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Dig For Victory

JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
edited March 2020 in Fruit & veg
Now seems like as good a time as it could ever be to try growing veg in the garden, my grand parents did it I’m sure i can have a go but I don’t have the knowledge.

Perhaps other newbies to veg growing can post here too?

I have blueberries, grapes and hops - hardly going to feed a family on those so what are the basics?

Potatoes - plan first earlies now?  Full sun or is beside a fence okay?

What were the basics we grew during the war?

Basics
1. Potatoes
2. Carrots
3. Tomatoes
4. ...?
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Posts

  • cornellycornelly Posts: 970
    How big is the garden ? potatoes, beans runner and broad, peas, cabbage, carrots, onions, leeks etc, the list can be quite daunting, best of luck.
  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,841
    Grow the things you like to eat. Are you going full on Good Life or just dipping your toes in the water? If you are looking for the longest harvest time then successional sowing is vital.

    For runner beans try sowing three sets at least two weeks apart and leave some of the first set to mature to produce beans, don't just eat the all the pods. These freeze well and are good in soups and stews in the winter. You can do the same with French beans, dwarf or climbing.

    Courgettes can be notoriously productive but take up a lot of room so don't have more than a couple of plants. Try yellow ones as it is easier to see the fruit to harvest young so you don't end up with too many marrows.

    Sweet corn is so much better fresh from the garden but you need to plant them in a block for pollination so you need a bit of room.
  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    edited March 2020
    cornelly said:
    How big is the garden ? potatoes, beans runner and broad, peas, cabbage, carrots, onions, leeks etc, the list can be quite daunting, best of luck.
    I was just thinking of a basic beginner veg grower to support our monthly shop - assuming we can still shop of course.

    Monty’s Down to Earth book suggests three growing areas; 1 most enriched, 2 medium enriched, 3 least enriched. 
    And planting tomatoes, lettuce, chard, garlic, kale and potatoes.

    The original small plot Dig For Victory leaflet is here:

  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    @steephill just dipping toes in, courgette and sweet corn sounds like advanced farming to me ;)

    Potatoes seem pretty easy to start, chit in darkness, then bury 6” in the ground.  8 plants in rich soil where I can raise the soil level when needed, harvest in July..?
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    Easy and quick are spring onions and lettuce,  only need an area of 24" square (or long for rows.) My seeds are in now and will go out in May, at which time I sow more direct and have a succession cropping. Good for growing in tubs. Early potatoes can be grown in bags, easier to just tip out to harvest. 😁
  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    purplerallim said:
    Easy and quick are spring onions and lettuce,  only need an area of 24" square (or long for rows.) My seeds are in now and will go out in May, at which time I sow more direct and have a succession cropping. Good for growing in tubs. Early potatoes can be grown in bags, easier to just tip out to harvest. 😁
    Is it better than putting them in the ground?
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    Easier for me as I can't kneel down.😁
  • PotwomanPotwoman Posts: 77
    Hi all.  I am wondering what’s the quickest to grow ? If I won’t be able to travel to allotment I need to sow / plant now  before we are put on lockdown  
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    courgttes are easy to grow, not advanced farming haha, I grow mine in those tubs that the protein powder comes in.I have a great book called "All you can eat in 3 square feet"got it on Amazon, doesnt actually give an author.
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