What should I plant?

[t4tom]

I've literally just completed filling my raised bed and I am now looking to get them suitably planted.

This is what I have available to me:

Parsnip - Tender & True
Carrot - Giant Red
Parsley - Gigante de Napoli
Broccoli - Green Heading
Kale - Sutherland
Chilli - Nigel's Outdoors
Cucumber - Wautoma
Leek - Bleu de Solaise
Lettuce - Reine des Glaces
Vine Tomato - Rose de Berne
Radish - Sicily Giant
Spinach - Perpetual
Potato - King Edward
Onion - Sturon (sets)

I regret that I am a bit of a newbie, but I had hoped that it would be suitable to sew the following outside in approximately one week, straight into the raised beds:

Parsnip - Tender & True
Carrot - Giant Red
Broccoli - Green Heading
Kale - Sutherland
Leek - Bleu de Solaise
Lettuce - Reine des Glaces
Radish - Sicily Giant
Spinach - Perpetual
Onion - Sturon (sets)

Start the following indoors in a heated propagator:

Cucumber - Wautoma
Chilli - Nigel's Outdoors
Vine Tomato - Rose de Berne

Chit:

Potato - King Edward.

Is this wildly optimistic?

According to gardenaction.co.uk, my last spring frost is due by the end of March.

Thanks,

t4tom

[taff]

I wouldn't put your cucumber in yet unless you're growing it inside in the warm somewhere.
April/late april is early enough for those.
Depending on where you are,I wouldn't put the lettuce outside yet either.
Can you put your location in your proflile please, it makes it easier to judge what the weathers like where you are, since it differs wildly over the country

[t4tom]

Thanks for the response Taff.

I'm in Tunbridge Wells, Kent; I will update my profile now.

I should hold off on cucumber propagation indoors until April?

Thanks,

t4tom

[Suky]

The other detail needed is 'how big is the area you want to plant' if you want to know if you are being too ambitious

[piskieinboots]

Is this wildly optimistic?

mildy - but that's what keeps us going

[t4tom]

It's certainly optimistic, but I was really just wondering about plantings those things from a timing perspective.

A friend told me that I might have left it too late to grow Tomatoes from seed or plant Broccoli outside.

[Two_Sheds]

The packets will give you an indication.
I won't be sowing broccoli til April, nor carrots. You'll still get toms if you sow now

[oldie]

I'm not to far away from you in darenth area and am sowing most of these , but I'm keeping fleece covers on for a few weeks yet. Also I start my broccoli inside in root trainers to go out once they get going. Won't be doing cucumbers for a few weeks yet.

[taff]

not too late for toms, I've only just put mine in.

broccoli, I'm going to have to find out more,since brassica-wise, I haven't got a clue what youplant for winter and when....

[rodofgod76]

Last year I started my Shirley tomatoes at the beginning of January. By time they were ripe they were about 8 foot high and that was only 5 trusses. This year I'm waiting. Maybe next week. Old fella at work doesn't start his tomatoes from seed until mid-April.

[Nykied]

I started to think this year about getting some of those potato kits you see in magazines (bags and tubers), then my Dad said I should just stick them into the ground.

I bought some earlies and some mains, and that started me off. This year, I'm growing (or trying to grow!) potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, sweetcorn, courgettes, squash, pumpkins, strawberries and cucumber (for the budgie - me and my boyfriend don't even like cucumber!).

I think I've been too ambitious too ;o)

[chris]

Whoa! According to that site my last frost is late April!!

I'd get your parnsips in (I recently posted a thread about germination) - either direct in (they'll take a while to germinate) or start them off indoors via one of the various methods.

I notice you mention bed in the singular - are you doing a style similar to squart foot gardening? I started last year, in one bed (trough) I made... I sowed Carrots, Beetroot, toms, cucumbers (destroyed by slugs), peppers, and lettuce - they all did great, albeit were very small

I started my cucumbers off in feb (got mixed reactions!) as the packet said sow from Jan !

They're quite large now.. difficulty is keeping them warm, but not too warm. Whilst I was away, there was no heating on in the house, and I can see (I think) the effects of the cold on them. They're probably aorund 8" tall now, and have about 6-8 leaves on them - they grow really fast!

Rest as you said is correct as far as I can see, altough I'm a newbie too! So bar the cucumber, I'd get them going! :0)

[t4tom]

I actually have two small beds, they are only 1m x 1m x 60 cm, but yes, I shall certainly be employing the square foot method.

Thanks for all of your comments.

[chriscross1966]

Parsnip - Tender & True
Carrot - Giant Red
Parsley - Gigante de Napoli
Broccoli - Green Heading
Kale - Sutherland
Chilli - Nigel's Outdoors
Cucumber - Wautoma
Leek - Bleu de Solaise
Lettuce - Reine des Glaces
Vine Tomato - Rose de Berne
Radish - Sicily Giant
Spinach - Perpetual
Potato - King Edward
Onion - Sturon (sets)

The onion sets can go in, spaced 4-6" apart I guess if you're SF'ing it then 4"...
The spuds can go in, a foot or so apart, though given your limited space, you might be better off in tubs.,...
Sow the radish aqnd carrots thinly, if you are block sowing aim for an inch between each seed. You'll probably need to thin the carrot to twice that, use the thinnings as baby carrots.
Get module trays and start off on a windowsill with a propagator top on:
Parsley (observe the ancient rituals, three time widdershins etc), chillis, spinach, leeks, kale, lettuce, broccolli. Given how early your last frost is you might as well get tomatoes (one per module) and cucumber (sow one seed per pot) going too.

I'd suggest 60-module trays then you might get away with a single tray....

1-seed per module for the chillis, 3-4 seeds per for the others... once the seeds are up pot on either into bigger modules broken into individual seedlings or pots for bigger things, plant out from there once the plants are a decent size.... SF gardening will really entail always having a few of the next things to go in in pots (and the ones after next in modules)

chrisc
(wish my last frost was March [/jealous])

[chriscross1966]

Oops..., forgot to say, chit the parsnips indoors, plant out at 4"-6" spacing once thew seeds have got going... you could put them in kitchen-roll tubes as an intermediate step....