Clump growing

[basketcase]

Looks great, snadge. Just my kind of thing!

I shall, so to speak, be joining you in the beds, next year!!

[Pumpkin Becki]

Snadge, I tried a bit of this in my new garden this year, squashes faired quite well, but some things really struggled. My red onions were no bigger than the sets I put in back in the spring, and my Florence Fennel is only showing 3" of ferny leaf above ground (no sign of any bulbing) - have I done something wrong? I wondered whether I had planted other things too close, but looking at your photos, they are no nearer than yours.

[Snadger]

It's very pretty and I like the look of it and actually it's not that different from the approach I used to take in the garden. Am glad you posted the piccies though as I understand better what you are on about and know it's not for me on the plot. Marvellous how many different ways there are of doing things which, individually be perfect for one person but totally wrong for somebody else.

It does play havock with a structured mind and if every plot was the same as mine, I'd change it, just to be different!

[basketcase]

Couple of questions, snadge.

How do you grow your potatoes - plant them and work everything else around them or what?

Do you have a fruit cage?

[bobleponge]

Whist I am a fairly regimented kind of gardener, and have mine in rows etc, it has been in my mind for a while to move more towards what Geoff Hamilton advocates in the Ornamental Kitchen Garden. (A great book, probably my fave gardening read)
It all makes perfect sense, and I'm very lucky in that I have the space to do it.
Did a little bit this year, but will probably do a bit more next year and see how I get on.

[Snadger]

Couple of questions, snadge.

How do you grow your potatoes - plant them and work everything else around them or what?

Do you have a fruit cage?

Glad you asked that BC! I only grow earlies and second earlies at the allotment, maincrop are grown at home.
I was after ornamental varieties (I know, a long shot with spuds) but found red Duke of York had rather pleasing ruby coloured foliage but wasn't impressed with the taste or crop. I grew RDY and ordinary Duke of York, Charlotte, Winston and Kestrel!

They were all planted in pockets of odd numbers usually 5,7,9 and where each spud was planted I made a little 'mole hill' of soil so I knew where I planted them. I am still harvesting ALL of these varieties, a few at a time as required.
The Kestrel and Duke of York have done particularily well in my soil. Alls orts of things have went in as a few were harvested with lots more to come. I only harvest enough for my immediate needs ie one, two or a maximum of three shaws. Half pockets are planted up instantly with leeks, sweetcorn, brassicas, anything I had ready.
By lifting earlies as you require them they keep that 'just dug' flavour!

No fruit cage and haven't needed one this year as my softfruit are 'disguised' by other plantings.

[chriscross1966]

This probably wouldn't work for me.... although I try to be a bit more zany and with-it, at the end of the day I'm a basically person who honestly replies to the question "how do you plant your potatoes?" with "alphabetically".... Desiree, the King E, then Maris Piper then Pink Fir Apple....

[Pumpkin Becki]

Snadge, I tried a bit of this in my new garden this year, squashes faired quite well, but some things really struggled. My red onions were no bigger than the sets I put in back in the spring, and my Florence Fennel is only showing 3" of ferny leaf above ground (no sign of any bulbing) - have I done something wrong? I wondered whether I had planted other things too close, but looking at your photos, they are no nearer than yours.

But Snadger,

What am i going to do about my pathetic onions though? (see above) Are onions one of those things that just won't work because they don't like the competition?? Help

[organic]

Is there a particular book or good website about this kind of gardening?

It sounds like a really good way to do organic gardening and I'd like to investigate it a bit further before I commit to a more "normal" scheme on my allotment.

[Snadger]

But Snadger,

What am i going to do about my pathetic onions though? (see above) Are onions one of those things that just won't work because they don't like the competition?? Help

Ahh but did you beef up the soil where your onions were growing? Did they get plenty of sunlight for photosyntheis? If it's any consolation, a few of my onions were small where they got shaded out by other plants. Its all a learning curve and hopefully I won't make the same mistake next year.
The knack is trying to visualise the area you#'ve planted once everything has grown. Try and keep taller plants to the East of the beds where they won't blank out the light for others.
I grew some broadies that were supposed to be 18 inches tall but they finished up 5 foot tall..............which put the kybosh on things!
All in all though I've found the positives have outweighed the negatives!

[Pumpkin Becki]

Ahh but did you beef up the soil where your onions were growing? Did they get plenty of sunlight for photosyntheis? All in all though I've found the positives have outweighed the negatives!

It was a brand new raised bed in my new garden, with shed loads of new compost and chicken manure pellets and bone meal added during the season - maybe it was a light issue, as the ones at the lottie were fabulous.

And as you say, the fact my squashes did well in this style of planting did outweigh the dissapointment of the onions thank you.

[basketcase]

Is there a particular book or good website about this kind of gardening?

It sounds like a really good way to do organic gardening and I'd like to investigate it a bit further before I commit to a more "normal" scheme on my allotment.

Ooh, ooh! I know the answer to this one! (As suggested by our Resident Clump Growing Garden Guru aka snadger, so it's a good suggestion.)

Geoff Hamilton did a TV series and wrote a book called the Ornamental Kitchen Garden. Starts with a bare patch and takes you through everything. Really - not like Greenacres "first take a bulldozer!" It's excellent and I got my copy for £1.32 from Amazon. I lurve a bargain

[basketcase]

Thanks for the spud advice, snadger

[zazen999]

This probably wouldn't work for me.... although I try to be a bit more zany and with-it, at the end of the day I'm a basically person who honestly replies to the question "how do you plant your potatoes?" with "alphabetically".... Desiree, the King E, then Maris Piper then Pink Fir Apple....

I saw this earlier....please don't give Piskie any more strange alphabetical ideas!!!!!

[organic]

Thanks for that Basketcase.
I'll have to get myself a copy when my bank stop being a pile of scumbags and put my account right so it works again.