Anyone growing their own veg this year?

[Ms_Derious]

Thanks David.

That's a really helpful set of information to start with :) Almost all the organic gardening sites/books I've found suggest use of non-vegan products, so this is very good to have.

I hope to move to a house with a bit more growing room in the next few years, so I'm trying to learn the basics in a smallish area, experience I can transfer as I get a bit more land to work on.

[DavidT]

There are lots of vegan organic websites too, Ms_Derious.

One of the most important parts of (vegan) organic gardening is companion planting, where you use the properties of plants to help others. I'm sure you know this. Close planting helps too. All our pea plants are trained up canes and are very closely spaced. There's no room for weeds!

[chefness]

- I feel the need to keep reviving old threads and for that I do apologize, but I'd rather not start a new repeat! -

I have 7 acres ready to plant, and three greenhouses growing away marvelously. Every herb you can imagine, and vegges like the dickens - oh my I can't wait to plant - I've got a whole house full of seedlings and beautiful lush fresh greens every day. We just opened the last 25kg bag of local flour to bake breads and other such goods!
Oh my, I just love living sustainably!

[whalespace]

Seven acres sounds huge Chefness. How many people work your plot.... or how many people days?

[cedarblue]

sounds wonderful chefness - we sowed our toms, chillis & peppers last weekend and they are popping through now! just put our spuds in a tray to chit & are planning this years bounty.

we dug up the last of the parsnips today and had the last of the kale for lunch.

[chefness]

My mother and I are co-owners of our organic farm - The Herb Farm. We both work the 7 acres and care for the earth - and it blesses us with bounty :)

[whalespace]

That sounds lovely.

My allotment needs me.

[cedarblue]

been sooooo busy of late and especially over this easter weekend.

first salad sowings coming through with some collard greens - also cucumbers, rocket, toms, chillis and peppers.

been putting in onion sets and spring onion seeds.

sowed herbs; basil, parsley, chervil, coriander.

sowed radishes, yellow & green courgettes, sweetcorn, butternut squash, mixed winter squash & some carrots.

did 2nd sowing of salad stuffs and will be putting some parsnip, rainbow chard & spinach over the easter school hols.

phew!

[RubyDuby]

just put in red onions and white potatoes. We have a lot more work to do digging up the beds by hand so I can plant the carrots, beets, radish and corn. It's a lot of work and hard to find the time and energy! Need to get my butt in gear.

[yo-yo]

Never grown my own veg before- unless you count a few mostly failed attempts at parsley indoors and lots of sprouting! (which reminds me I need to start this up again..)- but for the first time I'm giving it a go in my mum's garden!

Sowed the first seeds the other day- rocket and mixed (loose leaf) lettuce.

In a few weeks will sow carrot seeds and a little while later, some beetroot.

SO excited about this!!! :D Can't wait for the satisfaction of eating veg I have grown myself...

x x x

[Ms_Derious]

This year we are growing
Low growing peas
Kale
Squash
Rhubarb
Beans (with nasturtiums to ward off blackfly and provide yummy blossoms)
Tomato
Micro lettuce leaves

We also have two fruit bushes and are expecting to get some small strawberry plants as cast offs from my parents.

Put in a raised bed this year (yay) My husband (also vegan) put some photos of the construction up on twitpic
http://twitpic.com/photos/oDCo

[Torath]

its good to read that some vegans know the joy of gardening. its soul satisfying.

my brother has a common sized lot which he has transformed into a high yielding garden with his interest in permaculture. last year he said he got 1000 pds of potatoes, 5 pds of hops, lots of tomatoes and other things. this year he said he's already got like 6000 dollars of garlic and hundreds of tomatoe plants started among other things. i think gardening has made the potential of being fully vegetarian more realizeable for him.

[harpy]

I have got some baby globe artichokes doing nicely in the kitchen - sounds rather pretentious I know but I have had some success with growing them from seed in the past and artichokes are soooo expensive in the shops. I also have some baby nettles :D I have got other seeds in but that's all that's come up so far.

[missbettie]

i need to start!!!! eep!!!

[RubyDuby]

I know! I started a couple weeks ago and have since gotten lazy!

artichokes. good idea. they are expensive!

[missbettie]

i plant things and then get bored and lazy and stop watering and weeding....so then once my plants start dying out goes my little handy man boyfriend and brings them back to life! and then i get interested again once HE shows interest...don't want him to one up me. :D

i'm soooo not an artichoke fan....i like the artichoke hearts on pizza but otherwise...yuck.... maybe i don't cook them right...how do you eat them?

[RubyDuby]

out of a can! lol

[Kitteh]

My strawberries produced teeny tiny strawberries, they were lovely
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2768/4369252105_6107182c9a.jpg

I planted pineapple and purple sage, the pineapple died and now the purple is being eaten by caterpillars.

I have some other potted herbs up on a table so they're far away from the bugs: basil, tarragon, coriander & thyme. All are doing so well, so far!

[harpy]

Re artichokes - I boil them, then dismember them and dip the bases of the leaves in vinaigrette and eat those. Then I eat the heart (minus hair) and the stalk if not too tough.

Takes half the evening and must burn a few calories

[cedarblue]

pea shoots popping up for pea plants proper and also pea shoots for eating.

magenta sunflowers popping up.

planted the spinach and chard, need to put in some parsnips in soon.

today or tomorrow will be sowing dwarf french beans and nasturtiums.

radishes popping up and carrots in raised beds too.

yesterday i planted 8 raspberry canes for fruting next year - hope they take ok.

1st early spuds popping up in the pots.

[harpy]

Wow! How industrious you all are.

How do you do the pea shoots for eating, cedar? I recently did some in my sprouter and they turned out a bit odd, though edible. Am wondering if it would be better to do them in soil.

[cedarblue]

no, not in a sprouter - just one of those black shallow seed trays with some compost in, moisten the compost then poke the peas right down to the bottom and fill in the hole (or they sometimes pop themselves above ground when the root starts to grow). that's it - leave them in a warm bright place and keep the soil just moist but not soaking (or the pea may rot) .....and just wait....snip them when they are one or two inches tall - lovely in salads or as garnish.

sometimes you can just lay some cling film over the top of the tray like a mini greenhouse/propagator to hasten things along with a higher temperature.

[harpy]

Thanks, I'll try growing the next lot in compost. It wasn't the rate of growth that bothered me, but they ended up a bit sort of measly compared with the peashoots you get in the shops - I realise those ones are probably injected with hormones or something :eek: It was also difficult to separate the shoots from the peas and they were a bit unappetising by the time the shoots were ready IYSWIM.

[cedarblue]

you can do it, harpers!!

[smallhelen]

Wasn't going to plant anything this year as we are planning on moving. But, then I gave in and planted some mange tout and dwarf beans yesterday. Hopefully they will grow quick and I can eat them before we leave this house!