Vegetable Growing Month by Month

The down-to-earth guide that takes you through the vegetable year by me, John Harrison - more info.

Plot 5 Comfrey Patch

Some plants were cut for the early potatoes and those that were not cut are more than ready.

A few cuttings have been planted although they are not doing much yet, comfrey leaps away when it gets going.

Plot 5 Comfrey Patch after the cut

A full cut taken, time to provide some fertiliser. Comfrey is pretty greedy so a fair amoung of fish, blood and bone with some sulphate of ammonia to really give it a nitrogen boost.

I don't use chemical fertiliser usually, the sulphate of ammonia was used to assist the rotting down of a heap of wood chippings and this is the only plant I would use it on directly.

Plot 5 Comfrey for the tomatoes

The cut was allowed to wilt for the day then laid under the weed fabric where the tomatoes are planned to go in June.

It will provide valuable nutrients, balanced towards the tomatoes needs.

The next cut will be used to make liquid feed.

Plot 29 Brassica Cloches

Having planted out the cabbage and cauliflower the next problem is how to stop the pigeons from eating them.

Covered in cloches with open ends (I don't want them too warm). The ends were blocked with some wire netting.

Peas in the foreground.

Plot 29 Onions, Shallots & Garlic

The autumn planted onions and garlic are doing really well, which is good as we have run out of onions and the garlic is pretty ropey. We still have some shallots, which keep better.

The recovered green compost bin can be seen back in place.

The Brassica Cage

Worse vene than the slugs and caterpillars, pigeons will eat a row of seedlings in a flash, so the anti-pigeon cage.

The two long sides are made from wire netting on battens staked into the ground joined by bamboo poles and draped with a large net.

Fingers crossed they don't learn to dig under the wire.. but there are rumours of rabbits...

Tomatoes in Growbags

In the garden we have two growhouses with tomatoes.

I insert 9" bottomless pots into the bag and plant deeply into them. This gives more compost and encourages root growth. It also makes it easier to water.

Each pot also gets a marigold to deter whitefly.

First Early Potatoes

Earthed up first earlies on plot 5 showing well and starting to flower at the end of the month.

Maincrop Potatoes

The Sarpo Mira and Valor maincrop potatoes on plot 29 are coming along now (end of the month). They sould be ready to earth up in a couple of weeks.

Beans on Plot 29

The runner bean tipi (left) with onions in the foreground.

Teepees for beans on Plot 5

Left to right, looking up the plot from the compost bins,

• Runner bean, Streamline
• Climbing French bean, Blue Lake
• Climbing French bean, Cobra