war garden 572 said: there is also a lot of contradictory info.
You're writing your book (and I wish you every success) which by the sound of it will be contradicting some other books and the techniques therein. Won't you just be adding to list of contradictory books?
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Once you have decided what you like to eat ( fresh or preserved ) or what is available to buy at a reasonable cost. I'd go for the following :- Space Climate Finance Access to a good growing medium ( home made or from a reliable source ) and whether in the ground or in containers. Access or not to a protected growing area - eg a GH or Polytunnel Maintenance time. Physical effort needed according to age/disabilities.
No doubt more things to consider but more or less as @Obelixx describes. Things have changed drastically since the 1950's and Planning ( for the future, for your children, for the world as a whole ?? ) is vital but it does require common sense and an acceptance of how things are today and what is feasible for you personally.
It might be an idea for you to think about who your intended readership might be. Those gardeners who grow vegetables (and there are a great many who only grow ornamentals) will vary from those growing a few herbs to really serious veg. growers with a large garden and/or an allotment. But you may be thinking much more academically and hoping for a serious reference book that you hope would become the definitive authority on growing vegetables. It would be good to know where you sit on this.
“ actually it is not common sense it takes a lot reading”
Actually it is. I probably spend little more than 10 minutes a year thinking which vegetables I want to grow and how to grow them. I’m happy with that and don’t believe my vegetable growing suffers from a cursory approach sitting upon a slice of past practice.
When I had my allotment I received a great deal of contradictory advice from the older gentlemen but still managed to enjoy growing vegetables. I think it’s a lot like cooking you find someone you like and whose advice you trust and follow them. Too much planning and strict rules take all the fun out of it and I think most of us on here garden for enjoyment.
For me planning means thinking about timings, when do I sow xyz, when do I harvest xyz. In my earlier veg growing days I would often have either too many or too few crops ready at once, now I do more succession growing. I also need to plan when will space be freed up for more planting as I often clear a crop and don’t have anything ready to go in that space.
When you’ve been gardening all your life I find that a degree of ‘instinct’ takes over … there’s a natural response to the weather and the seasons … the ‘planning’ was done years ago and just forms the scaffold for what happens now.
It’s not that I don’t make changes or grow new things in new ways … I do … but the planning is ‘second nature to me now … like breathing out and breathing in’ 🎶 😉
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
It's a great project that you've embarked on and you'll learn a great deal no doubt which can only be a good thing. The most difficult part is imparting that knowledge into a readable book. I sincerely wish you the best of luck with it
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Posts
You're writing your book (and I wish you every success) which by the sound of it will be contradicting some other books and the techniques therein.
Won't you just be adding to list of contradictory books?
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Space
Climate
Finance
Access to a good growing medium ( home made or from a reliable source ) and whether in the ground or in containers.
Access or not to a protected growing area - eg a GH or Polytunnel
Maintenance time.
Physical effort needed according to age/disabilities.
No doubt more things to consider but more or less as @Obelixx describes.
Things have changed drastically since the 1950's and Planning ( for the future, for your children, for the world as a whole ?? ) is vital but it does require common sense and an acceptance of how things are today and what is feasible for you personally.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
clarification not contradiction.
the vegetable garden competition thread has several examples
in the diagrams that require understanding before you can
solve it.
My personal ideas on a good plan include
succession cropping plan and a clearly drawn
and annotated diagram of the planting area.
It's a great project that you've embarked on and you'll learn a great deal no doubt which can only be a good thing.
The most difficult part is imparting that knowledge into a readable book.
I sincerely wish you the best of luck with it
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.