The suburban veg plot comprises a third of my back garden with the remaining two thirds being taken up by the chickens and the patio.
A tiny greenhouse and shed were already in situ and we installed a series of wooden raised beds, of varying lengths but all 1m wide. They were initially filled with purchased top soil and have been improved over a few years with homemade compost and rotted horse manure. In recent years, our homemade compost has been fortified with plenty of fresh, free-range organic chicken poo, which has made a huge and beneficial difference to the quality and speed of the compost we produce.
I don't follow a formal crop rotation, as due to a large laurel hedge and side fences, some beds are more shady and damp than others and thus not ideal for certain crops. But I do try to follow the principle of not planting the same crop in the same place year on year.
The plans below show what is growing in the raised beds each year - as an aide memoire when it comes to planning the next year's planting positions and as a record of how my GYO crop selection changes over time. Click on a plan to view it as a larger image.
2013 spring/summer
2012 spring/summer
2011 autumn/winter
2011 spring/summer
2010 plan
A tiny greenhouse and shed were already in situ and we installed a series of wooden raised beds, of varying lengths but all 1m wide. They were initially filled with purchased top soil and have been improved over a few years with homemade compost and rotted horse manure. In recent years, our homemade compost has been fortified with plenty of fresh, free-range organic chicken poo, which has made a huge and beneficial difference to the quality and speed of the compost we produce.
I don't follow a formal crop rotation, as due to a large laurel hedge and side fences, some beds are more shady and damp than others and thus not ideal for certain crops. But I do try to follow the principle of not planting the same crop in the same place year on year.
The plans below show what is growing in the raised beds each year - as an aide memoire when it comes to planning the next year's planting positions and as a record of how my GYO crop selection changes over time. Click on a plan to view it as a larger image.
2013 spring/summer
2012 autumn/winter
2012 spring/summer
2011 autumn/winter
2011 spring/summer
2010 plan
