Happy New Year and Master Plot Plan for 2009

Happy New Year to everyone!

I like the festive period off work because I always have enough time to sit down and plan what vegetables I’m going to grow in the next year and actually purchase the seeds online. I also can plough through the seed company catalogues and try and choose the best varieties for my vegetable plot.

I have also been looking at my plot and areas to improve on. I have reviewed the on/off haphazard cloche system of enviromesh held up with bamboo canes and then last year I tried to upgrade it to build-a-ball to make a cube cloche over the beds but that was a disaster as well. So this year I’m hoping for third time lucky and decided to do a ‘Geoff Hamilton’ special cloche and build it myself from 2 x 2 timber, water pipe and enviromesh covering, so watch this space for news of that project coming soon. To wet your appetite for this project, here’s a garden blogger who has already had ago at this method.

My New Years Resolutions for my vegetable plot are:

1. Buy a cheap compost bin.

I have been growing veg for 2 years now and in that time I keep thinking I could have a good supply of lovely homemade compost out of my garden and kitchen waste, so this year I’m actually going to do something useful with this waste!

2. Buy a water tank/butt.

Again for the last couple of years, I have seen hundreds of litres of rainwater pour off our workshop roof and make muddy puddles on our pathway for me to try and avoid them when maintaining my plot. This year we are going to put up guttering and a downpipe to fill up the water tank so I can water the garden and vegetable plots and not waste our money from using tap water from the water meter.

3. Remember to add Nemotodes to the plot in March before the new ground slugs hatch for the season and they eat my veg.
4. Come to terms with the fact that I cannot grow lettuce in my plots (because of the slugs) and grow it in planters instead.
5. Grow a new vegetable that I have never tasted before – this year it will be Kohl Rabi and Sweet Fennel.

Here’s my Seed List of what I’m going to grow this year:-
Plot 1

• French Climbing Bean – Cobra. Sow April – June, Harvest June to Aug,
• Runner Beans – Scarlet Emperor. Sow April / May, Harvest July – Sept,
• Runner Beans – White Embargo. Sow April / May, Harvest July – Sept,
• Pea – Cavalier. Sow Apr – July, Harvest June – Sept,

Plot 2

• Carrot – Nantes 2. Sow Feb – June, Harvest June – Oct,
• Carrot – Napoli F1. Sow Feb – June, Harvest June – Oct,
• Carrot – Chantenay. Sow March – June, Sow June – Oct,
• Carrot – Flakkee. Sow April – July, Harvest May – Oct,
• Carrot – Eskimo. Sow April – June, Harvest Nov – Jan,
• Swede – Helenor. Sow April – June, Harvest Oct to Feb,
• Fennel – Romanesco. Sow May – July, Harvest June – Nov,
• Kohl Rabi – Olivia. Sow April – June, Harvest June – Sept,

Plot 3

• Perpetutal Spinach – Leaf Beat. Sow April – July, Harvest July – Dec,
• Broccoli – Veronica F1. Sow April / May, Harvest July – Sept,
• Kale – Cavolo Nero. Sow April – May, Harvest Sept – Jan,
• Kale – Dwarf Green Curled. Sow April – May, Harvest Nov to April,
• Cabbage – Minicole F1. Sow March – April, Harvest Aug – Oct,
• Cabbage – Christmas Drumhead. Sow May – June, Harvest Oct – Dec,
• Cabbage – Vertus Savoy. Sow May – June, Harvest Dec – Feb,
• Spring Greens – Greensleeves. Sow July – Aug, Harvest Oct – April,
• Pak Choi – Canton Dwarf. Sow June – August, Harvest Oct – Nov,

Seeds to be sown in Planters/Pots

• Salad Leaves – Baby Leaf Salad Mix, Sow March – Sept, Harvest May – Nov,
• Salad Leaves – Finest Salad Mix. Sow March – Sept, Harvest May – Nov,
• Salad Leaves – Salad Bowl. Sow March – Sept, Harvest May – Nov,
• Leek – Siegfried (Giant). Sow March – April, Harvest Oct – March,
• Leek – Pandora. Sow March – April, Harvest Sept – Jan,
• Radish – Scarlet Globe. Sow March- June, Harvest June- Aug,
• Mange Tout – Ezethas Krombek Blauwschok, Sow March – April, H. June – Aug,
• Dwarf Beans – Tendergreen. Sow April / May, Harvest June – Oct,
• Dwarf Beans – Major yellow. Sow April / May, Harvest June – Oct.
• Potato – 2 Types – To Be Decided.

Please click on the below PDF documents to view my Plot Plans for 2009 (they can also be found on my Master Plan Page):

Plot 1 – Beans & Peas,
Plot 2 – Roots and Onions,
Plot 3 – Brassicas.

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This post has now moved to my new site iGrowVeg.com.
Please view the new post on the link below:

• Happy New Year and Master Plot Plan for 2009