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Thoughts on my choices for the coming season?

2

Posts

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Make sure you anchor the cover well.  Tied to the frame, the whole lot can take off in winds. The latest cover didn't last 6 months.
  • DogmumDogmum Posts: 96
    @Skandi I have lots more space available for the sweetcorn to have their own bed. Have you grown them before? Do you have any suggestions on the size of the bed and the planting formation to give the best chance of pollination?
    Tomorrow is another day
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    I do mine in a non ideal way but it works well enough, I do a 1 meter wide bed with 3 plants across and then as long as I want, but a minimum of 12 plants. They would like more space but I find I get a cob and a half per plant if I give them tons of space and a cob per plant with less space, and I don't have a use for all those half cobs.
  • DogmumDogmum Posts: 96
    @Skandi thanks for that, I’ll measure another bed and get lifting the turf as soon as I can.
    Tomorrow is another day
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Skandi said:
    I do mine in a non ideal way but it works well enough, I do a 1 meter wide bed with 3 plants across and then as long as I want, but a minimum of 12 plants. They would like more space but I find I get a cob and a half per plant if I give them tons of space and a cob per plant with less space, and I don't have a use for all those half cobs.
    That's more or less how I grow them too ... usually about 20 plants ... Swift is a good variety for the UK climate ... I've had good results with it.   :smile:

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • REMF33REMF33 Posts: 731
    edited January 2022
    I don't think that's overly ambitious at all. I have two smll raised beds (1.2m square and a slightly bigger one) in, which I grew French beans, borlotti beans, broad beans, peas and sweetcorn (and marigolds!) I also have another 2 smaller, shallower raised beds in a shady spot with kale in them.
    I grew about 20 tomato plants, 10 chilli plants, 4 sweet peppers, about 5 aubergine plants, 4 tomatillo plants, 2 cucumber plants, 6 courgette plants, lots of garlic in pots (not successful), leeks (ditto), strawberries in pots and umpteen herbs - no greenhouse or polytunnel, but some help in spring from an unheated lean to, cold frames, window sills and a sheltered but not enclosed balcony.
    I am not sure what is going in the raised beds this year, but definitely French beans, broad beans and peas, and possibly borlottis. The jury is out re sweetcorn. It takes up quite a lot of room (and the squirrels got all but two ears from 6 plants while I blinked/was on holiday.) Will probably grow more peas and beans in large pots too. I intend to grow beetroot and carrots this year too.
    In addition to this grew about 63 (I have a spreadsheet) different varieties of flowering plants from seed, excluding the sweetpeas, 10 dahlias from tubers in pots, and of course all the spring bulbs (about 900. I seriously cut back for this year.)...
    I have to say, it was rather hard work, but worth it. (And I ended up giving away a lot of plants.)
    Althlough, having written all this down, now, I feel a little daunted at the prospect of repeating it all!
  • i will be posting a thread this weekend on growing corn
    since there is such limited information on grow it in uk. 
     the detail need for thread has taken a lot of time with
    my other priorities.  graphics are important in in explaining
     how to grow corn. 
  • REMF33  try posting a diagram of you planting area it would easier to understand

  • DogmumDogmum Posts: 96
    This is the area I’m working with.  It’s nicely open but not exposed and south facing.  For scale the beds cover in weed fabric are 1m x 2m and the frame of the poly tunnel is 3m long by 2m wide.  I dug the two beds originally and the when I got the poly tunnel decided it would probably fit best there, so I’ll just dig some more beds.

    Tomorrow is another day
  • DogmumDogmum Posts: 96
    @REMF33 a picture or diagram of your plot would certainly help.
    Tomorrow is another day
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