Maximising use of my beds

[annie8]

Don’t think I’m very good at using my raised beds throughout the year. They are all planted at the moment but i have a bed of autumn planted garlic that I guess I’ll lift about July and no plan for what I’ll put in there until next year. I’ll also have some space in the potato bed in a month or so. Is there anything I should start now to be ready to plant out once I have some space. Other beds have rasps, strawberries, sweetcorn, peas, rhubarb, gooseberries, courgettes, carrots, beetroot, leeks plus a herb bed. Could maybe still get carrots in at that time? Have a few tomatoes outside, the rest are in the greenhouse with the chillis and a sad attempt at basil. Ordered some little gem and land cress seeds today that I will pop into spaces in the beds. Any other thoughts?

[bario1]

Get some dwarf French beans on!

[ameno]

Yeah, if you sow dwarf french beans now, they'll be perfect for planting out come early to mid-July.

You could also do a late crop of peas. Use an "early" variety, as these mature quicker, and sow now in pots (or a length of guttering) for planting out in July.

You can also sow early carrots, beetroot, daikon radish (and indeed pretty nearly all oriental veg), spring onions, and any salad leaves direct in early to mid-July (later still further south, but you might struggle up in Scotland).

Tenderstem broccoli is a good one, too. Sow now in pots, to plant out next month. It grows much faster than normal broccoli/calabrese, and can give you a crop in as little as 55 days from sowing (for example, I sowed mine in pots in mid-March, and started picking on 31st May), and will continue cropping for some 6 weeks or more.

You might also want to think about winter crops. Daikon radish mentioned above are an autumn/winter crop, and I see you already have leeks, but you could consider purple sprouting broccoli. Start in now in pots, and plant it out when the space is available. Or spring cabbage, which doesn't want sowing until July or August, and can be planted out as late as September.

[Mr Bones]

Chard, spinach, kale. Kale should do well in your area, there are lots of different varieties and you can pick it through winter.

[Penellype]

Plenty of winter brassicas such as broccoli, spring cabbage and kale can be sown now for planting out later. Florence fennel can be sown in July or August and will overwinter if the winter is not too cold. Winter salads such as mizuna, pak choi and packets of mixed winter greens can be sown in late summer or early autumn as they tend to bolt if sown too early.

It is always a good idea to have a rough plan of what you want to grow where next year if you are planning to use your beds continuously as you can find that you have run out of space in March-April while winter veg are still being harvested.

[burnie]

I have 3 smallish raised beds and 2 open plots, one open plot has tatties in and the other has peas and climbing French beans in, the tattie one will be left bare over winter and will get last years compost bin spread over it, the other will have winter/spring cabbages in there. The raised beds only get the one crop in them, the onions will be lifted, but the leeks will be in all winter, in number 2 the carrots/parsnips will be harvested all winter, I cover those with fleece. The third one has all sort in it, peas, French beans, lettuce, spring onions and radish of various types, this will be empty over the winter, just covered with chicken wire to keep the cats out of it.

[nickdub]

Making more use of your vertical space is another thing you could look at - for example a loganberry planted on the North side of a bed won't cast any shade over your crops and will provide fruit year after year for jams or desserts with very little care needed, or trained top fruit such as cordon apples or an espalier pear.

[annie8]

Plenty of winter brassicas such as broccoli, spring cabbage and kale can be sown now for planting out later. Florence fennel can be sown in July or August and will overwinter if the winter is not too cold. Winter salads such as mizuna, pak choi and packets of mixed winter greens can be sown in late summer or early autumn as they tend to bolt if sown too early.

It is always a good idea to have a rough plan of what you want to grow where next year if you are planning to use your beds continuously as you can find that you have run out of space in March-April while winter veg are still being harvested.

Yes that is an issue with some of the overwinter veg I think. I’d want them to be out by the time I need it for other veg.

[Jungle Jane]

You could sow some swede,one per 3” pot to plant out in July or sow direct in the bed & thin the seedlings (when I did this the sun dried them out & flea beetles attacked them,they didn’t grow at all. I’m using pots this year but I’ve only got three seedlings,not many ) Lettuce & rocket can be sowed direct in July too

[annie8]

Thanks for all the ideas. Was just round at Homebase and they had some smallish plants like cauliflowers, cabbage and runner beans. Usually grow from seed but might be tempted to pick up something like that once the garlic is ready to come out. Would give a bit of a head start. Gh is rammed at moment so not much space for seed trays either.

[ameno]

Yes that is an issue with some of the overwinter veg I think. I’d want them to be out by the time I need it for other veg.

Just plant to follow winter veg with tender crops like beans, sweetcorn, courgettes, squash or tomatoes. Your winter veg will be finished and out by the time those crops need the space.

[Snadger]

I have sown PSB and all manner of kales in large pots ready for transplanting as soon as spaces become available. I also have leeks in a large pot and will be sowing spring cabbage and Mooli later on with maybe some beetroot..Cabbages in modules outdoors are ready to go in when a space becomes available along with turnips in modules which I am trying this year.
I find its all about having stuff waiting in the wings at all times and not being too anal about crop rotation.

Its hard to keep the plot fully planted up for 52 weeks of the year but it gets easier year by year