Wheels Garden July 2018

[wheels]

Some pics of my small garden.

The veg is grown using the Square Foot Gardening principle.

[DanMcG]

Wow Phil, that's a great looking outdoor space!
That root in the last pic, kohlrabi?

[NCPaul]

Brilliant!

I have a number of questions but I'll spread them out for you. When you planted the kohlrabi did you have a special way of preparing it in mind? Are you still scouting what grows well for you?

[wheels]

Yes, it's Kohlrabi. We use it in casseroles mainly, but I came across a recipe recently that uses it in a vegetarian carpaccio.

I grow a bit of everything Paul with the exception of onions and potatoes (other than a few earlies in pots and spring onions/scallions and button onions. I don't grow aubergine or celery either.

Main crops are cabbage, broccoli, red cabbage, mangetout peas, french/climbing beans, runner beans, broad/fava beans, pak choi and komatsuna, lettuce and other salads - rocket, mizuna etc, summer and winter radish, beetroot, tomatoes, herbs, carrots, summer and winter turnips and courgettes (in the front garden).

I have 100 x 1 ft squares and harvest about 125 lbs of crops, plus 40 or 50 items like cabbages, cucumbers and lettuce to a value of £250 at cheapest supermarket prices.

It'll never pay for what we spent making the beds, but that wasn't the intention. The food tastes so much better than shop bought.

I'm still growing lots of different varieties of each veg to see which ones do best in this system - the most productive are generally the taller things - with peas, a taller variety can make a massive difference to the amount cropped...

...but ultimately, I grow the best tasting.

Phil

[NCPaul]

What do the green fabric cages do? Do they keep young plants from getting scorched? How surprised are visitors when they see your garden for the first time?

[wheels]

Most of the beds are caged in one form or another. One reason is that I have a beautiful but mental blackbird that empties the top layer of soil off any uncovered bed. The cabbages have butterfly netting to stop them laying caterpillar eggs, and the leeks get devastated by allium leaf miner if they're not covered with the (green) very fine mesh. It's a real nuisance, but a case of: "Net it or forget it!"

Given the awful state of our front garden, the back garden comes as quite a surprise to most people. They're also surprised at how much can be grown in a small space, as are people in general. If I only had a pound/dollar for the number of people that tell me that their (larger) garden is not big enough to grow veg in...

Phil

[NCPaul]

I'm in complete agreement regards how much can be grown in a small space. I may look into a cover for my parsley as there is a caterpillar here that strips as least one plant every summer. Janet was impressed that you created an outdoor living space. In the middle of the first photo in looks like you have a mini greenhouse for seedlings, is that right?

[wheels]

Not yet, at the moment it's two planters, one above the other, the top one has some fleece over it to stop Mr Blackbird.

I have the polycarb to make a greenhouse 'cupboard' that will replace the planters, but have yet to make it.

Phil

[NCPaul]

What type of tomatoes are you growing? Are you going to plant garlic this fall?

[wheels]

I'm not growing garlic or onions Paul. Unlike Spring cabbage and other overwintering crops, they don't clear the ground in time for me to get crops in next Spring and then a follow on crop in Summer/Autumn.

I have a number of varieties of Toms:

Ailsa Craig and Gardener's delight - old varieties I can rely on.

Ferline - a blight resistant variety with med/large fruits.

Sweet Million - the recommendation of 2* Michelin chef Raymond Blanc - he also has a gardening school - https://www.raymondblanc.com/experience ... ng-school/

Crimson Crush and Crimson Cherry - new varieties said to be virtually 100% blight proof, but also with great taste.

Rainbow Blend - a mix of Katiebell, Lizziebell, Luciebell and Flamingo - I bought the pack as it was reduced price (50p) and just wanted the yellow variety Katiebell. However, my supposition that they would be in four separate packs was incorrect, so I don't know what I'll get other than that they'll be plum types.

Tigerella - a striped one. Only grown as it's meant to be earlier than the others.

All the above are cordons, the only bush one I'm growing is Amateur - it's known for cropping when others fail!

I have 20 plants in total, so yes, a lot of seed that will either be sown next year or go to waste.

Obviously, indeterminate (cordons) suit Square Foot Gardening far better than determinate (bush). They're fine at 1 per sq ft.

I'll post some pics of the trusses at present as I'll be removing some of the foliage in the next couple of days.

Phil

[NCPaul]

Twenty plants make a lot of tomatoes, do you can them or make a lot of people happy?

[wheels]

It will be rather a lot, assuming the dreaded blight doesn't get them. I'll find something to do with them no doubt. Friends and family will get some and I'll put up a load of puree/passata.

Here's some of the fruit:

[NCPaul]

Are the tomatoes coming in now? I just planted turnips are radishes for a fall crop.

[wheels]

Yes, we've picked a couple of kilos so far. The bulk are yet to ripen. The two courgettes that I planted on the front of the house have now produced over 15kg. Courgette chutney anyone?

I've also planted some winter radish and turnip. Pak choi is best this time of year also.

Phil

[NCPaul]

I'll look for some Pak choi! I last grew it maybe 5 years ago and it did well. Thanks for the suggestion.