Gardening For This Beginner

May is nearly, though not quite half way through, but we still have frosts, and had one last night. I have started off some seedlings and my gardening year starts here. I'm starting late, but at least I'm starting ! I was given a very pretty journal for valentines day by my husband and I'm recording all things gardening in it. So far that's included a weather report since the beginning of May. It also contains my plan for the garden so that I have a crop rotation record for the future. I grew things in the beds last year - my first year of veg growing - but I didn't understand the crop rotation thing then, and my soil was brand new, so vegetable growing seriously starts this year, here and now. I have 4 beds and will allocate one each for

1. onions and greens ( salads )






2. roots






3. legumes (peas and beans )






4. brassica's ( most important for cancer fighting properties )

I will also have pots of edible flowers for my salads - I've already had some violets which I sprinkled over an avocado salad and they looked delightful. I was really pleased with myself. Unfortunately the weather had turned cold and they lost a lot of their scent by the time thought about using them and picked them.

On Bank Holiday Monday I finally got my act together and started seeds off in pots and trays. The following is what I planted :-

Tray 1

1. Kale - Scarlet, Dwarf Green Curled, and Nero de Toscana



2. Kohl Rabi



3. Turnip

Tray 2

1. Swiss Chard



2. Swede



3. Sprouting Broccoli



4. Nasturtium

Tray 3

1. Peppers - sweet, and hot



2. Leeks

Tray 4

1. Tomato - Moneymaker

Tray 5

1. Peas - Mangetout

Tray 6

1. Peas - Hurst Green Shaft ( Sugar snap ) and Kelvedon

Tray 7

1. Broad Beans



2. Dwarf Beans

Tray 8

1. Beetroot

Tray 9

1. Sunflower seeds for micro-greens

Trays 10, 11, and 12

1. Peas - as before

A tray of broad beans in pots.

So far some have come up, but not others. I'm putting them out in the greenhouse - a tiny plastic and tin thing - during the day and bringing them into the shed at night. I can't wait till they're ready to stay out all the time and be put in the ground. My beds are looking empty at the moment, but that won't last long I hope.