Vivi's Kitchen Garden 323: Planning the garden for food for a year.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ย. 2024
- Today I'm having a chat about planning a kitchen garden to maximise the reward of fresh food for the whole year. I share some of my learning from the last few years in my own garden and talk about how I'll do things this coming year.
Living without a wage......living off the land and making do & mending. Click subscribe to follow my journey.
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Thank you Happy NewYear xx
Yay, you too lovely. 😊
I’m so excited. My hubby got me a poly tunnel. 20x10x7. He’s supposed to put it up next week. Just in time!!!
Woohooo....that's so fab! :-)
Your videos are always usefulxx
Thank you lovely. 😊
@@WhatVivididnext They have helped me through some tough times thankyouxx
This is very helpful. This is my first year gardening, plus I moved to a completely different climate. I've realized that I already started some seeds later than I should, and other mistakes. But I'm glad to have just started. I'm going to take notes and plan things out in a notebook as well as I can. My goal is to get to the place where I can grow a lot of my own food by the time I need to (meaning an anticipated change in income). That's at least a few years off, so I have time to learn. I also have time to figure out how much I can realistically grow in my small place. I think this will be a huge help in knowing where I can save the most money. It's exciting!
Good on you lovely, I'm so happy for you that you've made a start! 😊
Grow what you like to eat. Absolutely. No use wasting money making compost. That's where those bags of lettuce always end up. And why? Lettuce grows nicely as an indoor plant.
Grow what costs most at the grocery store. Right now, everything! Although potatoes are cheap.
I brought my bucket inside to harvest the potatoes, but waited too long and they've sprouted. I guess I'll put the bucket outside again to stop them growing until spring. I wonder if twice grown spuds will produce a harvest?
~ Jon in rural BC, Canada (still learning at 69)
Hahaha, twice grown.....love it.......worth a go eh? Keep us posted! :-)
Vivi that was so useful, thank you. I started my first vegetable garden last year and followed your channel all year. You were a real guide and inspiration. I'm so glad you're taking the time to go through it all again for us. This time I have my notebook ready 😊
Thank you so much Lindsey, I really appreciate this! Yay for your first full growing year this year.....I wish you much bounty and beauty! :-)
Not surprisingly, lots of solid info here and practical tips. 👍 I hope to do another video tomorrow... 🤞 You did seem cold! And I so know how you feel, though my thermals kept me nice and toasty today. 🤗
Winter drawers on... It's a bit chilly 'round the Trossacks!
Hahaha, cheers lovely.......I have thermals envy!!!! I have some somewhere........I need to have a good rummage in my draws. ;-)
@@WhatVivididnext Happy to help with the rummaging! 😉
@@paulsavident Bah ha ha. ;-)
Happy New Year Vivi from Lancashire. I got my plot yeah. Heavy clay soil, the grasses hid the marestail but already have new shed and 5 beds prepped. Looks like I am going to have raspberries, gooseberries and rhubarb courtesy of previous owner. Had to take out the two apple trees due to canker but replacing them with dwarf stock apple and pear trees. Have a cheap poly tunnel. We need to replace fencing and remove the old shed which means hopefully we will end up with 10 1m x 2 m beds and a half metre bed running round perimeter, with two 1 metre x 2 metre beds in the poly tunnel. Were able to get a trailer load of horse manure which will be topped off with at least 1.5 inch of compost in the 5 prepped beds. Have been told not to plant alums in fresh manure beds but as the beds have been prepped since end of Oct and will be topped with compost and not planted probably until March do you think I can plant onions and garlic in them?
Yippee for your new plot!!!!! Oooh, I feel excited for you and all your planning and dreams! I think your alliums should be OK......happy planting/planning/sowing/clearing/building! :-)
Thanks Viv for your wonderful blogs. Keeping us all thoroughly entertained and on the reality path. Your an absolutely star in these dark times.
Oh gosh Jeanette, thank you so much.....I do appreciate this. :-)
Thanks Vivi. It’s always great to have those reminders!
Cheers lovely. :-)
Thanks Vivi, I love your excitement and enthusiasm for the garden. Brilliant!
Cheers Sheila! :-)
Great advice! Another thing that I tell brand new gardeners is to try to plant 1-2 things that are fairly sure 'wins'....green onions, radish, lettuce, etc.....Things that will give their confidence a boost that first year or two.
Absolutely....great advice, thank you lovely. :-)
Totally agree... though raddish for me has so rarely worked! 😂 I guess we all have at least one plant that others do well with and we struggle with. 🤞
@@paulsavident You're so right! There are some thing others seem to grow with ease that I can't get to grow for love nor money! lol
@@paulsavident Have given up on radish takes longer than what others say it does and then gets roots not proper bulbs. I have decided to give them a pass this year
Good idea about planting things you like to eat
Exactly. :-)
Great observations; love the sow more than you think you need in case something fails and if it all goes well give the extras away! Wonderful. Thanks!
Being able to give away spare plants is one of the biggest joys of gardening to me........I know how much I have appreciated it in the past when one of my sowings has failed! :-)
Dear Sister Vivi, Thank you so much for sharing the beautiful system. Please do keep sharing the progress this year too. All the very best .. God bless
Thank you lovely, will do. :-)
Great info. 👍😘
Thank you Carlotta. :-)
Thank you Vivi, have a lovely planning day
Cheers lovely. :-)
Some of the seed producers are doing a good job of separating their seeds out on different pages for different of weather conditions. So helpful not to look thru 20 pages of wonderful tomato pictures but to concentrate on the pages listing conditions-tomatoes for hot and dry or hot and humid, etc. There didn't used to be sooooo many choices so this has really helped me.
Oh that sounds like a great idea especially for countries with big variations in growing conditions. :-)
Very useful advice, Vivi. I always knew what would grow well and what wouldn't and what we liked. It varied from year to year. When we moved here I ran into problems with the spouse who was now home all the time. Before that, he traveled and never even messed with the mower! LOL I've found some sites on the web that offer garden advice with diagrams that one can lay out the garden as they want it. Thanks for sharing. Stay safe. Hi Rusty!
It's great that there are so many useful tools/resources available on-line......especially fab for folk who like doing stuff on their computer/tablet/phone. :-)
Hi Vivi. This was good advice. Last year was my first year, however, we sold our home and bought a home in a different area. So I am basically starting over. I learned so much from you and Paul last year. Now I am figuring out how I want to set up my new garden beds. Very exciting. Thank you for your sage advice.😀🌱🍅🌽🍆🍠
Oh my goodness.....happy landings in your new home and hurrah for dreaming up a brand new garden! We'll be with you every step of the way. :-)
Thank you Vivi.😀👍
Looking forward to the new gardening year 🌱
Me too! Ooooh, the excitement is bubbling up. Take care of you all! :-)
Excellent video Vivi. I'm going to try and be more organised with my little garden. Although I grow mostly in pots I achieved my goal for tomatoes carrots and peppers. This year I want to plant drawf fruit trees and bushes as I eat a lot of fruit, and it can be costly. Notebooks, ready, online shopping, ready, and go. 😊 🎉 Take care.
Yay for tom, carrot and pepper goals!!!! Woohooo....notebooks at the ready. :-)
Hello Vivi, I’m not an old gardener. Well I’m old, but kind of new in gardening for edibles. ☺️
So I just recently told myself why are you trying so hard with tomatoes when you don’t even eat them! ☺️
So this fall I put down more kale, collards, beet (for their greens), onions and garlic.
I really lack sunny areas, so I’m limited.
I think a more seasoned gardener could do more with my space but I’ll keep working on it. I do take notes and jot down things learned good or bad learn from both.
I pray for a Bountiful year for us all.
Hello ‘Marmalade Boy’! 😘
Till next time Vivi, take care of yourself.😉💗💗💗
Hahaha - yeah, ditch those toms if you don't like them and enjoy all the gorgeous greens you do! Here's to a better year for us all. Stay well lovely. :-)
Instablaster
The cats always remind me of those young kids who play in the street and hover around their favourite 'aunty's' house ( all our neighbours were aunties when I was little) waiting to be handed a biscuit and some juice.... Have you ever tried dehydrating tomatoes... we used to put them out on the balcony on a tray in hot days and string chillies on the balcony in Istanbul.
Oh my goodness, yes! What a memory...all neighbours kids ums were called 'aunty'...and a telling off from one of them was as good as a telling off from mum!.......and 'tea' could be at any 'aunties' house.....us kids were brought up collectively! :-)
@@WhatVivididnext I do wonder if it was an 'up North' thing... The World has changed so much
Great tips Vivi. This will be my second year in my new garden. I am hoping I have better luck sourcing plants this time around. Will also do a better job of planning. Looks like you might need a few more layers to keep you warm. Hello to Rusty. ❄️
Hahaha - I had so many layers on I could hardly move......I need to go rummaging and find my old thermals! ;-)
Next year I want to add a cold frame for winter greens!! I am trying to accept that it will never be perfect amount of plants or perfect timing... Sometimes things do well sometimes it does not.. For me Spinach in 2020... I dreamed of spanakopita all summer and 3 showings of spinach and unfortunately..... No spanakopita. What I am learning with my garden is Flexibility!! I love the garden plan you have, nice and easy! Hello Rusty... Such a handsome face 😊. Cheers and be safe!! It is never perfect.... that’s the fun and challenge of it all always something to learn and do!
Ooooh, a cold frame would be a great addition! Will you make it yourself? My first coldframe was made from windows that I pulled out of skips......it worked a treat! :-)
I do think i will try to make it myself..... there are a few reclaimed architecture shops and i will keep my eye out at remodel jobs going on then the neighborhood to see what turns up before i go to salvage shops.
Vivi, thanks, this was so useful and inspiring x
Oh thank you Lyn, I appreciate your kind feedback. :-)
Hi Vivi, hope your well... Its always a joy to listen to your very useful tips for growing all those yummy veg.. 😋 Please take good care and stay safe lovely ❤️
Thank you so much lovely! You take jolly good care too. :-)
Thanks Vivi.Great advice. Time to sort my seeds and start planning.
Such an exciting time of year! Enjoy. :-)
Thanks Vivi🌸
Cheers Ursula. :-)
Thank you for all the great advice. I wish seed suppliers sold smaller quantities as packs of 500 or 1000 seeds are just too many. I love cut and come again lettuces and just being able to pop down the garden to pick fresh. Will try new things this year, such as kale and fennel as I love these, but also might try something unusual, such as purple carrots. Xx
Ooooh, have fun experimenting! :-)
In the US contact your county extension agent if you are a beginning gardener. There are all kinds of leaflets that give you recommended plants to grow, how many plants per person, what soils your area has and what amendments you may need. The big one in the US is your zone and how much rain you get and when. For example, when I lived in south central Kansas I was in zone 6a (first frost 10/15, last frost 4/15) and we got about 32 inches of rain a year, the majority of it spring and fall. Summers are hot and dry. I now live in the Phoenix metro area which is 9b ( first frost 12/13, last frost 2/6) but I only receive 6.5 to 8.25 inches of rain a year. Without irrigation and sun protection you aren't doing traditional gardening in Phoenix.
That's a really good tip - thank you for sharing. :-)
You always seem so well organised Vivi, lets hope we won't have compost shortages this year!!! I may be able to grow something in my pots then! Stay warm and stay safe lovely, heard London is having a bad time at the moment xxx
Argh......I was thinking about ordering compost before Christmas and then I said to myself 'don't be silly Vivi, do it in January'.........hahahahaha. We'll see! ;-)
have a lovely growing year
Thank you lovely, you too! :-)
How large is your garden Vivi? Thanks you for all of the good tips. Your very generous!
It's about 100 square meters or 1000 sq feet. It just about does for me......but a bit more space would be great for fruit! ;-)
Enjoyed that Vivi 🤗bet you have helped a lot a people 🥰🌸
Oh thank you Diana, I do hope so. :-)
I truly enjoy this video...you are getting me motivated. I am planning 😌...thank you!
Yay, good on you lovely! Enjoy the process......have fun, be creative....dream big! :-)
Look forwards to see what you're planning 💚
Cheers lovely. I can't wait to get stuck in. ;-)
Taking lettuce leaves out and leaving the bulb,good for beginners to know
Especially for folk with only a tiny space to grow in. :-)
I so loved this video Vivi., yes it helped!
We moved countries twice in the last year and are now in a far colder climate but also have more, not previously used to grow food, just wild long grasses and heavy clay -space now and I am eager and a lil scared too to start again.
There is so much to do and learn, but first yeah, lay out those first beds.
Yay for your new garden.....and a whole new adventure! I can imagine it will feel daunting at times......but you'll soon get the shape of it.....have fun!!! :-)
Stay warm!
Haha, trying to! ;-)
Hi Vivi Thankyou I thought the video was fab, lol I did have a notebook out as I have mentioned in previous comments so I managed and your advice is duly noted. Not sure if you recall but was looking into some allotments in my neighborhood as my suburban Canadian typically is small however it has not gone well whah very expensive, to far,no sheds etc list goes on. So obviously a rethink with planters a bit of space etc. Currently to add the obvious elephant in the room it’s been difficult so hopefully something in 2021 will be a better year?! In a lockdown at present we have been hit hard with the second virus or wave whatever they are calling it?we live in the region where the first 2 cases have been tracked too! Sorry to ramble so will leave it there. Blessings to you and Auntie teapot.Ontario Canada 🐝
Ach, hunker down and stay safe lovely.....plan your container garden until something bigger comes along when it's safe again. Happy dreaming/planning lovely. Oh, and you go to the top of the class for having your notebook ready! ;-)
@@WhatVivididnext A gold star from the teacher yay lol
Happy New Year Vivi! We had about an inch of snow last night and it is still hanging around this morning! Stay warm and safe. Another great video!❄️🥰
We haven't had any snow here but the ground is pretty frozen.....so garden plans are on hold for a few days! ;-)
Wonderful video, Vivi. I start planning my garden at the height of harvest in the summer, thinking about the things that failed the things that did too well, etc. That way I can take advantage of season-end seed sales and have a rough idea of what I'll want to purchase when the new seeds become available around Christmas. Luckily I do an annual larder inventory in January just as I'm finalizing the garden plans and that helps with deciding if I need to make any changes in amounts of crops that are planned. Every year though, my biggest challenge is that I refuse to back down on the amount of garlic I grow and it is a bit of a problem child because it is a poor neighbour to other crops. In my very small garden that is a big issue.
The January larder inventory is a great idea....I do similar but also, like you, I am already making an inventory the summer before as I do my harvests....so, for example, I knew that this winter I would get low on beans quite quickly due to the poor harvest last year. I'm already thinking about where I can put a few extra plants in this year. Happy planning lovely! :-)
Great advice, especially figuring out what you like to eat and how much you need. I noticed you had a cough throughout this video. I hope you are okay and not dealing with Covid. Best wishes.
Thank you for your concern lovely....no Covid, just an annoying bit of a seasonal cold. :-)
@@WhatVivididnext That’s a relief to know you tested negative for Covid. Hope you recover from your cold soon.
@@labcat647 I didn't actually get tested as I didn't have any of the symptoms. Just a cold...it's gone now. :-)
@@WhatVivididnext Oh, okay. Glad to hear it is gone. I'm extra cautious... having had many relatives and friends test positive and with a wide range of symptoms. Two died rather quickly, one who was on a ventilator and got off, but now has heart damage, and one who has only had a cough, but it has been going on since November and she is still testing positive after 3 tests. She rarely went anywhere, was having food delivered, and only spoke to people outside in her garden. She has no idea where she got it from. But Covid is completely out of control here in the US.
@@labcat647 Please stay safe!
Catching up on my subs. Sorry it’s taken a bit of time.
I’m putting in more perennial crops to help ease the need to get everything in during the busy times of the kids school year. Argh. Why so busy during crop planting times. Oh well. I’ll do my best. We’ve already gotten a pine berry bed established this late winter. They are establishing faster than we thought that they would. Our potatoes are in. We divided the garden into 5 parts, 4 years of rotation and the perennial beds all together. Finally. The organization was hodgepodge as we kept adding beds. It’s finally cohesive. We even assigned 2 beds for seed production of biennials or if we need to grow out some varieties to get fresh seeds.
Varieties, climates and diseases make it impossible to estimate how many of each to grow. You have to try and see how much you get and then take notes on what you eat. Then nature will decide if you get it. 😉. Some years are perfect for cucurbits while others are fabulous for beers, or onions, etc. You can’t really plan for that.
Great video on how to try, observe and figure out what works for you and your situation.
I can imagine life without cauliflower. I can cook a huge head of it, but still can even get a bite if it. My girls are like locusts! The6 sweep in and it’s all gone when I go to fix my own plate. 🥺. Cooking 2 heads tonight so I get some two. 😁
I’ve found the lower the beds are the harder to reach the center. I do best with 4 ft wide is as far as it’s comfortable to weed and harvest from. For children’s beds, I found 3 ft works best.
Update: we are going to/raise quail. Hatching eggs should arrive tomorrow. My kids love ramen and the quail eggs are so pretty on top. And tiny fried quail eggs on top of a bowl of fried rice. Yum. Can’t wait. And the6 are so pretty.
Yay for the quail! Hahaha, I did chortle at the image you planted in my mind of the girls being locusts and swarming over the garden!!!! There are far worse things they could do. ;-) Huge hugs to you all. XXX
Happy new year Vivi, good luck with growing lots of food this year!
Yay! And to you too, lovely. :-)
I was at my garden yesterday morning that it's cold and windy I live on one of the barrier islands in Georgia USA and yes it does get cold here but came home with greens made soup with garlic tomato paste Ginger made a great little soup delicious .
How many other gardeners do you have at your local Garden Club. ? We have 96 plots lot of people gardening .
Hurrah for delicious home-grown warming soup after a day of chilly winds blowing into our bones!!! We have about 60 plots on my site.....I like it small, we all know each other and it keeps it intimate and friendly. :-)
I've been gardening for years I joined this group a year ago the garden we all have our individual plots and I have a few good neighbour one lady neighbor i call mother gardener.
This community garden existent for 20 years now
New subscriber here. I love your enthusiasm amidst the dreary cold! Quite curious, what your zone might compare to in the United States. I think my zone 8b, 9a may be just a tad ahead of your zone. I have already seeded out my tomatoes, and now have 34 plants w 2 small sets of true leaves. So you truly think that 30 plants is not too much?? You are my kindred sister!! Do you sun dry tomatoes for your winter salads?
@@Katydidit Thank you for subscribing Kate and a very warm welcome to you! I'm officially a zone 9 here.......but my last frost date is mid-May so I start things later than you by the sounds of it. Hahaha, 30 tom plants is definitely not too many....I love 'em! I don't sun-dry any of them but rather bottle or freeze them. :-)
Hello vivi, happy new year and stay safe. Could you do something to explain how I can improve on successional planting. I struggle with this every year working out what plants to follow others that finish. Thanks Claire UK xx
I'll talk about all of this in more detail as the year progresses and as I get ready to make my sowings but....in a nutshell......have a look at what you're planning to grow this spring/summer and think about what plants will be done and harvested by, say, the end of July/beg of August......such as onions and garlic........to follow them we'll think in terms of brassicas (think about what you see growing in plots today while we're in winter). We'll start some of that winter stuff off in pots at the same time as we direct sow some of our summer bits. Also....think about plants for the summer which will happily grow all winter (not strictly successional but at least keeping your beds active in winter).....celery, chard, spinach are great examples. :-)
Thank you so much for this Vivi. So many useful tips. I really struggle with planning. It should be joyful, and I make it stressful! I also get tied up in knots by what to grow in between things. Does that make sense? Like what to grow in the spaces between onions and garlic? Or do you leave it? 🤷♀️ every day's a school day 😊
I think we all get tied in knots over the garden at times! I don't plant anything between my garlic and onions as I plant them fairly closely together.......with just enough room between for them to bulk up...and for weeding. I sow brassicas in the spring to have them ready to plant out once the onion harvest is in. :-)
@@WhatVivididnext oh thank you so much for your words of comfort, and the advice which I will follow. Much appreciated Vivi 😊
I look forward to all of your Spring/Summer veg sowings. Always very informative as usual 😊
Do U have germination issues when you sow Delicata squash? I have been growing it the last 2 years (because I saw that you grew them and thought I'd give them a go) and both years I have had terrible germination I sowed 10 seeds and only 2 plants came up 😕 so I sowed 10 more just with the hopes to get a couple more plants. Just wondering if you have the same problem or it's a "me issue" ☺️ I bought different batches of seeds too thinking it was just the batch. They're my favourite veg to grow in Summer and I want an abundance so if you have any tips that would be great 😊
Ugh, yes!!!! Delicata is my 'bete noir' of squash!!!! It's a great little squash for eating as one or two people so I have persisted......but, this year I have only two seeds left over and shalln't bother again. I have had exactly the same germination issues as you......and, frankly, life's too short and soil space is too precious to keep faffing with them! ;-)
@@WhatVivididnext oh Vivi I was hoping you didn't say that 😂 I don't think I'm ready to say goodbye to them but as you say the space is very valuable in an edible garden. What a great, yet frustrating little squash. Have you found any squash similar at all? I wanted to grow acorn squash but for some reason they aren't as easy of a variety to get a hold of I'm Aus for some reason, I may need to look a bit harder however ☺️
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
I had a chuckle the other day when I was watching one of your newer videos and Paxton came up behind me and whispers "is Vivi going to say hi to me again?" It was so cute! I will be as bold to say that he may have fan boy'd over you 😂
@@meganfarley672 Awwww, I LOVE that.....sorry I didn't say hi in the video but.....hello Paxton! here instead. XXX
@@WhatVivididnext 😊😊😊
Vivi,I’m moving next month and I’ll have to get all my potting compost and seeds online and delivered for growing in pots on my patio.
Are there any good companies for compost,make of compost and seed suppliers you could recommend for me please as I want it to be as cost effective for me as possible x
Ooooh, how exciting....happy new home to you! I would check put what independent companies there are in your new area.....it would be great to support a smaller/indie business and develop a relationship with them......this is what I try to do. I don't have a preferred make of compost......just whatever my local company are selling that's peat free. Happy exploring your new area and making new friends! :-)