What would you like to grow in 2011?

[Piglet6]

What do you all fancy growing in 2011? Tried and tested staple crops? Or trying new crops or varieties? Or maybe a bit of both?

2011 will only be my second growing year, so I will be finding out if my bumper 2010 crops were beginners luck or not

I have been giving some thought to what I would like to grow next year, given my very limited growing space (pots in my back garden!). There are loads of things that I think "yeah, I'd like to grow that", but due to the lack of space I am really having to think "will I really EAT it?"

So, my plan is currently looking like this:- peas (not grown before), carrots (last years were a very tasty success & are a staple in our house), spinach (roaring success & kept me, the only spinach eater, with plenty of leaves all through the season), lettuce (same as spinach), radishes (may or may not grow them. May just grow them to use up the seed), spring onions (v.successful this year), strawberries (not grown before. Will try & find 2 varieties so can enjoy strawbs from May - Aug), cranberries (have just discovered I LOVE cranberry sauce! Would love to make my Christmas Day cranberry sauce from my own berries), mushrooms (absolute 'no-show' disaster this year, but I figure I will put in a pot & place in the garden where mush's grow naturally. This crop was an experimental crop this year, and have the other half packet of spawn stuff left - if the date is ok), chillies (v.successful this year, but bought the only variety available at a High Street garden centre. May CHOOSE & order my variety/ies next year from a catalogue), parsnips (not grown before. Fancy having a go so we can enjoy honey-roasted parsnips with our Christmas dinner next year), leeks (they are growing well at the moment, not tasted them yet. If they are delicious then I will probably grow them next year too).

All of the above is subject to change. A GYO-ers perogative I guess.

[Jardiniere]

An orchard .....hoping to clear enough space fo be able to get some apple/cherry/plum trees in by the end of 2011.

[Davyburns]

Same as this year, but differnt varieties, (toms, cues, Chillis ect) and hopefully a vine (black Hamburg) kindly donated by a Forum member.

[Nicos]

I always try a 'guest' veg each year.
Next year want to try some different squash and bean varieties as I've got a bit more land now.

[coreopsis]

A bit of both.Stable and new.Funny like some things are growing like mad so next year they are at the top of the list and then perform not so great(like french beans for me).
As for now:
I won't bother with spring onions anymore-a few clumps of chives and pinching an odd leaf of onion will do me.
I'll try some carrots-thanks to our home improvement I'll have a bathtub to use as carrot bed.
Still wondering whether to give up on beetroot or give them another chance(my fav veg and doesn't want to grow).
Toms-definitely,have to think about the varieties.
Chillies-plenty of seeds waiting to be sown.
A couple of cabbages(under recycled scaffolding netting)
Potatoes-Celine is my new favourite(trying to keep a few for sowing)
Onions,shallots-some sitting in the ground.
Runner beans-Hestia is a deffo.
An odd lettuce in the pot.
Leeks-forgotten seeds in the box.

Still thinking about peas and broad beans.

I'll probably change my plans 100 times till spring,but I'll always get something to eat from the garden.

[northepaul]

Hmmm thanks for this topic, as I have been meaning to have a serious think about what I should grow next year.
I, like you, have limited space, although I have a garden, I only have two dedicated veg areas - and one of those is in danger of disappearing into next door's garden (the retaining wall has partially collapsed but the best quote I have had to get it re-done is £850 + vat ) So have to be careful about what I plant there. At the moment it has Jerusalem artichokes.
Anyway back to the question: I want to grow beetroot and squashes in my collapsing bed. I didnt have any luck with squashes this year, they simply refused to germinate until September ish! My beetroot were in my other bed this year, but got eaten underground by something, not sure what...(the slices out of the side were far too big for slugs) So thought I would try the other bed. I also want to grow some more courgettes, as I had moderate success with them, but want to double the amount of plants.(4 instead of 2) In my sunny main bed, I will grow some more lettuces, (Had great success with them) and some beans/peas (ditto). (not sure which ones) I have garlic in already but no sign of life from them yet.
In my conservatory (which is more like a glass house) I will grow tomatoes and chillis again as these were by far my best crops last year.
I also have fruit all around the garden, and have just added 28 more strawberry plants. I have a medlar and a cooking apple tree coming between now and March - I already have 2 damsons and in pots, a greengage and another apple. I had huge success with my blueberries - nearly a kg of fruit from two bushes!! () My biggest disaster, fruit-wise was my gooseberry which got munched to death by sawfly.

Oh dear I appear to have written an essay!

[northepaul]

By the way, Piglet, when you have reached the criteria for joining the seed parcels, theres a dedicated one for chillis and now a chilli seed circle you might be interested in.

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

I will be growing Shosaku Gobo, not worried about the growing part, just wondering what will it taste like - might be or. Hopefully along the lines of parsnips or skirret (slightly aromatic). Lots of peas this year. More beans courtesy of the seed saving circle. Usual toms, peppers, carrots etc.

[Bigmallly]

Welcome to the vine P6, Garlic & Onions are in, Beetroot, Caulis, Sweetcorn, Toms, Leeks, Strawberries & Courgettes are all a must as I know they will get eaten. I will try Carrots & Parsnips again even though I fail with these every year. Have got 2 Apple, 2 Plum 1 pear & 1 Cherry tree so fingers crossed as they are only in their 2nd & 3rd year. Redcurrant, Whitecurrant, Raspberry & Gooseberry were quite good last year so they have been left in situ. From the amount of stuff I threw away last year, I have learned it pays to grow what will be eaten.

[stella]

I will be growing all the usual with various amounts of sucess, but I will be trying extra hard with squash and chilli. Last year I managed to germinate 20 squash plants, ony 3 flowered and only 1 produced 1 small squash. Chilli sucess none!!!! Have no idea what I did wrong but will try again

[frogga]

Plan for 2011 for me is:

Potatoes, onion, garlic, carrot, parsnip, runner bean, peas, french bean, broad bean, beetroot, tomato, chillis, spinach,sweetcorn, all the brassicas, aubergine, pumpkin, courgette, cucumbers and many more.

Fruit will be apple, pears, strawberries, raspberries.

Andrew

[Bren In Pots]

Next year I'm going to try a different variety of Aubergines this year I grew Ophelia and all I ended up with was some pretty purple flowers.

[pauco]

New for me 2011-Strawberries, Onions, then will stick with tomatoes 3 varieties, radish 3
varieties i just love em! sweet peppers.


paul.

[Alison]

Increase my amount of stapes every year, will be starting chillies and aubergines off early in Jan as well as onions. Broad beans to follow shortly afterwards as well as early peas. I'll also be increasing the amount of stuff I try in the polytunnel too squeeze some early crops in there before the toms and peppers. Intend to increase the amount of fruit I grow by buying some bare rooted trees before Spring. Will continue to grow loads of beans and peas as well as carrots, spuds etc and will have a play around with cabbage spacing to see if that's the reason why mine are a bit on the small side. OH has requested more funny coloured stuff so will be looking into that when I do my seed buy although to be honest I don't need that many what with the ones I have left and saved. Can't imagine getting the point when I don't experiment a bit even if it's just the way I grow things rather than what I grow. Also like experimenting with different ways of preserving so I can eat lovely stuff all winter. Manage not to throw anything good away although could do with a bit more of some things

[solway cropper]

Next year?

not so many cucumbers. You really can get sick of eating cucumbers.
more peas. We only managed fresh peas for about 8 weeks which is not enough!
plus all the usual stuff in roughly the same amounts. If only OH would let me dig up some more lawn. I know, I'll tell her we can use it to grow more peas