Yesterday I finally managed to decide on a sowing/planting schedule for the vegetables in the garden.  I also agreed with the OH on Saturday that it would be a good idea to cut off the bottom of the garden with some fencing and a gate to separate the vegetable plot from the rest of the garden and in time we can also get a greenhouse and shed built down there; I wasn’t so sure that he would be happy about me taking a large part of the garden for veg but he seemed more than up for it!

A “before” picture of the garden. This is exactly as it looked when we moved in at the end of December, as yet I haven’t touched it. The red line is where I plan the have the vegetable garden, the grey area where the greenhouse will eventually go and the brown bits are where the veg beds will be.I plan to garden organically (as I have always done in the past) so know full well that I may have a good few problems this year until the garden is up and running properly, and I will be using a three bed rotation with one permanent bed. Bed sowing as follows (yet to determine varieties and buy them – that is the next task):

Bed 1 Year 1

• Potatoes – plant out now to May
• Carrots – sow every three weeks from April
• Beetroot – sow every three weeks from now
• Parsnip – sow out now/April
• Onions – plant out now/April; Japanese onions Aug/Sep
• Shallots – plan out now
• Leek – sow in now, out Apr/May
• Garlic – plant out now
• Courgettes – sow in Apr/May

Bed 2 Year 1

• Peas – sow in now, out Apr
• French beans – sow in now, out Apr
• Broad beans – sow out Mar/Apr
• Sweetcorn – sow in/out Apr
• Spinach – sow monthly Apr
• Swiss chard – sow out Apr
• Lettuce – sow every 2/3 weeks outside April onwards

Bed 3 Year 1

• Cabbage – sow out Apr/May  (check types)
• Brussel sprouts – sow out now/Apr
• Cauliflower – sow out Apr (check types)
• Broccoli – sow out May
• Swede – sow out May/Jun
• Turnip – sow out Apr/May

Permanent Bed

• Rhubarb – plant out crowns now, need 2 or 3 plants
• Asparagus – plant out crowns April, need sandy soil so need to refine my clay soil!!
• Herbs – [need to update]
• Strawberries – [need to update]