What is everyone growing this year?

[jansman]

Just tipped out the first pot of new spuds, cut a lettuce from the tunnel and cut some welsh onions. Chucked in some roast chicken and a bottle of my own white wine-Bingo!

[featherstick]

Nice feeling, isn't it?

We are slow on produce this year, but this morning we had breakfast of home-cured bacon, home-made bread, and home-made gooseberry jam from last year's crop.

Got some more squash in, brought some new ground into cultivation, by removing half-a-tonne of old carpet and digging out nettle roots as thick as my thumb. Happy with that.

[jansman]

Because we were due for rain, I planted 200 leeks today. A solid Winter crop.

[featherstick]

Because we were due for rain, I planted 200 leeks today. A solid Winter crop.

That's 4 leeks pw for nearly a year - will it be enough?

I like leeks a lot, I realised with dismay at the weekend that I am about to run out of space, unless I move another half-tonne of old carpet and get swinging the mattock to break up some more ground.

[jansman]

It will be enough. I presume that was not a sarcastic remark!
As my Summer crops mature, I replace them with Winter brassicas. The climbing pea crop I have will dried (mainly) , and the brassicas will go in. When the onions come out, Spring cabbage will follow. When the Summer salad beds clear I shall put in a late crop of beetroot. A Polish neighbour sows radish, for the leaves mainly, for use in Winter. In the polytunnel, after the Tommyatoes and cucumbers, will go in'Winter Density' lettuce, Pak Choi, new potatoes for Christmas time (I refrigerate the seed, which I will start to chit about the second week of July. I shall also put a few kales in there.
Chuck in the parsnips, salted beans, stored beets an carrots, and stored fruit.
That is the plan.

[featherstick]

Sarcastic? No, very serious! That's how I work things out.

I was wondering about refrigerating seed potatoes for that very purpose. I have some very slow-chitting potatoes in the conservatory at the moment and am succession-planting them to see how late I can get them.

I grew Black Spanish Round/Wiener Kohlschwarz radish last year for the first time. It's a winter radish used for cooking - no trouble, very quick to grow, and stands for ages. It was a welcome discovery. Also grew purple-top turnips which stood for a long time. I'll also put kale in, and some oriental brassicas for greens. I've been gradually growing more winter produce, I think that's when it's most valuable.

I lost my first sowing of peas to something, I think it may have been mice even though I soaked them in paraffin. That's set me back a bit, but I'll get some more in and I'll grow some for pea-tops in salads.

[hobo]

This month I have grown ... Oh wait .... the slugs have eaten it all. Little ba**tards

[ForgeCorvus]

Want some good recipes for Slug then Hobo?

Slug Tartare. Take a slug and hit it with a sledgehammer

Slug au van. Run over a slug with a van

Stuffed Slug. Pick them straight off your plants

Slug Salad. Forget to pick them off your plants

Slug in beer. Mostly bury a pint glass near your plants and half fill it with beer, the little sods love the smell and then drown in the stuff

[jansman]

Featherstick,Only joking friend. The black Spanish radish-I have some to grow this year( forgot them!) The pea shoots really work for me too.
All in all I reckon you are well sorted.

I think the key to making a garden feed you in a significant way, is to plan for Winter. Many , many years ago I took over an allotment from an old fella. He came to see me at the end of my first Summer. His tip was, "If you want this ground to pay, then Winter greens is what you need to grow boy". Sound advice.

[hobo]

Want some good recipes for Slug then Hobo?

Slug Tartare. Take a slug and hit it with a sledgehammer

Slug au van. Run over a slug with a van

Stuffed Slug. Pick them straight off your plants

Slug Salad. Forget to pick them off your plants

Slug in beer. Mostly bury a pint glass near your plants and half fill it with beer, the little sods love the smell and then drown in the stuff

If only I wasn't vegan!