Month-by-month timeline for vegetable growers
Month-by-month timeline for vegetable growers
I have a fancy database for managing all of my varieties, sowing dates, bed plans, seed packets etc. It’s great for the complexity that I’m managing with hundreds of varieties and hundreds of seed packets, but it’s also only really suitable for IT literate users and those with similar ‘challenges’.
Even I often just want a quick reference, that tells me the minimum information, quickly and simply and so that’s what I’ve created here:
Please feel free to take a copy of it and make your own changes and publish it on your own website, as your own. You’ve no obligation to mention that it’s based on mine, but if you do or even better if you let me know about it, that would be lovely.
I’m really keen to improve on this first version, so if you have any comments or suggestions please let me know!
If you are new to my allotment videos you might find a bit of context useful. We live in the north west of England, in Lytham St Annes, which I believe is the equivalent of USA Zone 8. Fairly mild, but very windy.
For more details on the databases that I use to manage my allotment, check out these two blog posts https://steves.seasidelife.com/category/airtable/
We have three allotments in my family, mine (Steve), my wife’s (Debbie) and my middle daughter’s (Jennie). We also have a small kitchen garden at home. They are all managed in an integrated fashion, so don’t expect to see the usual mix of veg on each plot. I do most of the planning and seed starting. We each have our own plots, but we all help each other out.
Jennie’s plot has been designed as a traditional allotment, but we put a lot of focus on minimising the work we do there. It’s basically a plant and forget it plot, full of garlic, leeks, onions, beetroot, brassicas, squash, beans and fruit trees. It’s heavily mulched to reduce weeds and to reduce the need water.
Debbie’s plot is mostly full of perennials, it’s an ornemental plot. Again we did a lot of work to keep the weeds down and Debbie’s approach is inspired by the TV programme The Ornamental Kitchen garden.
My plot is all about experimental growing, maximum productivity and year round abundance. As with all of the other plots I did a lot of work to control the weeds, but it’s a high maintenance plot. I’m always planting, harvesting, experimenting and generally having a great time.
Collectively the plots deliver an amazing abundance of fruit and veg all year round. Debbie, Jennie, Jon and I are effectively self sufficient in veg all year round and in fruit for much of the year. During winter we sometimes have enough surplus to feed our local family. During the rest of the year when the surplus from our house garden comes on stream we have surpluses in some crops for quite a few friends as well.
This video provides an overview:
I do an update of the allotments, roughly twice a month, you can find the tours here:
Our approach to allotment life is to: grow as much as we possibly can, to be self-sufficient in veg all year round and in fruit in season, to give away our surplus to friends and family, and to have as much fun as possible. For more on self sufficiency check out these videos:
We are not slaves to gardening though, I spend about 14 hours a week on the plots (on average) Debbie and Jennie a lot less. We keep nudging that down as we eliminate non-productive work: like grass cutting, weeding and watering as much as practical. We are both newbie gardeners, only starting the allotments in 2016.
I’m a bit obsessive about the nutrient density of the veg that we grow and making the plots easy to work because it’s through this allotment lifestyle and food that I’ve overcome a debilitating auto-immune disease.
I’m always aware though that it might not last so I make sure that I don’t work too hard, eat as much organic fruit and veg I can and design the plots so that I can still work them when I flare up.
Thanks Steve. Great info, not at al techie.
I’m still on a waiting it’s for an allotment (4 yes plus) but grow in my front & rear garden but limited space. Mainly raised beds as on neat chalk on a hill top on out skirts of Brighton. Can’t wait to get a poly tunnel. Have a very small home made green house out of old pvc double gazing. 4 foot by 3foot. Ten foot tall ! So good for starting seeds & small pants get a few peppers & tomato plant in later on.
Soooooo……generous to share this F.O.C. Ditto the air table databases. Very much appreciated!
Cheers
Glad you mentioned a couple of things I’ve never heard of will look for them as I love radish
Brilliant Steve – just what the doctor ordered!
Question please Steve. A neighbour asked me do coloured carrots taste the same as standard, and are they identical, to the best of your knowledge, in nutrients, and lastly why plant them. He is Greek so he cannot ask himself.
I’m certain this will help many people out Steve, I know many are looking for this sort of thing early in the year..:).. Steve.
Just had a look at the timeline and it’s just what I need. It’s to the point and easy to follow. I am determined to grow more veg this year and this will help me no end. Thanks for sharing your hard work.
Fab thank you
I used to write every thing down,I still do for last frost rain fall throw the year but things have changed so much in the last 10 years and the last 3 is a different story
So I do not see such an avatage it must help some what ,I will be interested to see when we have our last frost this year,we have only had 3 days of hard frost so far and now its miled again ?
Thank you for sharing this. It will come in very handy for the year ahead. Best wishes for a very successful 2020!
We’ve both had aircraft problems today Steve! I was down on the plot and got buzzed by a couple of Eurofighters! I jumped out of my skin,they were so low! 😂 I’ll have to check out your link, it sounds right up my street. Thank you 😊🌱
Steve your an absolute legend. Thanks for this.
Perfect Steve. This is exactly what I need.
That looks like a lot of work. Thank you for putting in all that effort and sharing with everyone. As with your spreadsheets.
Can’t fault it Steve! So useful and clear. My biggest problem at my allotment is rabbits! The allotment is rented from the estate owner, right in the middle of sheep country. I spend most of my time and money putting up barriers of wire netting. The rabbits even dig their burrows in the allotment space! Thank you for all your shared knowledge and patient explanations.
Thanks Steve, this is brilliant and very useful. I’ve already cut and pasted and begun to edit to fit my shorter growing season and harder winters in southern Germany based my own notes and experience.
I got my allotment in October 2015 when my youngest daughter was 6 months old. I started with a small patch and worked my way up and I have surprised myself with how much of our veg I can grow year round with relatively little effort following tips from yourself, Charles Dowding and One Yard Revolution.
Feedback: typo vegetables on first line. Also it would be good to know the dimensions of the cells in a 40-module or 12-cell tray.
Thanks for your generosity in sharing a document that was clearly a lot of work to put together for free.
MORNING Steve thanks for sharing ❤❤👌👌☕☕
👍
Hello Steve, have you considered creating your various guides as a PDF downloadable file on your website? All the best….
🌻 Nigel …….MuddyBootz Allotment 🌻
A great article Steve. I am in the middle of writing something similar to link my jobs to do pages together in a blog format. won’t be out for a month or so yet though as i have other posts to launch first. But great information and well structured
Great time table Steve will use it for sure. Whats your thoughts on broad forking. I’ve seen a few videos on it and was wondering what you think of it. I have 2 types of garden this year no dig and an area which I’ll till only because i dont have enough compost so was thinking of broad forking this area , your thoughts.
Thanks Steve…
Do you pickle much?, I really don’t like radish, my wife does but she doesn’t eat them regularly enough.. in autumn we had quite a few getting to the end of freshness and I had some left over 15minute pickling vinegar.. so I thinly slice the radish and popped it in the jar with the pickling vinegar… and I really like it! It’s kind of like the pickled ginger you get with sushi
Thought I’d share as it’s quite nice to carry it through the winter!
I purchase an app Grow Veg It is easy but there are a lot of things missing I mean how can I plan my garden without sunflowers. It is unheard of right.
Remember that radish pods are almost the best part of the radish. I grow some radish’ just to let them go to seed. The grandkids love the flavor and will stand and graze on the pods. It is a wonderful treat.
Thank you for your videos. They are very helpful. I have been doing a big garden for years but want to be more organized about it.
I am at the seed starting phase. From bigger trays to individual pots. Next step to the garden, covered by a small poly tunnel. (Northern California)
My current garden update: the cabbage is thriving. Maybe 3-4 weeks to planting. The next batch from seed is already popping up.
I transplanted the green Brussels sprouts into bigger pots yesterday. Today I will transplant out the red and the first lettuce (into pots). then replant lettuce. Again, 3-4 weeks to getting into the ground.
The first Tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers are a week to ten days to transplanting into their bigger pots. I plan to begin the next batch of peppers today.
The first marigolds are up. Ditto spinach and medicinal poppy. The nicotania is just considering germinating.
Yesterday’s seed starts: early purple sprouting broccoli, alpine strawberries, nasturtiums, Rosemary, ashwagandha mixed flowers, wild quinine, bergamot, black caraway.