Planting suggestions required

[therosy1]

Hi,

I am still clearing the garden and plan on some structural changes to the paths over the coming months.  I haven't decided on planting for next year yet and hope someone can give me some pointers for planting now so that the areas cleared can be put to good use in the meantime.

So, suggestions please for edible and non-edible plantings I can do now for both visual and gastronomic pleasure from now until the Spring, please.

I am in South East England.

Thanks.

Therosy1

[therosy1]

[:(]

In the autumn you can do broad beans, garlic and onions.  Its also the time for planing fruit trees and bushes beofre the gorund gets too cold. You could also get a herb bed going.

[Digeroo]

It is not too late to plant some green stuff for winter leaves.  Mustard etc are green all winter.  And it is not long before strawberries can go in.  I personally am not a great fan out autumn sown Broad beans most years the ones sown Feb/Mar outcrop them and are only a few days later. 

There are a number of annual flowers which you can sow in September.  Larkspur, calendula, phacelia for example.  I am also going to sow sunflowers since the ones that came up as weeds are doing considerably better than the ones I sowed.

[:(]

and if you just wanted to keep the beds clear but have somehting growing you could do green manure.

[therosy1]

Thank you for the suggestions.

I already have two large pear trees - needing severe pruning and a damson tree that might have to go.  Further trees and bushes will have to wait until I work out what is going where.  For now, I just want something growing that is both practical and attractive before I decide on more permanent solutions.

Now for the dim question - what's "green manure"?

Thanka again

[:(]

Its a crop you grow to dig into the soil. It captures nutrients that would otherwise be leeched out of the soil (especially in winter) and when you dig it in it adds bulky orgainc matter which helps to open up a heavy soil or aid water retention in light soil. I like phacelia becuase the bees love it and I can sow right up until late november and it stands through the winter,

[pigeonseed]

I know that overwintering broadbeans and peas has mixed results. I personally haven't found it produced a good crop either. I'm still doing it this winter though! Mainly because I hope to get an early crop of them, and also to have something going on over winter.

So if you're really keen to have something happening in the new veg beds, try overwintering suitable pea and broadbean types. (I'm trying Bunyards Exhibition broadbean and Meteor pea)

I second weequinie's suggestion of onions and garlic. Autumn-grown onions are ready maybe a month or more before spring-sown, which frees up a a useful bed, just in time for mid-summer sowings/planting next year.

Another suggestion: beetroot and winter radish. They might not last past Christmas, because heavy frosts do them in, but then they free up a bed for shallots or potatoes.

[1066]

lots of great advice already so just a welcome to A4A from me therosy1  :)

[Digeroo]

A agree about the peas.  Covered them in plastic bottles to protect against mice rabibits deer etc.  They survived even through last winter including snow up to the top of the bottles and some very cold nights.  I had sone very early peas.

[therosy1]

lots of great advice already so just a welcome to A4A from me therosy1  :)

Thanks for the welcome, 1066, and thanks to all who have given me lots of ideas.  Can't wait for the garden centre to open now, so I will just have to spend the evening online!  ;D

Therosy1

[1066]

Just a thought but you could always plant a few herbs - like rosemary, I think they would be fine over winter

Hope you didn't bust the bank at the garden centre  ;)  :)

1066  :)

[grawrc]

Hi therosy1 and welcome! I hope you are having fun with your garden! I am about to start restructuring my back garden over the winter months too but in my case mainly because it's getting seriously overgrown.

On the ornamental side autumn is a good time for lifting, splitting and replanting herbaceous perennials and also bare root roses. Most of the pundits recommend planting in groups of 3 or 5 but obviously it depends on the size of your garden.

Apart from what has already been suggested you might consider planting rhubarb too. And do bear in mind that you can extend the planting/growing season by using cloches or planting in the greenhouse if you have one.

[kypfer]

I sowed Broad Bean 'Aquadulce Claudia' last 24th October. They'd germinated by 14th November and gave a comprehensive crop this early summer, all being harvested by mid-June. Either by luck or design, the plants were virtually black-fly free. It's a variety apparently especially developed for over wintering and proved to be very robust. The plants were given no protection whatsoever through the colder weather and even the two plants my feline friends snapped grew back  8)

[AdeTheSpade]

I think the early Broad Beans you mention kypfer aren't as susceptible to blackfly as they flower and crop earlier than spring sown ones.  I always sow some around October time, and usually get a great crop, although this year mine did succumb to the cold winter and only 3 plants survived :'(

[Digeroo]

I planted several sowing of Aquadulce Claudia and after the winter had only four plants left by the rabbits, deer, pigeons and the ravages of the weather.  They were thoroughly outshone by Masterpiece greenlong pod which was also aphid free and dripping in beans from Early march onward sowings.

[chriscross1966]

I also lost my Aquadulce to the weather this year but it was an exceptional winter..... most years they stand up OK and you can get a crop out of them before something else goes in their place... it's perfectly sensible for them to be followed by a later sowing of beetroots, assorted brassicas, carrots, salads etc... also garlic generally wants to go in in the autumn.... the winter killed one elephant and one hardneck, but all the rest were superb....

As I have a lot of seeds to play with I'm tempted to try an experiment on winter hardiness of various BB's....I've got Aquadulce, Masterpiece Green, Sutton, Crimson flowered, Express and Giant Exhibition... ok so like broad beans... bite me..... :D

chrisc

[Digeroo]

I have had volunteers of both crimson and masterpiece and no sign of coming through winter even in mild years, but I will be interested in your results.  But Masterpiece can be sown in Feb and crimson can also pop up very early in the new year.  A few plastic bottles helps but I don't leave on too long as I find it difficult getting the leaves back through the neck and they go leggy. 

I got some AC for 50p so will not loose much by throwing them in.  I will put them in the garden there are too many hungry mouths on the lottie.  But there is not much in it.  One has slugs , and the other has deer, rabbits, and rats and both have pigeons, squirrels and mice. 

[grannyjanny]

I picked up a few pkts of BBs at Wyvale this week & other things of course ;). Plenty for seed swaps when they come round :).

[therosy1]

Thought you might like an update following all the welcome advice.

I have gone for onions and garlic for now.  I am not a broad bean lover, so will give those a miss and I am not sure that I would be able to make peas work.

I am still in two minds whether to go for edibles or for ornamental.  So many potential problems with edibles, hearing stories of blight, rot, slugs, various flies etc that I worry my efforts will be in vain if I try edibles.  While I like the thought of eating the "fruits" of my labour, I don't have masses of time to dedicate to cultivation and would be disheartened by failure.

So, I plan to raise what I can up to next summer while thinking about it.  The decision hangs by a thread - the thread of subjects covered in this forum.  I will be keeping a watch on what all of you are discussing over the coming months to see if I can be enthused into edibles as a longer term project.  No pressure on you all, then!   :-\

Thanks again for the welcome and advice.

Therosy1