I couldn’t believe my luck last weekend when the sunshine finally arrived, the plan went onto the computer and then printed out on paper. I was out of the patio doors ‘like a rat up a drainpipe’ with seeds in one hand and plans in the other to sow my first ever raised bed full of mostly Lettuce.

Yes, even after five years, new ideas and good old seed sowing (and the sunshine helps) still get me excited as ever of what’s to come. So here’s the final sowing plan.

The Lettuce, Veg & Herb Patchwork Garden Plan

Sow: April to July
Harvest: June to August

Raised Bed Plan 1

Description:
This adventurous patchwork salad plan is a contrast of texture, scent and stunning colour of red and green shades of lettuce, purple radish and kohl rabi, red basil, spinach, spring onion and chives.
All together they form a raised bed patchwork salad bowl.

Lettuce Patchwork Plan
Click the link above to view the full Plot Plan.

The Patchwork Lettuce Plan contains six different types and colour of lettuce, two purple vegetables, one leafy vegetable, spring onion and two types of herb.

How to Prepare Your Raised Bed for Sowing Seeds from a Plan

• Print out your sowing plan or have plant labels and a pen ready,
• Consider using nematodes (organic slug killer) if you have already had a problem with slugs in your beds, it’s about £9.99 which for me covers all 3 of my raised beds 5ft by 4ft.
• If the bed has been bare all winter, loosen the soil with a fork or trowel to get some air and water pockets in the soil,
• Add lots of multi-purpose or homemade compost and mix into the bed soil,
• Rake the soil fairly level,
• Using a bamboo cane or trowel, mark out the rows or sowing lines of your plot plan. If its easier use pegs and string,
• Water the soil well before and after sowing seeds,
• Sow your seeds as per the packet instructions and plan or see my How To Guides for more details on sowing depths, try to sow seeds as finely as possible to avoid lots of thinning and also save some lettuce and other seed for in-filling the gaps later.
• Cover over the seeds with a thin layer of loose compost or soil,
• Water well and record the date of sowing on your plan for later.

For all my Vegetable Plot Plans spanning the last five years,
please click here to view my Free Resources – Veg Plot Plans.

For more inspirational on Salads, please visit Veg Plotting – The 52 Week Salad Challenge and search for #saladchat on Twitter.

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Week 2 Speedy Veg Planter

Last week I proudly showed off my beetroot and lettuce seedlings in my deck planter, this week I’m now minus a row of lettuce seedlings thanks to one baby slug and a couple of yellow shelled snails.

And my human error was the eco-friendly cardboard shredded cover to the planter, it was actually a bridge to my seedlings, so backtracking slightly, my updated advice is don’t use this shredded cardboard in wet weather, it could cost you your seedlings and I’ve already lost mine. I’ve sowed the lettuce again so fingers crossed.

When I visited The Edible Gardening Show, I remembered a product called Slug Gone which are pure wool slug pellets, all eco-friendly and no harmful chemicals, which is just what I need. I’ve bought some to trial and its easy to put on top of the soil around the plants and the slugs and snails don’t like crawling over it. I’ve tried nematodes in the past and would recommend these as a very good way of getting rid of slugs in raised beds but I’m looking forward to using these wool pellets.

Slug Gone Wool Pellets

I’d be interested to know if you have tried this product before and how you got on with it.
Here are some feedback on Wool Pellets from Wiggly Wigglers.

Suppliers:

Wool Pellets from: Wiggly Wigglers
Nematodes from: Dobies
Slug and Snail Catchers: Dobies

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Week 2 Speedy Veg Planter

With the heavy rain we have been having lately I wasn’t sure whether this would affect the grow speed of the veg seeds, this is how they have done:

• Lettuce Seedlings – Up in 1 Week,
• Beetroot Seedlings – Up in 2 Weeks,
• Carrot Seedlings – 1 or two seedlings pushing through the soil, no row up yet

Tips for Container Growing in Periods of Heavy Rain

• Drainage – Ensure that your containers have drainage holes otherwise the pot and compost will flood and drown your poor seedlings,
• Pests – Slugs and snails also like rain, at this time of the year the slugs will be baby size so if you catch them fast, they will only have enough time to munch half a row of seedlings and not all of them.

  The key is to check your pots regularly and pick them off, sometimes they will hide under lumps of compost but the baby one on my compost was yellow so was easy to spot.

• Diseases – There are a few wet weather diseases to watch out for like rot, damping off, fungus and mold. They are usually spread by soil being splashed up onto the plant stems and leaves which infect the plants with the fungal infection. One way to prevent this is to mulch with gravel or vermiculite scattered around the plant stem base to stop splashing.

  Rot will occur on some seeds which take longer to germinate like bean and pea seeds, this is why it is better to either wait for a dry period to sow directly into containers or sow in little pots and then plant into the main container at a later time.

How To Grow Veg Guides

Beetroot

Lettuce

Carrots

Find more inspiration on Container Veg, check out our:

• Container Veg Headliner
• Fortnightly Newsletter for more updates
• iGrowVeg UK Shop to Buy Veg Planters
• Container Veg Pinterest Board

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If you want to start growing your own vegetables in containers, there are many advantages like:

1. Containers take up less space than raised beds,
2. They are easy to maintain and can be at waist height i.e. Veg Trugs,
3. It’s easy to have ago at sowing a few seed packets into a pot or container,
4. Containers can easily be positioned in the sun or partial shade,
5. They are easily accessible and you could even have one for each member of your family,
6. There’s plenty of different types of containers to choose from to suit your outdoor space i.e. wall & hanging baskets, ladder planters, Veg Trug or Tables, Wooden, Galvanised, Clay, Plastic Planters, Vegetable Patio Bags,
7. It doesn’t take up much of your time to sow and maintain a few containers,
8. If remembering to water is a problem (like me), then set up an easy drip feed water system,
9. Pests are relatively easy to deal with by following a few simple steps,
10. Vegetables can be grown in amongst your flowers for companion planting.

The Planters I’m using for growing vegetables this year are from Burgon and Ball who produce fantastic quality garden equipment at reasonable prices. These attractive Willow Planters consist of a woven bag with drainage holes with a willow surround. Easy to assemble in 5 mins and only requires 1 bag of 59 Litre multi-purpose compost.

The Burgon & Ball Willow Planter comes with 5 Packets of Veg Seeds (beetroot, carrot, lettuce, borlotto beans & mange tout) hand picked by iGrowVeg Shop. Click the logo for more images & details.

To keep up to date with the posts in this series, click here to join our fortnightly newsletter. If you have any Veg Questions, ask them here and you might get your answer in the newsletter!

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In the dales, the saying goes if it isn’t raining now it soon will be, but if it didn’t get all this water the lush green meadows interlaced with old stone walls wouldn’t be the tourist attraction for walkers and sightseers that they are today.

I’d just like to quickly plug the area of Swaledale in North Yorkshire and the accomodation we are staying in Swaledale Holiday Cottages as its home from home with a log burning stove, balcony, super king bed, all important wi-fi and the views from the cottage apartment are simply stunning in all weathers. If you visit the area, its well worth taking a drive along the Buttertubs Pass in between Thwaite and Hawes. Jeremy Clarkson once said this is the best driving road in Britain and the views are on par with the lake district hills and valleys.

Over the past few weeks in the UK we have witnessed rain, rain and more rain, exactly what Britain is famous for but how can we as vegetable growers use this free resource efficently in our veg gardens. Over the next few posts, I’ll be exploring how to use rainwater wisely to get the most out of your vegetables.

How to Harvest Rainwater

Firstly we need to look at where the water is falling from, this may sound simple but this is best done when it is raining so you can see the best place to harvest from. Rainfall could run off:

• Garages
• Greenhouses
• Shed Roof
• Rabbit Hutch
• Any flat or sloping area.

Secondly work out where a rain harvesting unit could be placed:

• Check where to fix guttering for optimal rainfall
• Place water butts or a reservoir on down pipes of guttering
• Use plastic bins, wooden half barrels etc to collect water in an open patio or deck area to use to refill watering cans

Thirdly install and test out your new collection unit when it rains, also check the water butt, pot or barrel is in the right position, check there are no leaks and that there is an overflow protection device or plan to overflow into another pot etc.

Collecting Water on a Budget

There are plenty of ways to harvest water on a limited budget, here are a few ideas:

• Bath water converter kits are cheap and help re-use bath water and washing up water to water your plants
• Check with your local water company, sometimes they have special discounts on water butts
• Try freecycle, ebay, for cheap water butts
• Find alternative materials to use for guttering or water collections like left over pond liner, wooden troughs can be water proofed with plastic bags, ridgid plastic sheeting can be used to guide water into troughs etc.

Weekend Water Saving Project

Make Your Own Rain Chain

Rain chains are a japanese idea which uses copper cups that would over flow as the water flows down the chain. Copper rain chains are quite expensive but you can make your own using tiny funnels, terracotta pots and any cup like features linked together by a length of chain.

Instead of using an ugly plastic down pipe of guttering try these imaginative ways of guiding the water down the length of a chain to your water barrel on ground level.

This is by far the best diy example I have seen, why not try it out for yourself this rainy weekend?

Make Your Own Galvanised Mini Bucket Rain Chain.

Related Items

• How To Deal with Extreme Weather on Your Vegetable Plot
• iGrowVeg Pinterest Boards
• Join our Newsletter for more growing tips and advice

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Keeping Cats Off the Veg Garden

Squashed Lettuce!

I live with two lovely cats who enjoy the garden almost as much as I do and like nothing better than climbing on any structures whether it be the shed, fence, mini greenhouse or my raised beds.

The main problem with cats is trying to find a solution that will stop them from digging in soil or compost. The cats issue is a popular one on vegetable growing forums with at least one thread usually dedicated to the problem.

Over the years I’ve tried a few different methods for keeping cats off the vegetable garden, with mixed results:

• Enviromesh floating cloche – The mesh is draped over the bed and held down with rocks. Results: Our cat laid on the mesh and squashed my lettuce but it stopped the digging.
• Sticks, canes or holly twigs – Laid criss-crossed over the raised bed or pot.
  Results: This does work to some degree just make sure they cannot get a paw into a gap to enable them to dig, because the twigs are quite light and will move easily.
• Orange Peel – Scattered on or around the area you want to protect. Apparently cats don’t like the acidic smell.
  Results: This worked until it rained and washed away the smell. Orange peel doesn’t break down in the soil either and gives an acidic nature to the soil type.
• Planting Coleus canina (or Plectranthus ornatus) otherwise known as Scaredy-Cat Plant – Grown in pots they can be moved about and cats don’t like the smell.
  Results: We didn’t like the smell either! and unfortunately they didn’t work.

Cats Off Solution

Veg Planter Cardboard Cover

I have found the best way to deter my cats and other neighbourhood cats is to have my raised beds covered in a giant enviromesh cloche all year except for beans which need to be open for bees and other pollinators. As the beans are densely packed together, they don’t venture into the plot.

My new ‘eco pot’ idea is to recycle cardboard shredded packaging by putting it over the planters on the deck (so it looks like a cargo net) to prevent cats digging in my newly sown containers, so far it seems to be working.

During today’s heavy rain, the cardboard netting over my potato planter caved in, but I’m thinking thats ok, it can be a mulch with the compost. I might have to use a few twigs for the taller planter instead. The cardboard netting over the Vegetable Planter is working much better due to the compost being level with the top of the planter.

Keeping Rabbits Off the Veg Garden

Wild Rabbit

In simple terms the main problems with wild rabbits are they can jump quite high, dig soil and chew vegetation.

I’m an organic vegetable grower so I don’t believe there’s any need to use of chemicals because ultimately we live alongside wildlife and should respect their habitats.

Here’s a few ways to keep rabbits out of your vegetable garden or container garden:

• Chicken Wire Fence – This is the obvious answer, put up mesh chicken wire fence but making sure to dig down about eight inches into the soil to prevent rabbits digging underneath.
• Wire Plant Cloches – Instead of trapping in the rabbit, protect the plant with the wire netting instead, creating cloches or spheres to surround your favourite plants or vegetables.
  Here’s how to make a wire cloche.
• Plant Rabbit Proof Plants – Here’s a list of shrubs, trees, flowers and vegetables to grow if you want rabbits to find something else to munch on in your garden. The vegetables include anything in the allium (onion) family). Click here for more – RHS Rabbit Resistant Plants.
• Knowing what Veg Rabbits love – Rabbits love to eat vegetation in spring and summer and like nothing better than young shoots like peas, beans and lettuce. If given half a chance they would munch through the whole lot. Also flowers like tulips, dandelions, clover and weeds attract rabbits to the garden. However they do not like lavender and catnip so inter plant the garden with these types of plants.
• Red Cayenne Peppers or Dried Chilli Pepper – Make a weak solution of water and ground chilli pepper or powder and strain through a sieve, then add a little vegetable oil and put into a spray bottle. It may need a little adjusting on how much chilli powder is put in, but sprayed around the area of vegetables will keep the bunnies away, although it does wash away after rainfall.

Other Top Tip Posts:

• 5 Reasons Why you should grow Nasturtiums Near Vegetables
• Top Tips on Growing Beetroot
• How to deal with extreme weather on your vegetable plot
• 8 Reasons to start growing vegetables now!

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If you want to build your own vegetable plot in your back garden it is worth considering the size of raised beds especially if you have limited space or you want them setup in a specific area.

My Vegetable Plot

My raised beds sizes were limited by the space between the shed and our fence and how wide we wanted the path to be. As this was an access route I couldn’t make the beds as wide as I would have liked. I did have space to construct three sized 5 ft by 4ft and 12 inches deep.

As you can see even though my raised bed is relatively small, I can plant a lot of vegetables close together and still get a good crop of carrots, radishes, french beans, rocket and kohl rabi.

Raised Bed Width

Vegetable Plots should be built with the idea that you can tend them from all sides. This is why they are often built no more than five foot wide if positioned against a wall or fence. They can be any chosen length as long as they have pathways in between to gain access from all sides for maintenance and sowing.

Raised Bed Length

The length of a vegetable plot may even be determined by the materials you are using for example this gardeners world video shows how to use scaffolding planks to build raised beds and they are 13 foot long. Whereas some materials and raised bed kits are flexible with their sizes, so measure the space you have and then find a kit or cut wood to size to fit.

Build a Raised Bed

The rule of thumb is that you should be able to reach at least half way across your vegetable raised bed from the side, because stepping on the soil is the last thing you want, as the compaction will harm the air and water pockets in the soil that the plants need to grow.

Raised Bed Height

The depth or height of a raised bed should be no less than six inches and if possible higher preferably at least twelve inches if you would like to grow root vegetables like carrots and parsnips.

If you are looking for ideas on sizes of raised beds in gardens, check out the following examples.

Home Garden Vegetable Plots

Mals Allotment – Two layer brick built square plots with pathways. This means there’s easy access to plot from front, back and sides and raised up to help maintenance.

Snappy’s Garden Blog – Link-a-bord raised bed kits made from rigid plastic but can be made up into all different sizes. As you can see they can be placed on the soil and filled with your own manure/compost soil mix.

West Coast Crafty – Timber built beds 8 foot by 4 foot in size. These raised beds are built and setup on top grass, with a layer of soggy newspaper before the soil goes on top. You can get a good idea of the size and spacing of plants in the photo.

My Cottage Charm – Here is another raised bed setup on grass but is 20 foot long with little capped posts which look great. Raised beds were the only option here due to the huge rocks in the garden.

Hackney Permaculture – Small square wooden raised beds made using a B&Q Kit. I like the addition of the trellis attached to one side for the peas to grow up and netting to stop the cats and squirrels digging. This photo shows how much you can actual grow in a small space.

More Raised Beds Posts

• Build Your Own Vegetable Raised Bed
• Beginner Vegetable Growers – Where To Start
• Raised Bed Materials
• Raised Bed Shapes
• Spring Vegetable Sowing Guides

Sign up to our Newsletter for more veg growing tips and advice:
iGrowVeg Newsletter

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I wanted to share with you the striking and vibrant colour palette that is Bright Lights Swiss Chard.

• Swiss Chard Colour Palette

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/chardpalette.jpg

  Seedlings of many colours

• Swiss Chard Colour Palette

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/yellowchard.jpg

  Sunshine Yellow Chard

• Swiss Chard Colour Palette

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/strikingred.jpg

  Ruby Red Chard

• Swiss Chard Colour Palette

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pinkchard.jpg

  Dusky Pink Chard

• Swiss Chard Colour Palette

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/redchardcloseup.jpg

  Striking Red Alert Chard

• Swiss Chard Colour Palette

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/yellowchardcloseup.jpg

  Bright Yellow Chard

• Swiss Chard Colour Palette

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/redseedling.jpg

  Red Tiny Chard Seedling

If you haven’t tried growing Swiss Chard before, its definitely worth ago. They like being grown alongside similar leafy vegetables like Spinach, Leaf Beet and due to their colours give a striking colour palette when grown with Beetroot.

Sow Chard

Sow Swiss Chard between April and May to harvest June to August. They are a good stable leaf vegetable which take approximately 12 weeks to grow. Pick off baby leaves as they come or wait until the larger leaves form with characteristic coloured or white stems. Cook like you would with Pak Choi, put the chopped stems in a stir fry pan first and then the leaves only need a few minutes or they can be steamed.

Swiss Chard are a great container vegetable and can be sown in almost any size planter. Take a look at our Burgon & Ball Willow Planter with planting bag and 5 seed envelopes to help you start growing your own vegetables at home.

Red Tiny Chard Seedling

How to Grow Chard & Other Veg Guides:-

• Growing Chard
• Growing Beetroot
• Growing Pak Choi
• Growing Spinach
• Growing Spring Vegetables
• Vibrant Leafy Veg to Add Colour to Your Beds

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Olympic Vegetable Varieties – Here are the Contenders:

Courgette – Endurance F1

Courgette Endurance

Sow Courgette: April to May
Start Sowing: In Pots in a mini greenhouse, then plant out into raised beds or patio containers when large enough.
Harvest Courgette: July to October

Courgette Endurance F1 is an athletic little number with an open habit and no spines. Dark green fruits can be harvested all summer, its one to watch that will go all the way to the finish line i.e. your dinner plate. Pick courgettes regularly for a more abundant harvest.

Squash – Sprinter F1

Squash Sprinter

Sow Squash: March to May
Start Sowing: One or two seeds per pot in a mini greenhouse, then plant out into raised beds or patio containers after May or sow direct into beds. Squash need a fairly large bed or can be trained up trellis.
Harvest Squash: September to October

On the starting line is this variety of squash, as it races to maturity to produce large vegetables. Squash Sprinter F1 has a trailing habit but with a little coaching can be trained up trellis and stored for long periods.

Broccoli – Ironman F1

Broccoli Spears

Sow Broccoli: April to May
Start Sowing: In Pots in a mini greenhouse, then plant out into raised beds or patio containers when large enough or sow directly into beds in May.
Harvest Broccoli: June to September

This heavy set vegetable is dome shaped with a close cluster of florets. Ironman Broccoli goes from strength to strength and thrives in stressful conditions and can overcome drought and diseases without too much of a problem.

French Bean – Speedy

French Beans

Sow French Beans: May to August
Start Sowing: In Root-trainers or Pots in a mini greenhouse, then plant out into raised beds or patio containers when large enough.
Harvest French Beans: July to October

This slender beanpole variety holds sprinting close to its heart and crops within 60 days in spring right up until late summer.
French Bean – Speedy is a tender, sweet variety is perfect for the picking, if you can keep up it!

Parsnip – Gladiator

Olympic Vegetables

Sow Parsnips: March to May
Start Sowing: Sow directly into the ground in raised beds or deep pots.
Harvest Parsnips: September to March

This variety is a hybrid between sturdy and vigorous. It was created to have the strength of all the other parsnips put together and crush them with its canker resistance. Parsnip – Gladiator is also an easy peeler once its harvested.

Leek – Sprinton F1

Leek

Sow Leek: March to April
Start Sowing: In Root-trainers or Pots in a mini greenhouse, then plant out into raised beds or patio containers when large enough.
Harvest Leek: October to April

This sleek variety lives up to its name by being tracks ahead when sown in late summer to early autumn.

Leek Sprinton F1 produces long shanks and is extremely hardy in colder areas.

Runner Beans – Prizewinner

Runner Beans

Sow Runner Beans: April to May
Start Sowing: In Root-trainers or Pots in a mini greenhouse, then plant out into raised beds or patio containers after last frost at the end of April.
Harvest Runner Beans: July to October

There would be no competition, if there was no prize and here it is in all its glory, the heritage Runner Bean variety Prizewinner. Its scarlet flowers and award winning fine tasting beans are a hit with british veg growers as apparently its one of the most popular varities in Britain. And the gold medal goes to ….

Which Vegetable is your Winning Variety?

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This (harebrained) idea all came about when I was reading the latest edition of Grow it Magazine with its article on Growing Lettuce. I don’t know if photo’s of veg are ‘touched up’ quite in the same way as models on the cover of fashion magazines but these lettuce’s grown in straight rows were very appealing to my inner mind. The cogs were turning as to whether it might just be possible to grow the same effect in my square raised bed and squeeze some colour into my vegetable planter.

Even though my history of lettuce growing consists of slugs, heat bolting and aphids, something in my head (which has gotten me in trouble many a time) is saying to me, yes it is a good idea to try this out.

Sowing Lettuce Seeds

Lettuce Seedlings in Coir Tray

Top Tip from Charles Dowling’s Love Your Lettuces article which I’d like to share is that Oakleaf lettuce’s are more susceptible to slug damage… now it all makes sense! So I’ll be growing the Cos, Lollo and Batavian varieties instead.

I’ve already started the lime green Lettuce Ilenia on the windowsill in coir trays and after 3 to 4 weeks I’ll need to plant them on into my raised beds and vegetable planters.

After 10 – 14 weeks, lettuce leaves should be ready to harvest, just pick off the lettuce leaves closest to the soil as the plant will carry on growing.

So the inevitable question arises now, which other varieties of lettuce should I grow? Here are a few suggestions if you want to try this idea out for yourself.

Red Shades of Lettuce

Dazzle Lettuce

Dazzle

Type: Little Gem / Cos
Shade of Red: Maroon Outer, Yellow Inner leaves

Lollo Rossa

Type: Frilly Lettuce
Shade of Red: Dark red leaf frill tips with dark green inner leaves.

Reddy Green Shades of Lettuce

Freckles Lettuce

Freckles

Type: Cos Lettuce
Shade of Red/Green: Bright green with dark red splodges

Merveille de Quatre Saisons

Type: Open, Hearted Variety
Shade of Red/Green: Bronze crinkled leaves, with bright green inner leaves.

Green Shades of Lettuce

Maritimia Lettuce

Black Seeded Simpson
Type: Hearted variety but can be picked as baby leaf
Shade of Red/Green: Lime green and yellowy colour, crunchy leaves.

Maritima
Type: Batavian
Shade of Red/Green: Close leaf, bright green leaves. Resistant to aphids which is a bonus.

I was also encouraged to find a few vegetable growers who had attempted the rows of red and green lettuces before like BearsGardenSpot and Dunwoody Gardens.

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