What to plant

[Coshog]

I have a raised bed 8'x4'x1' in full sun and left it to late last year to get any return from it. has anyone got any idea on what I should be planting or planning to plant?

[Thelma Sanders]

That rather depend on what you would like to eat

[allotment grower]

Go for crops that dont take up to much space sow in straight lines across the bed.

sow a little at a time over a couple of weeks so the crops have an extended season so they produce crops over an longer period not all at once.

you can re sow an area with another crop once they finish radishes are a quick crop.. so are turnips.

spring onions.
lettuces- try cut and come again leaf lettuce.
beetroots.
radishes.
turnips.
garlic. a few..
small carrots early nante or round pot type.

herbs in a corner of the bed...parsley, chives, etc.

1 tomato plant bush type in a corner of the bed.
1 corgette plant in a corner of bed.

[chefgage]

Go for crops that dont take up to much space sow in straight lines across the bed.

sow a little at a time over a couple of weeks so the crops have an extended season so they produce crops over an longer period not all at once.


you can re sow an area with another crop once they finish radishes are a quick crop.. so are turnips.

spring onions.
lettuces- try cut and come again leaf lettuce.
beetroots.
radishes.
turnips.
garlic. a few..
small carrots early nante or round pot type.

herbs in a corner of the bed...parsley, chives, etc.

1 tomato plant bush type in a corner of the bed.
1 corgette plant in a corner of bed.

sounds like a good idea, that sounds like what we have in our raised beds

[Two_Sheds]

That rather depend on what you would like to eat

Indeed!
So, Coshog, what veg do you like to eat?

[Jamesy_uk]

I think I will chime in on this thread as I have 2 raised beds I am planning the planting up of at the moment. I considered another question when deciding what to grow would be, whats the best money saver crop to grow in a raised bed?

For example Celeriac is fairly expensive but it takes up a fair bit of space per root with up to 12" spacing so then I could grow 4 to 6 carrots in that space. After that you then need to factor in harvest times and yields, wether the crop has a high chance of failure and then I got a huge headache and gave up lol.

[mudpies]

..and I like to grow things that taste so different from shop produce....freshly popped peas, beetroot, carrots, sweetcorn, rocket and of course toms

[Two_Sheds]

... then I got a huge headache and gave up lol.

Lol. So just plant what you like to eat, for your first year. You'll learn a lot, and will have a better plan for the following year

[Jamesy_uk]

It's when you start measuring things you become acutely aware of how little space you have in reality. I will probably get beetroot and carrots on the first bed to go along with the shallots I already planted up and on the second bed I will do Cavalo nero kale and have a think about the rest of the space.

[mudpies]

Sounds like a plan!

[Sarico]

two shed is right.for the first time plan somthing you like to eat and then try other variety... i think as well that grow your own is not just good to save money on expensive veg from supermarket is an hobby so just have fun and don't worry... i enjoy just whatch the plant growing and see the flower and the fruit growing...

[Jamesy_uk]

two shed is right.for the first time plan somthing you like to eat and then try other variety... i think as well that grow your own is not just good to save money on expensive veg from supermarket is an hobby so just have fun and don't worry... i enjoy just whatch the plant growing and see the flower and the fruit growing...

Need to get all my practice in as i'm on an allotment list that had a 22months wait when i joined its 3 months ago

[Two_Sheds]

I will do Cavalo nero kale

These grow almost as a standard, so you can have things planted underneath them (lettuce?) to maximise space.

Also, when you're tight for space, have things waiting in modules, ready to pop in any vacant space.

Also, sow as you pick: if you pick a radish or a carrot, immediately drop a new seed in the hole.