How does anyone plan what to grow?

[nick the grief]

OK, first off Hello everyone as this is my first post (I was going to post an intro on the introductions forum, but I can't find it. Oh, well, it may well be me being very dim.)

I thought I would ask this as it's something I'm in the middle of doing right now, how do people decide what it is they are going to grow? I'm going vegging as I'm trying to be as self-seffcient as possible so I'm growing veg that I eat often. But what do others do?

I usually get all my seed and think ... Bugger how am I going to fit this lot in

What we did when I 1st thought about a lottie, I sat down after lunch and made a list of all we like to eat and then sorted it into a rough rotation and that was that.

[gardenplot]

Welcome to the vine A Life Less Simple, I decided to turn my garden in to a veggie plot and made a list of the veg I like and want to grow, knowing that it’s all fresh and organic and I find it fun and enjoyable.

[gardenplot]

Hello, its my first posting too and I was looking for the introductions Forum. I can't grow much at present as I have to clear my garden and terrace it etc. I used to have a veg plot at my old house which was much bigger and smarter than where I now live. Last summer when I moved here I spent most of the summer digging out bamboo which took up most of my tiny garden. Also nettles and brambles, and loads of turn of the century rubble including bomb shelter remains. I am still clearing when I am not working.

Hi Gardenmummy welcome to the vine

Sounds like you have a lot hard graft, but it will be well worth it in the end
Good Luck

[joero90@googlemail.com]

I too am a new bod to these goings on! So Hi to all, and let's hope we get along fine together! This is my 1st year on an allotment, we jumped a few pegs, 'cos no-one wanted the plot. Now I know why. Apart from having 'tinkly' soil (a quote from my lovely lady due to the amount of glass) we have the M&S winter collection of coats, part of the carpet right collection, a bit of the Berlin wall and some of Hadrians too! Not to mention screwfix's screw collection!
But never mind, we battle forwards, but not too deeply! Our crops are just basically what we like, and had time to raise and put in before we missed the season completely. A few spuds, spinach, donated onions, a few peas, cabbages, broccoli, and a few beetroot. We keep promising ourselves that come next year all this blood and sweat will be worth, and hire a rotavator! The chickens love it, but are being kept out of the way, as they adore young plants!
Hello all!

[TinyT]

Hello, mine are pretty similiar to a few others. Initially I decide by favourite fruit/veg/herbs that I like and what went well the year before. Then I'll split them up into groups (Legumes, Brassicas etc) and look at if I have enough space. I usually haven't, so I'll look at the number of say cabbages, tomatoes etc that I'll realistically use to decide the numbers and then I'll squeeze them all in!

[Kristen]

I would suggest making a list of how many you grow (either numbers of plants, or yards-of-row, or somesuch) so that you can decide if you want more / less next year - and what that will actually need to be in practice!

I would also suggest writing the date of sowing, planting out (if [started off] in pots), first harvest and then when they are done. That will enable you to decide, next year, when you can expect them, and also when the ground they are in will become free for something else.

A rough sketch of the plot, and then write on it what-is-where will help if the labels etc. get lost.

Also try to keep same-y things together based on a 3 or 4 year rotation. The rough sketch will help with that - at the very least to stop you planting the same thing in the same place next year.

Add additional more complicated procedures as you see fit!

[lynda66]

i bought the veggies i wanted, cos i like them, then thought, i wonder what that tastes like, so i bought a few new things, then i was in a few shops with half price seeds, so i bought even more stuff that i've never tried, now i'm getting all exotic, and growing stuff i've never heard of before

so next week, i'll be digging up the lawn in the front garden, cos no way is there enough room in the back lol

[Demeter]

This year the "planning" has been very rough - made a list of all the things we wanted to eat, divided it into rotation families, thought of some more things we wanted, fit them in somehow, chuck plan on compost, chastise the spuds as we need to harvest them and use the space...

I don't suppose that next year will be much better than this
Especially as it looks like (FINGERS CROSSED EVERYONE) I might get a lottie of my own next week, which'll throw all into confusion

[Garden_girlie21]

I think planning is a big thing for me, I did a lot of it while I didn't have much to do - either bad weather for getting to my 'plot' and digging etc, or i hadn't got any space yet.

I started growing veg more seriously this year, and I just picked what we liked to eat, and what would be interesting to grow. I've tried loads of new things this year - tomatillos, all kinds of brassicas (I've never grown them before successfully), onions, watermelons, leeks, potatoes properly.

It's all a big, ongoing adventure. Enjoy.

Jennifer

[lynda66]

what's planning?

[Snadger]

what's planning?

Planning.................. is digging your lawn up cos you've ran out of space!

[lynda66]

ahhhhhhh i'm doing that this weekend

i was going to do it anyway, cos the lawns awful, but i thought i'd grow some stuff in it till i get my allotment ....... well veggie growing is good for the soil isn't it??? ... or thats what i told my son, who refused to let me have veg in the front garden lol