My first year of growing vegetables
In this Article...
If you are thinking of growing your own vegetables, then just get started. It could be easier than you thought.
I grew up on a farm with sheep and chickens, and apart from hay, the only thing we grew in number were potatoes. Last year, I returned to my roots. In April ‘23, I made a simple raised bed, cleared some scrub, acquired a random assortment of seeds, and things began to take shape.
The raised bed was divided with potatoes planted in the front, and peas and runner beans in the rear.
The groundsheet was added to prevent weeds growing in the planting area.
The potatoes were recovered every time they ‘broke surface’.
By June things had developed somewhat, and I added lettuce (in bottles), carrots, and 3 marrows (or as I prefer to call them, triffids).
Cauliflower and onions were also added to the mix but I liked the ‘neatness’ and order of things.
That didn’t last… and the triffids really excelled…
Due to the triffids’ foliage it’s not obvious when they’re beginning to fruit although the flowers give away the fact they’re thinking about it.
Imagine my surprise when the first thing I knew was lifting a leaf to find the following…
The last time I checked there were 9 on the go!
A bumper crop of peas considering only 3 plants and I gave away a lot of produce.
And then I began foraging anything and everything (it’s been a bumper year for blackberries).
I also grew 3 sweet pepper plants too late in the season to plant out, so I kept them indoors and they all fruited and 4 are still going.
The conclusion? What are the larger life lessons?
I had never done this before, made many mistakes and learnt lots, and I want to come back bigger and better (I’ve already doubled the growing area this year). Was it therapeutic? Quite possibly. It was certainly miraculous and entertaining. I did naively have the expectation that everything will just work and grow! The cauliflowers didn’t. They were eaten by something, but other than that is was remarkably successful. And some things are better to do and experience, rather than merely think about.
Even as a daytime project manager, and even with the best planning, things can still go haywire [very little planning was actually involved in this]. But what else have I learned? I have a long way to go to be self-sufficient. Marrows really do need 3-foot spacing. I prefer growing to eating. Plants require a lot of water to thrive. Also, marrow, blackberry, and apple pie is surprisingly good!
