Self-sufficient vegetable growing...

[Amp34]

As others have mentioned, space is going to be your biggest issue. You’ll need a fair amount to get anywhere near self sufficiency even in summer. I put in a a few raised beds a couple of years ago and it's just enough for a start. Last year I added a 10x12' raised bed which now has a few raspberry canes a a row of Strawberries, so i'm looking forward to some home grown fruit again. I'll be adding more strawberries this year as IMO you need at least 20 plants to make them worthwhile. I'm thinking of adding another 10x8' bed for veg as well. 30m2 should be enough hopefully!

I used to grow a lot of stuff when I was younger, but started again a couple of summers ago when I moved over here. It’s a different challenge - no slugs (too dry), but a growing season of <100 days (last frost at the end of May, first beginning/mid Sept), ground frozen solid until mid April, large tomato (and car) destroying hail storms in July/August and snow, well, any time..

Lettuce/salad leaves, Russian kale, carrots/Beetroot and peas are easy to grow and don’t take much space (carrots will need good soft ground though) and can work well tiered and layered together as they use different parts of the soil/bed. I prefer salad leaves rather than whole lettuce (Cos, romaine, etc are good) as you can just pick leaves off the plants rather than pull them. I plant one 4 ft row at the beginning of the season, then one a couple of months after, giving enough leaves for the whole summer for two people. Pull them when they start to bolt.

The other main thing I have been planting is tomatoes. I usually put in around 12 plants, although the growing season makes it interesting. I ended up with about 10kg of unripened tomatoes and hardly any ripe ones last year due to an early snowfall.

With the additional space I've got Courgette, Pumpkin and lots more Carrots/Beetroot I'm hoping to grow this year. Also hoping the Apple I planted a couple of years ago, and the Cherry that went in last year, along with Blueberries, Honeyberries and Saskatoons give me a bit more fruit this year - they're all still small/getting established so not much yet. I have a self pollinating kiwi as well, which I'm hoping will develop into something nice.

 

[PlacidCasual]

Have you considered a polytunnel to extend your growing season, with toms in tunnels I tend to pull all the leaves off a week or two before I want them to stop and pinch out the buds as they come to force the ripening. Green toms also can be made into pretty good chutney if you like that kind of thing.

 

[Amp34]

Have you considered a polytunnel to extend your growing season, with toms in tunnels I tend to pull all the leaves off a week or two before I want them to stop and pinch out the buds as they come to force the ripening. Green toms also can be made into pretty good chutney if you like that kind of thing.

I built myself a double skinned tunnel/frame for one of the raised beds last year. I had them wrapped up in insulation with Christmas lights to give them some warmth some nights, but pulled everything by mid September as we had 15” of snow. It’s not normally that bad, and the tomatoes ripened much later than usual last year.

Most of them ripened indoors and the rest we used in salsa/soup etc so they didn’t go to waste. Tempted to buy a proper greenhouse at some point, but they aren’t cheap...

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Fruit is an interesting one, its not very good space vs produce typically. The yield can be ok, but the fact its dormant for 9-10 months where as if you do veg you can be cycling the area 3 or 4 times in 12 months is why if your space limited you need to avoid too much fruit, As nice as it is to grow it.

 

[Amp34]

It really depends what you grow. Stuff like fruit trees and bushes (blueberries and honeyberries) can be planted in normal borders as they enhance the garden. Raspberries and strawberries I agree with you, but at the same time they are arguably better to grow yourself than basic veg.

 

[gort]

Moved house last year and our new garden is much bigger. Plenty of space to grow things but not rushing in as my experience is just some strawberries and a runner bean wigwam (which was massively successful and was overrun with beans.) However the next year all the plants failed and were decimated by slugs over a few days before I realised.
Going to stick with a few large patio pots and hanging baskets this year for courgettes and hanging cherry tomatoes along with the runner beans on canes along a border.
There were already established rhubarb plants in the garden and got a few pounds of stalks last year. Dead easy to look after and tucked away in a corner.
Picked up a couple of compost bins on offer so will be filling them up for use many months down the line.
Will save raised beds for next year once we decide how we want the garden layout to be.

 

[dpbadger]

I had a call the other day saying would i still want an allotment. I put my name on the list ten years ago! I've moved house, had 3 different jobs but definitely a yes, I've actually moved closer. I am abit worried I dont have lots of time but the space I have been offered is only part of a plot but once I am in, if another one becomes available I can have first refusal.

I now have to think what I want to plant. I am thinking of courgettes, Broccoli, Beans of some kind, Garlic, Chillis, Shallots, then some fruit bushes blueberries, Gooseberries. How easy are these to grow? I have a little experience with tomatoes and chillies.

 

[bloodiedathame]

I had a call the other day saying would i still want an allotment. I put my name on the list ten years ago! I've moved house, had 3 different jobs but definitely a yes, I've actually moved closer. I am abit worried I dont have lots of time but the space I have been offered is only part of a plot but once I am in, if another one becomes available I can have first refusal.

I now have to think what I want to plant. I am thinking of courgettes, Broccoli, Beans of some kind, Garlic, Chillis, Shallots, then some fruit bushes blueberries, Gooseberries. How easy are these to grow? I have a little experience with tomatoes and chillies.

Tomatoes and chilli's grow better in greenhouses. I have had tomatoes grow outdoors but never chilli's.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

courgettes yes, cover the ground underneath them, helps fight mildew. You need to water them frequently and visit regularly
beans i would do runner and french, both heavy croppers
brocolli I cant help with, always seem to have an issue with brassicas and butterflys
garlic simple, buy a couple from supermarket, plant them pointy end up, about 1-2 inches deep. Now is a good time to plant

If your a bit restricted on space have a real think about fruit, its poor yield to space

Chilis do grow fine outside, but you need to grow the ones that ripen quickly and avoid the hots

Onions are worth growing (wilko sets are a bargain for what you get)

parsnips, potatoes stuff like that is also good

Oh and peas, well worth it, slugs favourite, but omg they are great straight off the plant

 

[ShotInTheAss86]

Brexit doom day prepper?

All the American nutjobs grow algae for zombie apocalypse prep.

raises questions on how good algae is against zombies

 

[dpbadger]

Cool thanks, I will have a think on the options.

 

[darael]

Onions are worth growing (wilko sets are a bargain for what you get)

This might sound like an awfully naive question, but how many onions do you get per set - I am guessing one?

I have recent started some sets off indoors in a cool room to help harden then. After about two weeks I will plant the ones that have shot outside.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

This might sound like an awfully naive question, but how many onions do you get per set - I am guessing one?

I have recent started some sets off indoors in a cool room to help harden then. After about two weeks I will plant the ones that have shot outside.

Yeah one sets are just baby onions, they are grown from seed then pulled and sent to dormancy.

I just pop mine in the ground, about knuckle deep, by the time they break surface they are hardy enough

 

[Blackjack Davy]

I now have to think what I want to plant. I am thinking of courgettes, Broccoli, Beans of some kind, Garlic, Chillis, Shallots, then some fruit bushes blueberries, Gooseberries. How easy are these to grow? I have a little experience with tomatoes and chillies.

Courgettes need a warm spot and plenty of water during the summer. Garlic is easy to grow shallots too just need decent soil and not overshadowed. Blueberries acid soil gooseberries and currants are easy to grow in reasonable soil. Toms can be grown outside but you'll need to start them off under glass and plant an outdoor variety and require warm soil and a sheltered spot if its a wet summer don't expect too much. Much more reliable under glass and they won't get blight. Chillies best grown on the windowsill or under glass. Runner beans need good soil and plenty of water french beans climbing or otherwise are tender and need a good summer and a warm spot to get decent results. Last summer was a good one got mountains of runner beans and a decent number of climbing french but loads of watering.

 

[200sols]

This cold spell could be catching a few keen veg growers out.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Wilko have their onion sets in at the mo. Silly cheap , and very good.

 

[Amp34]

Just planted some stuff outdoors myself. Carrots, beetroot, parsnip, peas, lettuce and kale so far. The snow is almost gone and the raised beds are defrosted so...!

Got the tomatoes stared a few weeks ago indoors and a few other things are sprouting in pots too ready for planting out mid May/June.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Got garlic and pots growing now.
Yesterday I planted 3 types of spring onion, wasabi rocket, land cress (like watercress but without the water), 2 types of lettuce, 2 types of radish. All these in the poly

Will get the onion sets in this week.

Allotment is a bit of a mess, lots of weeds, but need to sort a few maintenance type jobs before I get too heavily into planting.
Sorting all my seeds this week for inside started, toms, chilies etc. This is when the fight begins about "all your bloody seeds and plants on the windowsills and taking over the spare room" I switch off

 

[#Chri5#]

Sorting all my seeds this week for inside started, toms, chilies etc. This is when the fight begins about "all your bloody seeds and plants on the windowsills and taking over the spare room" I switch off

Sounds familiar - I've run out of space on the kitchen windowsill and have now taken over the sill in the downstairs shower room with tom's, chillies and courgettes. Thankfully Mrs Chris doesn't mind though.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Im going to be a little less protective this year and start transferrning to the allotment once things are up and a week or so old.
Just need to keep fingers crossed for no super cold weather. Benefit is they get way more sun so once they start growing the grow a lot quicker.

Need to think about background heating for the poly. Was supposed to have been a winter project. next year ...