SFG in need of some TLC

Oh Dear! Lots of other things to do, lots of hot dry weather and the Square Foot Garden (SFG) has suffered...

The picture below shows the dead rocket (centre front), ‘woody’ radish (centre right), bolted lettuce (back right) and broad beans falling over (back left). So a big tidy up is needed, and some replanting and watering. But we have had good crops of lettuce, radish and broad beans, so all has not been in vain.

The next picture shows what ten minutes TLC can do, with plans for next planting. I’m avoiding putting the same crops in the same SF (rotation), so lettuce (centre front) basil (centre right), swede for winter (back right) and a few radish where I’ve removed the front onions.

And with the broad beans staked, the whole SFG watered and new seeds covered with fleece, it looks like this:

Onions! Not good this year. If you remember I planted 3 onion sets at the back (north east side) garlic in the centre and 3 onions grown from seed in the front. The sets continue to grow, slowly, but the garlic and onions from seed have developed ‘white rot’, yes even in the hot weather, and are of little use. This looks like a fungus on the base of the onion and the roots are stunted. The disease is often ‘bought in’ on sets or manure etc and easily transferred by foot from plot to plot. It infects the ground for at least a decade and there is no known organic treatment. The onions may grow to a decent size but will not keep more than a couple of weeks. We’ll wait to see whether the sets survive.

Now the good news! The beetroot are growing, with one looking almost ready, which is good as I transplanted these as seedlings rather than growing from seed in situ.

Plenty more broad beans to fill out before harvesting (first picture below) and staking will prevent them for falling onto the French beans (second picture below) which, while quite stunted, do have lots of flowers.

The potato on the right above looks healthy.

Just as I am taking goodness out of the soil, I must put something back, so before watering I’ve sprinkled a small handful of ‘blood-fish and bone’ over the ground. This organic fertilizer is widely available in this country but its use is global. However, not everyone can just pop to the garden centre to buy a pack. Here are three women I met in West Africa crushing dried fish remains and bones, with pestle and mortar, under a mango tree. Hard work in high temperatures!

To update you on other crops growing on the allotment:-

Here are the sweetcorn, with beans just starting to climb beside them and a squash plant to the right and in flower behind.

Below, the potatoes are starting to flower with the broad beans growing above them, and beginning to set pods (if you look closely). However, this crop of BB is being attacked by black fly, so I’m going to try to reduce that by spraying with simple washing up detergent.

Finally, this is why we do it! A good bowl of mixed green salad and a plate of pasta with broad beans, French beans and peas gently sweated for a couple of minutes in olive oil and garlic; delicious. Really fresh and NO chemicals in growing or preparation!

I hope you are also enjoying your crops; any suggestions for what I should plant in the squares as they become available after harvesting?

Everything is growing, weeds included ...

With a drop of rain and some hot sunny days everything is growing in the SFG, weeds included.

However, as you can see below, the rocket has bolted again and is full of holes from the Flea Beetle, so out it comes.

On a close-up of the rocket the tough leaves riddled with holes are much clearer.

However, the broad beans are doing well and should be ready soon. Feel the pods to get an idea of the size of the beans inside and pick when you think they are big enough for your taste.

The radishes are also looking good and I may pick some later.

I sowed some rocket seeds a few weeks ago so I’ll transplant into the same bed and try again. The photo below shows two planted and the third being ‘puddled in’ (water seedlings before taking out of seed bed allowing water to penetrate to roots; dig the hole and transfer as soon as possible covering the roots with water, then soil. Especially important in hot weather).

Below you can see that I squeezed 9 rocket seedlings in; the beetroot looks healthy and lettuce ready to eat; carrots have been weeded and watered. But look! The first radishes for supper! (The French like them with butter and salt!)

Now, there may be some Flea beetle in the soil so I’ll have to watch for that in the next few days. However to protect the rocket from attack (there are some on the radish), and carrot from carrot fly, I’m going to cover with fleece.

The SFG is just part of our allotment; the rocket came from a row in a Brassica bed under fleece (see photo below) with red cabbage in foreground, then rocket, (just watered), cauliflower in centre and calabrase in the distance. Cut off yogurt tubs were barriers against slugs when plants were small and flowerpots are watering points. This controls where the water goes (right to the roots), reduces water use and helps reduce weeds as they like water as well!

The next three pictures show our gooseberries (nearly ready), onions, and strawberries, also nearly ripe.

We also have a couple of flower beds which look attractive and encourage pollinating insects.

I’m experimenting with planting plans this year.

In the picture below you should be able to spot three plants slightly taller than the surrounding vegetation. These are broad beans and were planted beside potatoes, but not so deep. The idea is that the beans will crop first and at the same time bring nitrogen up from the deeper soil. When the bean is finished, I’ll cut it off just above the ground, compost the top couple of feet and leave the nitrogen rich roots for the potato to feed on. Notice that I’ve mulched between the plants with grass cuttings to suppress weeds and retain moisture. Tell you if it works later in the year.

The final picture for today shows an attempt at ‘Three sister planting’ based on Native American (Indian) culture. I’ve planted sweetcorn and, as above, put a climbing French bean seed beside each plant. Between the corn I’ve planted squash seedlings (with yogurt watering pots). The theory is that as the corn grows, the beans climb up their stalks (no need to support with sticks) and again bring up nitrogen for the corn. The squash spread between the corn and beans, shielding out the light, preventing weed growth and keeping everything moist. We’ll see!

Right, That’s me for a week or so, by which time I’ll be enjoying food from the SFG.

But....

• What are you growing?
• How are you using this blog?
• Is it helpful or too basic?

Do leave a comment, and tell us about your own attempts at Growing Your Own Food.

And, enjoy the warm weather!