We have had our hands full since moving, but I can always find a
bit of time to do a bit of digging, usually on the weekend when the children are
occupying themselves playing with their friends or pretending to be farmers or
zombies. Our new vegetable plot presented quite a challenge as it was covered
over by the previous occupier with black plastic and tons upon tons of tiny
shingle pebbles. So this first had to be removed before I could even begin the
delightful task of digging. I was quite unsure whether to start again growing
vegetables, as I dug for victory at our last house as the vegetable patches
there had been left to grow wild and I was full of determination and enthusiasm
to grow our own as it was the first time that we had a piece of land to play
with and it had been something I had long been interested in. This time with
three years experience under my belt, I knew the time commitment it represented and didn’t want to bite off more than I could chew. I didn’t want it to become a burden and another responsibility to add to my list. But after a trip to visit friends in London, and meeting avid gardeners embarking on a new allotment, my passion burst back into life and I came away with 4 courgette and 4 pumpkin plants. I knew that these would not be too demanding to grow and could soon prepare the ground for growing. I cleared a strip of land and turned it over. No matter how small I think a job will be, it always consumes more time than I anticipate. The young plants grew comfortably in the conservatory waiting for the opportunity to go out. The delay was probably a good thing as the wind and rained continued relentlessly. When the weather had settled some what and I had some time, I took to the task of planting them out.
bit of time to do a bit of digging, usually on the weekend when the children are
occupying themselves playing with their friends or pretending to be farmers or
zombies. Our new vegetable plot presented quite a challenge as it was covered
over by the previous occupier with black plastic and tons upon tons of tiny
shingle pebbles. So this first had to be removed before I could even begin the
delightful task of digging. I was quite unsure whether to start again growing
vegetables, as I dug for victory at our last house as the vegetable patches
there had been left to grow wild and I was full of determination and enthusiasm
to grow our own as it was the first time that we had a piece of land to play
with and it had been something I had long been interested in. This time with
three years experience under my belt, I knew the time commitment it represented and didn’t want to bite off more than I could chew. I didn’t want it to become a burden and another responsibility to add to my list. But after a trip to visit friends in London, and meeting avid gardeners embarking on a new allotment, my passion burst back into life and I came away with 4 courgette and 4 pumpkin plants. I knew that these would not be too demanding to grow and could soon prepare the ground for growing. I cleared a strip of land and turned it over. No matter how small I think a job will be, it always consumes more time than I anticipate. The young plants grew comfortably in the conservatory waiting for the opportunity to go out. The delay was probably a good thing as the wind and rained continued relentlessly. When the weather had settled some what and I had some time, I took to the task of planting them out.
How to plant courgettes?
Courgettes are easy to grow and once established will produce
high yields and keep you going through the summer months, which I discovered to my relief in my first year of growing my own vegetables. Becoming self reliant
is not an easy task, and in our first year we ate many courgettes, beans,
tomatoes, potatoes and kale. It is these main staples that I am planning on
growing at our new home, as they produce well and fairly easily. As I have only
just unearthed and turned the vegetable plot, I knew that courgettes and
pumpkins would be perfect to grow, as all you need to do is dig a hole, fill it
with a bucketful of muck (manure/compost), and put your plant of top. You need
to leave a big gap between each plant, approx. 24”, as they grow big and you
need good air circulation to ensure healthy growth. (Don’t be tempted to cram
more crops in. One healthy plant in the right conditions will produce more than
2 healthy plants in cramped conditions). Patience is essential in growing, as I
have learnt the hard way, and cutting corners results in crop loss. Remember,
your plants are little entities, and young plants are like little delicate
babies. You need to care for them and handle them carefully. This year I was
sensible enough to dig and dress the holes before bringing my plants out from
the conservatory. Sudden changes in temperature and air flow can have a big
impact on baby plants and can stress them out. When a plant becomes stressed it can set it back 2 or 3 weeks whilst it sorts itself out which can be a major setback in the growing cycle and still then, the plant may not reach its full
potential. I have been fortunate enough to be given some plastic domed
propagators which eliminate the process of hardening off some what, something that I am not very good at. My husband helped me to monitor them for the first week, letting them sit in in their high humidity for the first couple of days before beginning to open their air vent to slowly introduce air flow, and then waited for a nice still, warm day and uncovered them completely for a few hours at a time, increasing the time, until they were uncovered all day. I then
covered them late at night and uncovered them early in the morning. Fortunately the weather has been perfect for this with warm nights aswell as
days.
high yields and keep you going through the summer months, which I discovered to my relief in my first year of growing my own vegetables. Becoming self reliant
is not an easy task, and in our first year we ate many courgettes, beans,
tomatoes, potatoes and kale. It is these main staples that I am planning on
growing at our new home, as they produce well and fairly easily. As I have only
just unearthed and turned the vegetable plot, I knew that courgettes and
pumpkins would be perfect to grow, as all you need to do is dig a hole, fill it
with a bucketful of muck (manure/compost), and put your plant of top. You need
to leave a big gap between each plant, approx. 24”, as they grow big and you
need good air circulation to ensure healthy growth. (Don’t be tempted to cram
more crops in. One healthy plant in the right conditions will produce more than
2 healthy plants in cramped conditions). Patience is essential in growing, as I
have learnt the hard way, and cutting corners results in crop loss. Remember,
your plants are little entities, and young plants are like little delicate
babies. You need to care for them and handle them carefully. This year I was
sensible enough to dig and dress the holes before bringing my plants out from
the conservatory. Sudden changes in temperature and air flow can have a big
impact on baby plants and can stress them out. When a plant becomes stressed it can set it back 2 or 3 weeks whilst it sorts itself out which can be a major setback in the growing cycle and still then, the plant may not reach its full
potential. I have been fortunate enough to be given some plastic domed
propagators which eliminate the process of hardening off some what, something that I am not very good at. My husband helped me to monitor them for the first week, letting them sit in in their high humidity for the first couple of days before beginning to open their air vent to slowly introduce air flow, and then waited for a nice still, warm day and uncovered them completely for a few hours at a time, increasing the time, until they were uncovered all day. I then
covered them late at night and uncovered them early in the morning. Fortunately the weather has been perfect for this with warm nights aswell as
days.
What is hardening off?
Hardening off is like toughening up. It is a transitional stage. Imagine taking your child to nursery for the first time, leaving the warmth and comfort of home
and entering a new environment full of strange people. This can be a very
stressful time for your child. The snacks and drinks may be different, the
routine different. In order to make the transition as smooth as possible, it may
be necessary to introduce your child to the new environment an hour at a
time. If they are thrown in at the deep end, they may become sick with
stress and may take a long time to take to the change, or in the worst case
scenario never at all. This is hardening off. Your young plants have come
out of their baby incubators, you have nursed and cared for them tentatively,
watering them little and often. Woken early in the mornings to check they
are not too hot or too dry. Now they are like little toddlers, ready to take on the world, but they are still young, and the more care and attention they are given when they are young, the more solid the foundations on which they grow. The time you take to harden off your plants to temper the transition from cosy, still, warm interior to open, gusty, cool exterior, will pay off in the long run. The quality of your plants at the beginning is everything. As I have learnt, you only get one shot each season, so the more time and attention you take at the beginning, the better the outcome. You will spend a lot of time and money!) weeding, watering and feeding your plants. Your best investment is the time, love and attention you give your plants at the beginning of their life.
and entering a new environment full of strange people. This can be a very
stressful time for your child. The snacks and drinks may be different, the
routine different. In order to make the transition as smooth as possible, it may
be necessary to introduce your child to the new environment an hour at a
time. If they are thrown in at the deep end, they may become sick with
stress and may take a long time to take to the change, or in the worst case
scenario never at all. This is hardening off. Your young plants have come
out of their baby incubators, you have nursed and cared for them tentatively,
watering them little and often. Woken early in the mornings to check they
are not too hot or too dry. Now they are like little toddlers, ready to take on the world, but they are still young, and the more care and attention they are given when they are young, the more solid the foundations on which they grow. The time you take to harden off your plants to temper the transition from cosy, still, warm interior to open, gusty, cool exterior, will pay off in the long run. The quality of your plants at the beginning is everything. As I have learnt, you only get one shot each season, so the more time and attention you take at the beginning, the better the outcome. You will spend a lot of time and money!) weeding, watering and feeding your plants. Your best investment is the time, love and attention you give your plants at the beginning of their life.
How to harden off plants
The two main factors of hardening off is air movement and temperature. Moving from indoors to outdoors, you plants are moving from a small environment to a very large environment (unless they are moving into a green house or polytunnel) and the impact of the change can stress your plants.You need to introduce gentle changes in air movement and temperature, lengthening the time of the changes slowly but steadily. You can begin by opening windows, but try to avoid windows that are directly above your ‘babies’. When your plants are experiencing good amounts of air movement inside try introducing a more outdoor experience by placing in the exterior door way for a short time, but
be aware of windy days. Don’t put them out on a blustery day it will be too much for them. Choose a gentler day and increase the time or wind intensity slowly. If there is too much air movement, find a sheltered spot. This process may take a couple of weeks and requires patience.These two weeks are crucial to the quality of your plant which is going to produce wonderful fruits to feed you and your family. This is time well spent.
be aware of windy days. Don’t put them out on a blustery day it will be too much for them. Choose a gentler day and increase the time or wind intensity slowly. If there is too much air movement, find a sheltered spot. This process may take a couple of weeks and requires patience.These two weeks are crucial to the quality of your plant which is going to produce wonderful fruits to feed you and your family. This is time well spent.
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