Progress- starting from scratch

[rhubarbontoast]

I have been busy over the past couple of months preparing my garden for a vegetable assault come spring. It's a new thing for me- and the garden. I'm lucky in that my back garden is 150 foot long by about 25 wide, all lawn. It is completely plant free! The top fifty feet has been set aside for veg and I am planting up fruit bushes around the edges of the garden. Progress so far: three vegetable beds, 18 foot by 4 foot, two foot between, two heavily mulched with seaweed, third awaiting. Space for three more when the weather allows for digging and seaweed collection.

Planted so far: four of redcurrant, blackcurrant, blackberry and raspberry. One whitecurrant, one gooseberry. Two blueberry in. More bushes on the way- dozen more raspberry canes, three blue berries.. An apple, a pear and a cherry planted. More trees due soon- couple of apples (and a crab apple), one more pear and a plum tree coming. Three rhubarb in, two more coming.

I have been composting merrily in a ramshackle pallet job but have just bought two marvelous plastic compost bins for a fiver each from the local council, bargain. Should be a much tidier and more effective job.

Also been out raking the leaves and bagging them up for leaf mould. I have half a dozen sacks collected and may nip into my neighbour's garden and get his too.

Have I over done it? I think I might have on the plant front... Now perusing the veg seed catalogs.

Right- a question and I know, I know, I read the article and I should have done it by now but is it too late to put garlic in? I'm in Northern Ireland near the coast so the weather isn't too cold (but wet and windy at the minute).

Any comments- be harsh or fulsome in your criticism or praise!

[Alice]

Hello Rhubarb, I don't know what size of family you're carering for, but you should have plenty of soft fruit to let you make all your own jam and sauces.
Yes, I would go and get the neighbours leaves if they don't mind. A big bag shrinks down into quite a small bag of leaf mould.
Do let us know what you are planting for vegetables. I don't think you are too plant garlic. I planted mine in November (bought in the supermarket from a scottish grower in Nairn I think the really garlicky co - they're on the net). They're all up about an inch. I'm sure you'll be fine if you plant now. You can plant in the spring but they do benefit from the longer growing season. Happy gardening and keep us posted. Post piccies if you can.

[Mrs Dobby]

Hi RhubarbOnToast,

It definitely sounds as though you've been busy, the plans and progress so far sound great, and it must be lovely to have such a large garden!

It sounds like you are definitely going to be well provided with soft fruits, though I notice there's no strawberries, if this is something you are planning on having in the garden, then now (whilst they are dormant) is a good time to plant them, but if you arent bothering with them then I'd not worry! With the planting of fruit plants and trees preparation is all important to ensure they thrive in their new homes and give you good crops, so incorporating plenty of organic matter and thoroughly clearing weed roots from where they are to be planted is essential, tho it sounds as though you may already know this and have done so, apologies if I'm stating the obvious!

Dont forget that for the first year or two you may not get full crops from your trees and fruit plants, but with the planting you already have and the plants still to be delivered you should still get plenty! Then wait a year or two and you'll have plenty of excess to give away or to use in homebrewing!

It reminds me of my childhood, my folks had a 1/2 acre of garden, including a large veg patch and a small orchard, nothing better than just popping down there to pick some apples or fruit to eat when hungry, or to help my Dad harvest some veg for sunday lunch and help my Mum to cook it!


As to leaf mould, I'd second Alice's great advice, and if the neighbours dont mind (or think you must be mad! ) then get as much as you can, its always useful for mulching up between your veg!

Traditionally Galric was planted on the shortest day of the year (21st or 22nd December) and harvested on the longest, and although many folks advocate planting it earlier (October or November), I wouldnt have thought given your location and current weather that it would be too much of a problem! If it does grow, then you have the advantage of it having a longer growing season and the chance of a bigger crop, if it doesnt, then just plant some more in spring! We've 3 bulbs planted up at the moment (total of 47 individual cloves) which are doing well, but I think we are also going to plant some more come spring, as I luv my Garlic!

Anyhows, please keep us posted on how you get on, and some piccies would be lovely!

[kirsty b]

It sounds as though you have been working very hard. Not only is it going to be productive, but beautiful too, I'm thinking the cherry and apple blossom in spring is going to make a wonderful display.
Good luck with everything, and would you be kind enough to post pics when its all up and running?

Kirsty

[Geordie]

Your progress sounds great...and remember from little things do big things grow, thats if the weather, mice, rabbits, pidgeons, slugs, assorted flies, numerous diseases, humans and a host of other things dont get to them first!

[rhubarbontoast]

Well, my fruit trees have arrived. I have been somewhat over-enthusiastic. I have quite a lot of planting to do! I did order Polka raspberries which mean I should get a crop from them if nothing else this year.

Thanks for all your comments. I have been in a methodical mess so far. I am looking forward to spring and getting some veg going- I will give the garlic a go immediately.

Photos when I work out how!

[rhubarbontoast]

Ordered the "Garlic lover's" selection today from the garlic farm. Will be getting those bad boys in by Christmas. Had a thoroughly dull, cold wet and enjoyable Sunday in the garden yesterday. Have sore shoulders as a reminder.

I now have one council subsidised compost bin set up, activated in the traditional fashion (did you listen to Gardener's Question Time yesterday? Most amusing...) and another to do. Incidently, I saw an almost identical bin for sale in a local garden centre for £59.99! Ouch! So, I can now spend £109.98 on myself.

Photos at some point!

[SueA]

Hi Rhubarb (do you really eat it on toast?), your garden sounds as though it is going to be great,good luck with all you're growing.I know what you mean about the compost bins- I can't believe that garden centres have the nerve to charge so much for a piece of moulded plastic! I got one free from the council & bought another with vouchers I won in a competition, my garden's only tiny so I bet you'll find you want yet another one next year!

[rhubarbontoast]

I am particlularly keen on rhubarb and ginger jam- lovely on your toast of a morning...

Well, today and yesterday were hard work but I now have the following in the ground:

Apple (all M26 rootstock):
John Downie Crab apple x3
Ashmead's Kernel x1 0n MM106 stock
James Grieve x1
Bramley seedling x1
Discovery x1
Granny Smith x1

Pear: Clapp's favourite x1; Doyenne du Comice x1

Cherry: Stella x1; May Duke x1

Plum: Victoria x1

Raspberry: Polka x11 plus 4 unknown variety

Blackberry x3 unknown

Blackcurrant: unknown x3; Ben Connan x1

Redcurrant: unknown x3; Red Lake x1

Whitecurrant: White Versailles x1

Rhubarb: Timperly Early x2; Victoria x2; Livingstone x1

Blueberry: unknown x2; Bulecrop x1; Earliblue x1; Goldtraube x1

Gooseberry: Invicta x1

I'm am well and truly chuffed at my potential edible hedge. I know there will be disasters but so far all is well. An awful lot of the currants and the blueberries are starting to bud which worries me slightly.

The unknown plants were mostly picked up in Lidl and the varieties were not listed.

Any comments on the plants I have put in are appreciated! I plant to do a native hedge on the other side of the garden using plants reared from local stock (we have a thing here called Conservation Volunteers that provide very cheap bare-rooted plants). Anyway that should happen after Christmas.

[rhubarbontoast]

As I've mentioned I have dug three 18 by 4 foot beds. Two I blanketed in seaweed, one just bare soil so far. I went to plant my garlic in one of the seaweeded beds- far too wet- but looks very fertile.

Anyway, my "garlic lover's pack" from the Garlic Farm is now in the soil. Oh dear, what a lot of garlic I am going to have! Far, far more than expected, if all goes well, I am looking at a harvest somewhere in the region of 120 bulbs! I now have eleven ridges, six varieties and six months to wait.

Can you make jam out of garlic? I am pleased and daunted by the prospect of this glut. I also realised I have a lot more digging to do if I am going to get some veg going in spring.

[supersprout]

really enjoying this thread rubub jealous of your seaweed!

Just to say relaax about the garlic. If you lift and dry it well in the summer, you'll have garlic plaits that will last all winter and into Spring, plus home grown cloves to replant in November (that way they acclimatise to your soil and growing conditions). Instructions here: http://www.bloomingfieldsfarm.com/garbrdhow.html

We plant 200 garlic for the two of us each year, and even then we run out

[rhubarbontoast]

Thank you for salving my garlic worries. Just been out and planted about 40 strawberries. Also set up my second compost bin as the first one is filling nicely. I also selected twenty or so straight branches to keep for bean poles from an untended roadside hedge- it han't been cut for a couple of years and is basically a coppice about four feet off the ground. I'm hoping to collect plenty more. I intend to spend tomorrow whittling willow pegs to hold down plastic bottle cloches- might go and do some now while the kiddies watch ET!

[OldgitPete]

I am particlularly keen on rhubarb and ginger jam- lovely on your toast of a morning...

Well, today and yesterday were hard work but I now have the following in the ground:

Apple (all M26 rootstock):
John Downie Crab apple x3
Ashmead's Kernel x1 0n MM106 stock
James Grieve x1
Bramley seedling x1
Discovery x1
Granny Smith x1

Pear: Clapp's favourite x1; Doyenne du Comice x1

Cherry: Stella x1; May Duke x1

Plum: Victoria x1

Raspberry: Polka x11 plus 4 unknown variety

Blackberry x3 unknown

Blackcurrant: unknown x3; Ben Connan x1

Redcurrant: unknown x3; Red Lake x1

Whitecurrant: White Versailles x1

Rhubarb: Timperly Early x2; Victoria x2; Livingstone x1

Blueberry: unknown x2; Bulecrop x1; Earliblue x1; Goldtraube x1

Gooseberry: Invicta x1

I'm am well and truly chuffed at my potential edible hedge. I know there will be disasters but so far all is well. An awful lot of the currants and the blueberries are starting to bud which worries me slightly.

The unknown plants were mostly picked up in Lidl and the varieties were not listed.

Any comments on the plants I have put in are appreciated! I plant to do a native hedge on the other side of the garden using plants reared from local stock (we have a thing here called Conservation Volunteers that provide very cheap bare-rooted plants). Anyway that should happen after Christmas.

See you are growing rhubarb Livingstone. Because it doesn't have the usual dormant period (i.e. autumn/winter) it can try to put up a flowering shoot at any time, and if this is when the plant is growing slowly (early spring, or late autumn) then it will weaken the plant more than usual. So it is essential to remove the flowering shoot as soon as you see it. Regards, Pete