My allotment challenge

Growing Garlic and onions How many will I grow and space needed Garlic and onions must be one of the easiest things that I have grown on the allotment. They also use up the allotment space when I don't have a lot growing on the allotment.  Garlic We as a family don't use huge amounts of garlic each year, a couple of whole garlic will be enough for the year. I brought and split 3 bulbs last year and planted them and pretty must left them to grow. There was also a few cloves of elephant garlic left which have also been planted which will provide plenty for the year. The cloves were planted about 8inches apart and about 1.5 inches into the ground this has taken up a couple of beds but they will be harvested and beetroot, radish, spring onion and late lettuces put in late summer. These beds will be used twice as will the onion beds to maximise growing. Onions Onions are a great favourite of my husband and I, we use quite a lot between us and I also use ...

A years supply of squash and courgette Planning space for them to grow Next vegetable is one that I find easy to grow and that is squash, and another I have had some success with courgette. Last year I grew a lot of squash of different varieties, shapes and sizes with great success. The courgette I didn't get the harvest I was expecting due to slugs and weather. As a family we don't eat very much squash or courgettes but this will be changing in a bid to produce all the fruit and vegetables that we need from the allotment. I have discovered that I can put the squash (especially butternut squash) into curries and bolognese to had a healthy option without anybody knowing its actually in there, sneaky I know but until they are used to eating it I will continue to do this. This year I will be making more things with the squash and courgette like soups, flans, pies and trying to find some chutney recipes too. So how many will I need to feed a family of 6 for a year...

Tomatoes for the year Can I really grow enough last a year? Tomatoes, chutney, passata, sauce, bolognese, lasagne and much much more, we use so many tomatoes in my house it will be a tall order to grow enough to last a year. If you stop and consider the shear volume I will need it will seem very difficult, last year I estimated I would need approximately 100 lb of tomatoes, then I would need freezer space, jars and cupboard space.  Last year I produced 31 LB of tomatoes but I hadn't really planned the allotment space or used all the space on may allotment. This year I have saved all the jars that I can and also planned better my plants that I will growing. One thing that was achieved was making enough chutney for a year, however I didn't make any passata as I wasn't confident enough. There are still frozen tomatoes in my freezer, to be honest I didn't know you could freeze whole tomatoes until Bob Flowerdew informed you could. This year I will be growing ...

Frogspawn up the allotment 2019 Well the frogs have been at it again, I'm pleased to announce I have frogspawn. The wildlife pond I created didn't cost anything to make but the last two years the frogs have made good use of it. I asked a plumber if I could have a couple of old baths he was taking to the tip and buried one in the ground. Each spring it is full with rain water then the frogs come to play, if its was a hot summer like last year I had to fill it will water again as it almost dried out. I have some grass growing in the bottom of the bath and 2 pieces of decking board in there to make sure the frogs can get in and out of the water.  Hopefully the frogs will keep some of the slugs at bay for the spring and summer.

Heavy, medium and light feeders  When gardening or on the allotment it is best not to grow the same heavy feeders in the same bed over and over again. To let the soil rest after heavy feeders I will be planting light feeders in after heavy, the heavy after the light. The medium feeders I will be planting after each other but different types of medium feeders. Of course planning planting is made even harder when you factor in companion planting, also quick growing crops planted between slow growing crops. Planning is an important part of growing vegetable. However having said this I managed to get a good crop last year all be it n a very hap hard way, but as I want to grow even more this year I want to start planning what is planted where. Most herbs are light feeders  Light feeders include Carrots, Parsnips, onions, radishes, turnips, leeks, garlic, collard greens, peas, swiss chard, kale, beans, most herbs and potatoes. Medium feeders include Arti...

Planned veg grown from the allotment 2019 So this year as I did with last year I will be setting myself targets, I should get closer to my targets because I will be utilising the allotment more. Below are my estimate of what I will need to grow to feed my family. Carful planning will be needed to make the most of the allotment space using some beds for 2 or 3 different crops. I don't use and pesticide or fertilisers I put my dirty duck straw down in the beds which seems to deter snails while hopefully putting some nutrients into the soil. Where I had sweetcorn and tomatoes last year will need to have a lighter feeding crop like garlic, onion, leeks and turnips, while trying to stick to companion planting for example the onions and garlic are said not to do well in the same beds. So now its time to plan where everything is going, I already have my garlic and onions in so these will be finished in time for another crop to go in after they are harvested  early summer. Esti...