planting calendar

[g4ghb]

We are aiming to plant lots more veg this year. Does anyone have a good planting calendar that we could follow? we are pretty new to the gardening game so any help would be welcomed.

Our primary aim is to eat more than the bugs this year we'll see........

 

[Shewie]

Delias Kitchen Garden book is good. We bought it a few years back and it's been really useful.

£16 on Amazon but the Beeb do it for less than a tenner ..
http://www.bbcshop.com/Food/Delias-Kitchen-Garden/invt/9780563493730?source=112_4

 

[Mesquite]

Get yourself some of the Dr DG Hessayon vegetable books. Excellent info and well laid out

 

[g4ghb]

Thanks for the heads up guys - another excuse for more books!

do either of them have a 'January sow X, plant out y. February sow z etc.......' type listing as that is what we are looking for.

I know we could work it out from the packets but if there is a pre done one that would help

 

[gregorach]

The Garden Organic website has quite a good section on what to do in your garden this month. You can get the archive for the full year here.

Mind you, it makes a big difference where you are and what the weather's like... In Wiltshire you'll probably be OK, up here we usually need to push everything back a few weeks.

 

[g4ghb]

Excellent Dunc - that's just the type of thing we were looking for, Thanks!

 

[Bushwhacker]

The missus got me a handy thing for Christmas, I call it the wheel of fortune.
Basically a card wheel that when you turn to the type of veg you want, it tells you what you need to know - sowing tips, spacings, type of soil, which month to plant/harvest. Really useful and only a couple of quid.

 

[shaggystu]

the new self sufficiency handbook by john seymour, obviously an absolute classic for many reasons, has a really good year planner section with sowing/transplanting/harvesting times, etc. even better is "food from your garden" from the readers digest, oldish book ('78iirc) so a little out of date with some things but really valuable information, pretty much anything you could want to grow has its own section with information from growing season to recipe suggestions, there's also a really good section on common pests. If you PM me your address i'll do you a copy of the year planner from john seymours book.

stuart

 

[FGYT]

Charles Dowding his No dig book is great for all sorts of info even if you still dig etc
http://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/

he also does good courses and its an interesting day
good system of bringing on seelings and planting out etc

hes not far up by Wincanton

 

[Man of Tanith]

I'd second the recommendation for The Complete Guide to Self Sufficency by John Seymour. or the Self Sufficient Gardener by the same author. in fact the gardener one is probably more useful if you dont want to learn a range of other skills than veg growing.
i used it when i had a HUGE garden in the back of my last house and we had a great yeild of veg throughout the time we were gardening.
however it does mainly deal with the more traditional fruit and veg so if you want something more exotic it might not be the best option
Sam

 

[spiritwalker]

ive been growing veg for 8 years (would have been longer except i had no garden as a lad) i bought many books and to be honest your best just A.) picking veg you actually eat and more importantly ones that a expensive to buy(relatively speaking) if space is limited do not bother with staples such as taters and onions you will not grow enough to what you use... B.) dont bother with the books they cost money and are very repetitive you more or less answered your own question the best plans are on your seed packs they have all the info you need on them and come with the cost just put the chart into a spreasheet or something if you need it. After a few years youll just know when to plant what from experience and relate it to your own geographical position in relation to frosts etc..

 

[g4ghb]

Of course! - Seymour!!! - i'd completely forgotten about that....... i'll dig it out when I get home

also will check out the 'no dig' man - I like the sound of that!

 

[FGYT]

on bugs ns stuff ive had good sucsess with using copper to stop Slugs tho i know pople who say it dosnt work

i gro a fair bit in containers and big planters so build in large water storage auto watering if i can as i never remeber to water every day


The patio

the raised Bed

Salad bar

French Bean spire has a 20ltr resivoir and capilery water system in the bottom can go over 1 week in hot summer

more tubs

ATB

Duncan

 

[gregorach]

also will check out the 'no dig' man - I like the sound of that!

Yeah, Charles Dowding's book is well worth a look. It's my main reference, although you do have to remember that his timings are based on conditions in Devon.

 

[dave k]

I think they say that the weather advances about one week for every 100 miles north you go? so if you have a book from Devon that says plant in week 8 and you live in Manchester, plant in week 12.

 

[g4ghb]

I like your auto watering devices esp the bean pole Duncan. Is the pole home made and are the bottles just simply inverted or do they have something cunning on the bottom?

we used a few pots last year but this would make life even easier

 

[FGYT]

I like your auto watering devices esp the bean pole Duncan. Is the pole home made and are the bottles just simply inverted or do they have something cunning on the bottom?

we used a few pots last year but this would make life even easier

teh bottles have drip spikes which are cheap t oget from most places tho i think you can just loosen or spike teh cap of teh lemonade bottles some work with the bottoms cut off i use these for hanging baskests to save wasting most ofteh water (put a pot underneath with another plant to catch the over flow)

teh bean pole i did make afer seeing a few similer they are easy to do and cheap
this one used a big paint pot

and some plastic tubes which you fill with compost or cappilery matt etc

the filler is the brass tankard which i fitted the center pole (tube) thru

ATB

Duncan

 

[g4ghb]

cool - will be making a couple of them for sure - thanks mate!

 

[stooboy]

stumbled accross this, may be of intrest?

This year we want to encourage individuals and companies to take up the growing mantle, because we believe gardening and growing makes happier and healthier people.

Make your pledge today and we'll send you a free starter pack

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Grow-Your-Own/Pledge-form

 

[g4ghb]

Thanks Stooboy, I've just signed up - worth a punt I thought