Been using my own vegetable planting guide for some years. It shows when to make multiple sowings... each is indicated by a sequential number. Images of the two page calendar are shown below. You can also access a printable version by clicking Vegetable Planting Calendar. Hope you find the calendar useful.
Hi John its me again, Pauline, down here in London. Your vegetable calendar has become my new garden bible - so to speak. I am finding that Im following your sowing schedule week by week.
ReplyDeleteAs Im getting back into the swing of things, and you did kindly say if I needed any thing....
Could you please, pretty please with cherries on the top :) do another chart of when each vegetable should be harvested.
And when to add crop protection if needed and what type would be best.
I hope you don't think I'm asking too much of you.
Your chart makes so much more sense to me than anything Ive been able to find in any book.
I hope your keeping well, and enjoying this sunshine
Thank you so much John
Best wishes
Pauline @ magicmoments04@hotmail.com
Really good guide. We live up north so do we put your planting calender a month forward to yours. Eg. If you plant in feb. Do we do ours in march? Also which gets planted under cover or in greenhouses.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks.
Sheila
Hi Sheila... not sure how far north you are, but if in north of England or beyond you'll certainly struggle with the February, early March, October & November items. All the entries are for planting outside, but you could overcome some of the northern disadvantages by using a greenhouse or window ledge.
DeleteHope this helps, John
You put an awful lot of hard work into this calendar and it's given me inspiration for ours this year. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the positive feedback Caitriona. Always welcome ~:0)
DeleteA great guide, and looks very simple to follow. Could you just confirm please, are these seeds going straight into prepared outdoor sites or are they seedlings grown inside being planted out?
ReplyDeleteHi... The seeds should go into prepared outdoor sites. The guide is good for most of England, but if you live in the north or Scotland, you might need to adjust the timings by a couple of weeks. Regards, John
DeleteI'm hoping to get my first allotment on Saturday....will be my first time to attempt to grow anything.Any hints and tips will be really appreciated.I'm in Cavan in the Irish Republic so our weather is pretty similar to England.
ReplyDeleteHi Geraldine... Congratulations on getting your first allotment plot!
DeleteYou'll find most of the items on the vegetable planting calendar are easy to grow. Just prepare your seed bed well so there's a couple of inches of fine soil. Make a small channel according to how deep the seeds need to go. Water the channel and plant the seeds sparingly. Cover the seeds so there's still a slight indent where the channel was. This means you can more easily see where to water, and the water won't run away when you do. Water lightly a couple of times a week unless it rains.
And if I was to suggest one plant to start with? Would have to be tomatoes. Start growing them on a sunny windowsill. They'll be showing in a week or two and there's no bigger difference in taste than between a supermarket and home grown tomato. See the link below about how to grow tomatoes. But be careful when you plant them outside. To avoid frost damage, may be as late as end of May.
I'd also get some of the longer term plants in now for harvesting next year... rhubarb and asparagus. Links to more info for these shown below also.
Regards, John
Link to tomatoes growing : http://allotmentheaven.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/tomato-solanum-lycopersicum.html
Link to rhubarb growing : http://allotmentheaven.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/rhubarb.html
Link to asparagus growing : http://allotmentheaven.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/asparagus.html
Hi John...Thank you so much for the reply. I grew Strawberries and Tomatoes last year in containers in the back garden and had great success so will definitely grow them on the allotment.My plot will be approx 60ft x 20 ft so plenty of room..I'm just worried it may be a bit too big for me as I'm going solo on this project lol...well time will tell.
DeleteThe general rule, Geraldine, is that whatever you start with it's never big enough if you're enthusiastic about it. Just don't let it become a burden... if you only cultivate half the plot this year, that's fine. Let me know how you get on. John
DeleteHi John,
DeleteJust back from viewing the allotment...it's in a beautiful spot,on a hilltop so great drainage I hope. It's all grass and weeds at the moment so my first task will be to clear this.I'm not too keen to get a rotavator as some people have told me that they can cause more problems by spreading the seeds and roots into other plots.Don't want to fall out with my new neighbours lol...was thinking of laying some membrane down over a section and working my way around the plot just using it as and when it's clear of weeds.I'm going to put aside the month of May to getting this done as I'll be working on my own so it'll be slow and steady.
Slow & easy is the right way Geraldine. I used old carpets to cover the parts I couldn't get to immediately. After 6 months the soil underneath was weed free and easier to dig. Many carpet fitters are happy to get rid of old carpets and will deliver rather than take to dump and pay. Make sure the carpet is not foam backed, and your allotment site allow this.
DeleteI'm with you regarding the rotavator. It will chop up couch grass roots, meaning you turn a single couch grass weed into dozens. Not helpful for worms either.
Just dig a bit really well, being careful to remove all the weeds and roots. Plant in that bit so every time you come up to your plot you can see something growing. Bit by bit you'll get the whole plot under control.
Hope the sun shines on you in May! Regards, John
We've just got an allotment and it's bigger than we thought - 10m x 20m!! it is just a load of soil and weeds at the moment and quite wet with all the rain. This is really encouraging and making me realise to just do half starting with a bit at a time. Making the beds seems expensive but a friend suggested just sectioning them off with stakes and string initially. so far I've planted 7 cloves of garlic!!! But even that encourages me when I look at the massive task ahead. Thanks for you page. Helen
ReplyDeleteHi... And congratulations on getting your first allotment! Lots of summer fun and picnics. My allotment is now just one large bed, which I divide up using lines of chives. My recommendation if you've a big patch to conquer is to go for small victories rather than big disappointments. Cultivate a small area really well and keep it that way, gradually expanding it over time. And get a pond. Not matter how small it is, you'll find endless fascination in the wildlife it attracts. Doesn't have to be very big, and lining is really cheap. Good luck! John
DeleteHi John,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this clear and easy calendr. Surprisingly difficult to find a good one. We live in the middle of ireland and I have a poly tunnel with 8 beds and 7 outside raised beds. This is my third year of planting and first 'full' season. I am going to try and stick to your guide, planting the first 6 weeks or so in the poly tunnel, then starting again outside in mid Feb, six weeks behind, if that makes sense.
I have access to some very well rotted horse manure. It is a minimum of 10 years old and is full of worms. Gret for the roses, but would this be good for the vegetable garden as well?
Thank you,
David
Appreciate the positive feedback, David. Ten year old horse manure will be very good for your vegetable garden. All those worms can't be wrong! Hope 2020 turns out to be a bountiful year for your planting. Regards, John
DeleteHi I've just found your blog..Thank you for sharing your vegetable calendar, Could you please tell me what the numbers indicate and would those planting times work for zone 8 Sheffield UK
ReplyDeleteHi... The numbers indicate planting sequence. So Radishes 1 is the first small seed plant for radishes, Radishes 2 another small seed plant a couple of week later, etc. etc. Being further north, you'll probably struggle with the January, February, October & November planting suggestions. Hope thishelps. Regards, John
DeleteHi John just found your growing caleder, I'm a complete novice and wanted to try and grow some potatoes next year. If I'm reading the guide correctly week 3 in February I should chit the potatoes but when should I plant them?
ReplyDeleteApologies for it not being too clear. Plant your chitted potatoes when the soil has warmed up. Depending on which part of the UK you live, would be from mid-March to mid-April.
DeleteI have downloaded at least 15 different planting guides. This one is the best out of them all. THANKS!
ReplyDeleteHi Ann Marie... Glad you find it useful. Regards, John
ReplyDeleteas most people are saying, thanks for the clear sowing chart, i am starting my second year on the allotment, half veg and half i have made as a garden for the wife to sit in as we live in a flat with no garden, built my own shed, this year building a polythene greenhouse. last year i had a huge problem with whitefly sothis year i will use anti butterfly netting, as they say we learn as we go along,again many thanks.
ReplyDeleteGlad you like the planting chart. I think allotments have been a life saver for many people in the last year. Good luck with the polythene greenhouse. Regards, John
DeleteHello, thanks for sharing this; it's very useful. I know that people have already asked about adapting the calendar for different areas of the country - I live in a rather cold part of Surrey and our last frost date is mid May. Can I ask when yours is meant to be, please, as that would really give me a good idea of how the planting schedule can be adapted for my area. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi Helen... The calendar is primarily for the south of England. I live in Cambridgeshire. However, I'm not sure geography is quite as important as weather trends in a particular year, For example, early 2020 very warm start compared to this year's damp and cool beginning. With fluctuations like that, the chart needs to be adjusted accordingly, omitting sowings numbered 1, even 2. Regards, John
Deletehi john my fist time planting veg put some pumpkins in do you trim them they have gone mad
ReplyDeleteHi... Pumpkins are an excellent choice for your first vegetable. You have to fight them off with a stick ~;o)
DeleteDepending on how many you've planted, if you restrict a few to two flowers/fruit, the resultant pumpkins will be bigger. You could let the rest grow unrestricted. That way you'll get plenty of huge yellow flowers and they'll suppress any weeds. Regards, John