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Growing your own
vegetables can be extremely satisfying. Not only do they taste much
better than shop bought vegetables, it is also so much more convenient to pop out
to your garden than to trek down to the shops for a couple of fresh tomatoes and
a lettuce. Click on one of the subjects below to find out more:
Crop Rotation
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Digging |
Seed Beds
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Sowing Seed Outdoors
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Sowing Seed Indoors
Crop Rotation
You
should not grow the same vegetable in the same area of soil year after year.
Doing this will encourage diseases specific to that crop to increase each year
and the nutrients used by the crop will also become depleted very quickly.
Therefore you should rotate your crops each year, for example, root crops this
year followed by brassicas the following year and other crops, such as beans or
tomatoes, the year after then back to root crops.
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Crop |
Roots |
Brassicas |
Others |
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Examples |
Parsnip
Carrot
Beetroot
Jerusalem
Artichoke
Potato
Chicory |
Cauliflower
Kale
Radish
Broccoli
Brussels
Sprout
Cabbage |
Tomato
Sweetcorn
Pea
Spinach
Celery
Cucumber |
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Nutrient |
Do not add
manure |
Well-rotted manure or compost |
Well-rotted manure or compost |
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Lime |
Do not lime |
Only lime if soil is alkaline |
Only lime if soil is acid |
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Feed |
General-purpose fertiliser two weeks prior to
sowing or planting |
General-purpose fertiliser two weeks prior to
sowing or planting |
General-purpose fertiliser two weeks prior to
sowing or planting |
Digging
Dig
the area to be sown or planted during a dry spell in late autumn or early
winter. Add well-rotted manure or compost if required (see crop rotation above).
Seed Bed
Start preparing your seed bed in early spring but only if the soil is not too
wet. Breakdown any clods of soil and add a general-purpose fertiliser to the
surface and work into the top few inches of the soil. Use a rake to work over
the surface until it is smooth and level with a crumbly surface.
Sowing Seed Outdoors
Seeds will only germinate when temperatures are high enough to allow growth so
make sure you time the sowing of your seeds in relation to the weather where you
live.
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Mark out a row with a length of string
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Draw out a drill with the edge of a trowel to the depth recommended on the
seed packet
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If the bottom of the trench is dry then water before sowing
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Sprinkle the seed along the bottom of the trench and cover gently with the
soil removed from the trench
Sowing Seed Indoors
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Fill a seed tray or plant pot with a seed and cutting compost
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Firm lightly and water until moist, not wet
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Scatter seeds thinly on the surface and cover lightly with compost
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Cover the container with a sheet of glass and cover that with newspaper to
keep out the light
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As soon as seedlings appear remove the paper and glass and move close to the
light
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Keep compost moist
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As soon as the first set of true leaves appear prick out into small pots
filled with potting compost
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Once the seedlings have settle begin hardening off by increasing the
ventilation or moving to a cold frame. Once they are accustomed, move them
outdoors during the day until ready to plant out
If
you do not have a greenhouse or cold frame you can grow seeds on a windowsill.
After sowing the seed place a plastic bag loosely over the pot and secure with
an elastic band. Keep in a warm, shady spot. Once the seedlings begin to appear
remove the bag and place the pot on a windowsill out of direct sunlight. Keep
the compost moist.
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