My little vegetable plot has seen some huge changes this past year. The dilapidated old fence has gone. I’ve been given a small wood chipper and have been able to spread woodchip on all the paths. Best of all I have finally been able to make more than enough compost to mulch all of my vegetable beds and more.
Vegetable Garden Bed 1
As usual I was too busy spending time with the kids over the summer and my late summer sowings have suffered because of it.
I managed to get some spinach and rocket plant in the ground before the summer holidays as well as a single surviving kale plant. They have suffered woefully from neglect but are just about clinging onto life.
After the summer holidays ended I sowed some winter salad seeds. I think I was too late and the slugs have eaten most of the tender seedlings.
Vegetable Garden Bed 2
Bed 2 is looking a little better. It’s the same story with the late summer radishes at the front of the bed. Maybe there might be the odd tiny radish but I’m not optimistic of a harvest.
The beetroots were disappointing this year. They were so teeny tiny, hardly worth harvesting. I’ve left them in the ground for longer to see if they fatten up. I should get round to harvesting them before the slugs do my work for me.
This year I alternated my spring onion and baby carrot rows. I read that this will help to deter carrot root fly. It seems to have been successful so far. I’ve had a few nice carrots and lots of spring onions.
Vegetable Garden Beds 3 & 5
The allium and root beds have been my failures for this year.
I ran out of onion seeds and couldn’t get more in time to sow them. So I bought some very late onion sets. I got a small and very disappointing harvest.
My leeks were a huge disappointment too. I think just four plants have survived. I sowed and re-sowed them so many times. I think I need new seeds as the germination rates were pathetic.
I’ve managed a row of nice healthy looking parsnips that will do very well for Christmas dinner.
My main crop carrots have also suffered from pathetic germination rates. Turnips and Swedes have faired a little better with a promising crop of each.
I appear to have a random kale plant in the roots bed. I also had a random swede in the salad bed. It sems happy enough so I’m leaving it to assume me through the winter.
Vegetable Garden Beds 4 & 6
The brassica bed has been my pride and joy this year. I’ve yet to get a decent cabbage out of it. But just look at the size of that one!
There’s been plenty of Broccoli and the promise of more to come. My Brussel sprout plants are looking nice and healthy.
And I’ve even grown a little cauliflower.
Fruit Patch
The fruit patch is a another disappointment. The strawberries flourished and gave lots of tasty fruit which my Little Dude very kindly shared with his friends. It left none for me but I can’t complain, it’s nice to see them enjoyed so much. I’ve taken runners off the strawberries and made plans to instal a new bed of them next year. One of these years I will get to enjoy my own strawberries!
The lavender was so pathetic I haven’t even bothered harvesting it. Hard pruning was not the way to go, it’s killed two of the bushes outright. I’m making plans to install new lavender hedges elsewhere as they are clearly not happy here.
I think I got three jars of gooseberry jam which was delicious. One gooseberry bush produced nothing at all.
Likewise by blackcurrant bush produced precisely zero fruits.
I’m thinking this is a poor choice of location for my fruit patch. While the children are still young I feel it’s more important for them to have a garden that they can play in and enjoy. So my veggies are slotted into spare spots wherever there’s space. As the children get older I will take over more of the lawn but for now I’ll make do.
Herb Garden
The herb garden is well established now and is consistently producing perennial herbs.
There’s plenty of sage for Christmas dinner. Chives have accompanied many salads. My oregano is looking a little scruffy.
The mint has flourished of course. I’ve taken to drinking mint tea with both fresh and dried mint leaves. It makes a nice hot drink in the winter.
I’m still not sure what to do with my abundance of lemon balm. It seems to keep moths at bay during the summer. I’ve tried making tea from the leaves but it gives me a headache so I’ve given up.
I do hope my Vegetable Garden Tour has inspired you to have a go at growing your own and given you some ideas.
Follow me on your favourite social media channel where I share my gardening journey.
If you found this post informative or inspiring please Pin it to your Pinterest boards so you can find it later.
A Little Bit About Me . . .
Thank you so much for stopping by my little corner of the interweb. I’m Bridie, mum to two small humans, full time homemaker and full time craftaholic – which totally explains why I’m always short on time!
I’ve included links to my favourite retailers for the products I’ve used to make my crafts. Click on any of the product images and links for full details. If you decide to buy any of these products I may get a small percentage of what you spend. There’s no cost to you at all.
Heart and Hearth Crafts 