantly what vegetables do you like to eat? For those of you with large gardens or allotments and plenty of time on your hands I would say have a go at growing a little bit of everything. Potatoes are fun to grow as it always feels a bit like digging up treasure when harvesting them. A nice job to do with children! Onions are also a good space filler. However, if your garden is only a modest space, then I would give both of these a miss, as they are not expensive vegetables to buy. Try to grow things like carrots – which taste totally different when pulled fresh from the ground. Garden peas are absolutely amazing picked and eaten straight from the pea pod and sweetcorn like you’ve never tasted, ideally cook within minutes of picking. For those of you who really don’t have a great deal of time to spend gardening but would like grow something edible, why not plant a fruit garden. There are a lot of choices, from rhubarb which is picked in spring, strawberries and blueberries in summer, to raspberries in the autumn. Once planted they will probably only need a small amount of weeding, pruning once a year and picking fruits when ever ready and of course most fruits are very easy to freeze. Tomatoes and cucumbers can be grown in large compost filled containers and stood against a sunny south facing wall or better still in a warm conservatory or even a front porch. So many people buy herb plants and keep them on the kitchen window sill only to find that they don’t last very long. If you pot them into a good quality compost in a small bucket sized pot and place out side in full sun or partial shade, they will produce so much more and should last you the whole season. What ever you choose to grow this season, enjoy it.
• JUST a reminder that Growers Organics nursery in Yealmpton will reopen early February 2018 and our plant stall will also be back in the market square in Totnes in February. Happy Growing!
It’s the season to start sowing seeds
NOW is the time to start sowing and most seed packets have far more seeds than you need but don’t forget that doesn’t mean you have to sow a whole packet every time, the majority of seeds will last 2 or 3 years as long as you store them properly in a cool dry place (a sweet tin or plastic container placed in the shed would be ideal). This year when sowing try covering your seeds with fine vermiculite instead of compost. It works really well! Keep an eye on the forecast for frosts as plants in an unheated green house may still need just a little more extra protection. And for those of you growing your seeds on window sills in the house don’t forget that as soon as your seedlings start to come through the compost or vermiculite turn the pots or trays every day, this will help to stop them becoming tall and straggly. Prick out or pot on when the plants are big enough to handle. For those of you who don’t have the time or space to start your own seeds. You can buy ready grown vegetable plug plants. If ordering online do check the size of the plugs as they do vary a lot from company to company. Most garden centres will also stock a small range of them. But better still, if you can find a specialist nursery and buy straight from the producer, not only are you likely to get better plants but also a bit of free advice too if needed.