A matter of laying down some roots (From Blackpool Citizen)

A matter of laying down some roots

11:59am Thursday 10th May 2007

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I HAD originally decided to use a mixture of germinated plug plants and seed in my raised beds to help stagger the growing season.

But the best laid plans go wrong. As time was getting on I decided to plump for already-germinated plug plants and grow my veg from seeds next year.

So my wife Anne and I bought broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage (far too many) a whole selection of salad leaves and greens, dwarf beans, runner beans and peas.

We have also planted small carrots, cucumber, courgettes, beetroot, spring cabbage, celeriac, suedes, spring onions, ordinary onions, peppers and lots of tomatoes.

We planted the four boxes in a back breaking couple of hours at the weekend and now the plants are in situ.

This is where I start to panic slightly and just cross my fingers and hope I have the right mix of composts, vermiculite and peat moss otherwise I dread to think what will happen.

I have had my first failure too. I was going to plant the seed potatoes which came free when I bought my potato barrels but I waited too long and when I came to use them I found they had turned into a horrible rotting rooted mush.

I bought already germinated so-called patio potatoes in pots and transferred them into my potato barrels filled with organic compost. I have no idea whether these will grow properly or not - only time will tell.

I have had to plant six tomato plants in the grow bags because I ran out of room in my boxes and we are also growing a big pot plant tomato in the conservatory to see if the yield is different.

A work colleague has given me some chitted (already germinated) potatoes left over from her husband's vegetable plot which I can plant in the second barrel and see which delivers the best crop of spuds - and when.

I have also ordered a matching strawberry barrel which should arrive in the next few days in which I can grow up to 32 separate plants which will give fruit most of the year.

We are looking at placing three trained fruit trees to put along the back fence - but more of that later.

As my maths are not up to scratch a chap where I bought my vermiculite from worked out I would need 600 litres of each material to fill my eight double height boxes and one single height flower box to the top.

Having divided the mixture up the four double height boxes (30cms or 12 inches deep) are only just filled above the half-way mark while the single height box is almost brim full. Obviously his maths were as bad as mine!

I will leave the beds as they are. For long rooted plants, such as carrots and leeks, I will use organic compost in barrels and see what happens.

• Don't forget this week is Compost Awareness Week and, if you have a vegetable plot in your back garden you are particularly proud of, or have just started, let me know at wwright@theboltonnews.co.uk

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