Gardening 2011

Our vegetable garden for 2011 is well under way.
We don't have a big garden, but we still manage to squeeze a lot in there.  We have a raised bed, hanging baskets and various pots and other containers.

Let me take you on a tour of what we have so far:

As you step out of the back door, this is right in front of you.

In the left hand container there are peas.

In the middle container there are herbs.  Coriander (Cilantro), Marjoram, Thyme, Parsley, Purple Sage and Chives.  The containers are on an old veg rack we no longer use in the house, which also enables me to move them around if I wish to, really easily.

The right hand container has runner beans and one broad bean (fava bean I think).

Just behind those are2 more pots.  Last year's strawberry plant which need bringing out into other containers and splitting up and a rosemary plant which I had been searching everywhere for and finally picked up yesterday.

Just to your right in that first photo, to the side of the back door are the potato sacks.  We have 3 different varieties again this year but have got them in much sooner.  Pentland Javelin, good for boiling and salads.  King Edward, good for chips (fries), roast potatoes and baked potatoes.  Finally we have a variety called Rocket.  That one is new to me but is a very good new potato.

You can see that we are growing them in bags, which is the same method as growing them in containers, and we already have one growing, even though they only went in this week.

Up on the wall, above the potato sacks we have two hanging baskets with tomatoes in.  We've chosen the variety tumbler, which is a cherry tomato that gives plenty of small tomatoes with no need for staking, making it ideal for containers, hanging baskets or growing upside down.  We haven't quite gone the full upside down route, but these baskets should work out well.  Last year we tried to put 3 in each basket, but it was too much and they didn't thrive, so this year we just have two in each.

On the table to the left of the potato sacks and tomato baskets, there are a few pots.  Eventually these will go over by the rosemary, but for now I want to give them a chance to get established without the slugs interfering.  2 varieties of mint in one pot and two varieties of lavender in the other two pots.

Finally, the raised bed.  We use a square foot method and so far we have some plants that I bought as seedlings from the local garden centre, 2 squares of kurly kale and 4 squares of carrots, tiny round carrots that are cute as well as tasty.

I do all watering by hand (no need for a hose in a garden this size), and when I finish the morning watering I fill the cans back up and leave them out in the sun so that the water used for evening watering has warmed up a little.

Back inside there are some seed trays. I've already moved some of the plants outside, but still in the trays we have some peas, perpetual spinach, French Beans, Rainbow Chard, Pak Choi and various herbs, Beetroot, Chantenay carrots (red cored ones), Little Gem lettuce and Tom Thumb Lettuce.

I have to go through my seed packets later and see if there is anything I want to sow direct into the raised bed today!