As we get into our gardening for the year I have promised to give a few tips on how to help people get the best out of the land available to them. The original aims of the Get Growing plan were to enable people with little time, land and skill to get the best out of what was available to them and develops their own skills

Raised Bed System

This is the system I prefer for people starting out. It breaks down the large area of garden into manageable proportions. It can be placed in most areas and if planned properly you should be able to manage it without going onto the bed itself. You are also able to improve the quality of your soil and treat it for different types of planting.

Crop Rotation System

The original system was the three crop system. That has been changed by many gardeners to the four crop system. The veg is broken down in to four groups; Roots, comprising potatoes carrots parsnips etc. Next group are the Alliums which comprise of the onion, garlic, shallot family. Legumes follow this, these are the bean and pea family. Last but not least are the Brassicas, the cabbage and spinach group.

An easy way to remember it is Roots, Onions, Legumes, Brassicas or ROLB for short.

The root crop, particularly potatoes, break up the soil for cultivation. The onions are said to have a bacterial effect. The legumes attach nitrogen to the soil. The nitrogen hungry brassicas thrive on this land.

You shouldn’t be dogmatic about it. There are other issues involved such as companion planting. An example being sowing carrots between onions to ward off carrot fly.

The systems we have studied are a guide and you should use your own imitative to grow the produce you like. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Sowing and Planting

The aim of the game is to give you a year round supply of produce. Not only do we have the motivating system but we could include perennial plants and bushes such as asparagus and soft fruit bushes to extend our range of goods

Once we have our beds established and the soil prepared we must wait for the soil to warm and the amount of daylight to improve.

Your packet of seed will give you an outline of when to plant them. However always take into account local conditions and climate. Err on the cautious side to ensure that you don’t loose seeds and plants by putting them in the ground prematurely.

Bob Rawle