Monday, April 22, 2013

The importance of a good plan

I will happily confess to being one of those gardening types with a planting plan. It helps me keep track of where my crops are grown each year, serving as a rough guide for rotating crops the following year. It acts as a historic record of what I've chosen to grow year by year and documents my changing tastes and preferences. Additionally it serves as a space planner, letting me see what crops I have room for each season and what might need to be kept in pots or in the greenhouse. But the most important thing about a planting plan is that you appreciate it is subject to change. And change mine did when in February my brassicas came under attack from the local wood pigeon population. Here's my updated winter plan:

But after annoyance and frustration I came to the view that it has opened up possibilities for the spring season. I have areas of raised bed that are now empty and available for early planting - whereas the brassicas would have remained until June, preventing me from replanting in those areas. Silver linings and all that. It means I can sow more varieties of summer and winter squash than I had first planned – which is good, given the surprise seed packets I found last week...


12 comments:

  1. We use an online planner which is quite useful as it remembers where you have planted things in previous years and warns you if you try to plant things in it again too soon after . It also sets out plants to the correct planting distance so you know how many plants will fit a given area.

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    1. I think I know the planner you mean - I used it for a year or two when it first launched. Lots of fun to use - particularly with the crop rotation warning.

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  2. I also am a planner! I have a gardening book which has documented my changing garden plans over the 4ish years of this garden. Just today I was writing up my modified apple espalier which has given me space to plant 16 more trees, so I've started a wish list now that bare root trees are beginning to be sold over here.
    I'm impressed with your positive attitude to the pigeon marauding - one crops failure is another crops success I'm sure.

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    1. I have a little notebook containing wish lists of plants I come across, records of plants purchased from nurseries and records of bulbs planted in pots - the latter is very useful as I'd never remember what I'd planted by the time they flower!

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  3. For the first time in ages I haven't really planned my winter garden and I am already regretting it as I now have a whole load of seedlings and no where for them to go. I do get a little over zealous at sowing time sometimes...

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    1. I think we're all guilty of that sometimes Liz. I was delighted to see my sweetcorn seeds germinate until I realised I haven't planned any space to plant them out...

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  4. Having a small plot means I have less to plan. Though having an addition to the raised beds this year & planning to put the courgettes & butternut squash in tubs is working out well so far.

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    1. I use containers a lot too - big permanent ones for my cherry tree and blueberry bushes and smaller ones for dwarf french beans and salad this year. My mum has grown a courgette in a pot each year and got a pretty good harvest from those.

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  5. Oh no, all those brassicas eaten by greedy pigeons. Mine didn't even get to that stage, they were munched on at the seedling stage by slugs and I never got round to sowing more. Oh well, let's hope we both have better luck this year. I must get my squash seeds sown this week.

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    1. I did my squash sowing just the other day - I've sown twice the usual quantity as I want to be sure I can get at least one plant of each variety to maturity. I had a lot of failures before flowering last year.

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  6. What a shame you lost your brassicas.
    I like a drawn plan too,and I keep a list of seeds/varieties sown,the date and weather conditions, germination dates and % success rates - just find it useful in planning and for the future.
    Lets hope for a good year now the weathers changed.
    Gill xx

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    1. The weather is looking so good I've been sowing courgettes and squash this week. I'll sow some more brassicas in a month or two - that way I may get an early harvest in before the pigeon marauders strike again...

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