It will be interesting if you cover different sizes of planting area - full allotment plot (10 poles is traditional, about the size of a tennis court), half and quarter plots, small raised beds, a patio with space for a few containers, etc.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Agree with @Dovefromabove that instinct does come into the equation too. You get to know what works well in your particular patch and what is a waste of time. When you say a good plan includes succession cropping and a diagram, that is fair enough but before that you need the space and the climate surely ? A book is fine and can be extremely helpful but the basics have to be in place first for growers to make use of it. A bit puzzled at exactly who your intended book is aimed at ? Experienced growers or amateurs? A certain area or anywhere in the world ? Are you trying to encourage a new generation to consider growing veg on a sustainable basis or just for home consumption ? Perhaps it is just me but without any real info I am finding it difficult to work out exactly what you are trying to achieve
I too am puzzled by the target audience. Experienced gardeners by dint of their experience are unlikely to want much more advice if they’re content with their current practices while inexperienced gardeners will not want a 500 page text book which will overwhelm them. I sincerely hope that the OP is not putting great effort into something that does not come to fruition. Fingers crossed my gloomy thoughts are not valid.
It will be interesting if you cover different sizes of planting area - full allotment plot (10 poles is traditional, about the size of a tennis court), half and quarter plots, small raised beds, a patio with space for a few containers, etc.
it will useful to a large variety of plot sizes.
philippasmith2 what i am trying to achieve is book that is useful is planning guide that is useful to an amateur as well small scale farm. I shown the charts and diagrams to people in both groups. they found them to very useful and easy understand. the planning info will be useful independent of any one geographic area.
Are you trying to encourage a new generation to consider growing veg on a sustainable basis or just for home consumption ?
the book is not about that type philosophy;that where many garden books go wrong.
I think planning only really becomes important once you get over a certain size, the exact size probably varies. I never planned when I was growing in the back yard of a terrace but now when the space I have is for all intents unlimited I do and I have to.
You cannot plan effectively without information, and you really won't remember exactly when you sowed that second row of carrots, or exactly how much fertiliser/compost you put on them unless you write it down, so my biggest tip for planning.. is recording!
I plan when each seed needs to be sown, down to the date, of course maybe I am busy or away or the weather doesn't agree, so I make a note of the actual sowing date as well.
I plan where everything will go using my records of where it has been.
And I plan how much of everything I want, I do this by working backwards, say I want 20kg of summer leeks on the 20th Spetember.. then I can work out how many I need to sow, when they need to be sown and how much space they will take up.
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When you say a good plan includes succession cropping and a diagram, that is fair enough but before that you need the space and the climate surely ?
A book is fine and can be extremely helpful but the basics have to be in place first for growers to make use of it.
A bit puzzled at exactly who your intended book is aimed at ? Experienced growers or amateurs? A certain area or anywhere in the world ? Are you trying to encourage a new generation to consider growing veg on a sustainable basis or just for home consumption ?
Perhaps it is just me but without any real info I am finding it difficult to work out exactly what you are trying to achieve
I’m tempted to start a thread … ‘Is gardening an art or a science? Discuss’
… but I think most would agree that it’s both 😊
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
philippasmith2
what i am trying to achieve is book that is useful
is planning guide that is useful to an amateur as
well small scale farm. I shown the charts and
diagrams to people in both groups. they found
them to very useful and easy understand. the
planning info will be useful independent of any
one geographic area.
the book is not about that type philosophy;that where many garden books go wrong.