Wishing you all a happy, healthy, abundant New Year in your gardening, growing, and life endeavours. Whilst I don’t like New Year resolutions, I am hoping that I can make my two raised beds at the allotment more productive this year. As if he knew my intentions, Father Christmas brought me several packets of seeds to get me started. Although I’m a keen gardener, growing fruit and vegetables is still fairly new to me, so please forgive any rookie errors in this article.
January is, perhaps, my least favourite month. The excitement of Christmas has faded and the cold days of January lie ahead. Also, it’s not much fun venturing abroad to tidy pigeon-demolished brassicas and see what’s survived the hard frosts.
However, January also gives us time to reflect and plan crops for the coming seasons. Like all growers, I had mixed results in 2022. Small successes were Desiree potatoes, one prolific courgette and raspberries – the latter only until something sat on the netting and squashed half the canes! The less successful crops included rocket and coriander, which bolted in the extreme heat of summer, tomatillos (used mostly for salsa) and jalapeño chillies – the seeds of which I planted, in a polytunnel, rather too late in the year.
Each year I draw a rough plan to help me decide what to put where, what not to plant together or what follows what. Having a fairly limited space, which suits me, means I need to think a bit more about crop rotation and how much room plants need. By the end of the year, the plan will have crossings out, more arrows, new ideas etc, as prompted by weather, plants harvested, things not working out and me changing my mind…
Although not on the plan, I garden as organically as possible, and use flowers such as nasturtiums and marigolds to attract both pollinators and for aphids and other hungry critters, to enjoy instead of the crops. Plus, they look nice…
Bronwen Jones
