Tiny Plot.

[ocailleagh]

As some of you may know from some of my previous posts, I only have a tiny patch of land for my veg growing. Its roughly 6'x6', mostly shady and clay. As usual, I've started off far too many plants and am beginning to panic a bit about where I can plant them all. I have pots for most of my salad and greens, so they'll be ok, and I've put my more mature tomatoes on my failed asparagus bed (not sure what happened, they grew just fine for the first 3 years then decided not to show up for the long-awaited harvest last spring), which leaves me with pumpkins and squash, about a zillion tomatoes (some will go into pots but most in the tiny plot) and the sweet potatoes I started from the sprouting ones I discovered in my kitchen. I had hoped to put the sweet potatoes in large pots, but poor as I am, I can't afford the pots, nor the soil to fill them! So I'm wondering if they'll be ok in with the tomatoes and pumpkins...I'm thinking that since they'll be growing mostly underground, and the toms and squashes will be mostly above ground, it might just work...or is this just wishful thinking?

[MKG]

I suspect it might be wishful thinking. The roots of tomatoes tend to spread to fill the space available (ever seen a used tomato growbag?). Pumpkins and squash are gross feeders, so they may well get into a battle with the tomatoes, with neither side really winning.

But I'm guessing.

[ocailleagh]

Yeah, I feared as much! Looks like I may have to try and claim some more of my parents' garden...wish me luck!

[marshlander]

Just tell you parents they make good ground cover and the sweet pots have pretty lilac flowers!

[ina]

Ocailleagh - whereabouts are you again? I could let you have large containers, in case you ever come along this way...

If you plant the pumpkins etc on the very edge of your plot, and train them to go over the ground you father doesn't want you to use, there's more plot left for you to plant stuff into - and tell your father you aren't really using his land! Get sneaky, that's the only way...

[ocailleagh]

Aw, thanks ina, but I'm all the way down in Wales. Still, if I ever get to visit Scotland...
I've been given permission to move my compost bins over to near where the elders are now so I'm thinking I might plant the pumpkins around the bottom of them and train them up the bins themselves maybe.
the thing of it is, the garden itself is pretty big. I'm not talking acres or anything, but its probably large enough to be self-sufficient in veg (going by John Seymour that is). Unfortunately, its full of things like old boats and sheds full of junk! I've been sneaking fruit trees and the like in, bit by bit, but not been able to take over any sizeable amounts of land since he first gave permission for me to use the tiny plot. And now he's making noises about wanting me to put my greenhouse tent thing on that plot as well! I'll be planting him out there if he carries on!

[Bluemoon]

Ocailleagh, next season try planting your little plot with 'the three sisters'. Pumpkins, sweetcorn and climbing peas/beans. They all have disadvantages; pumpkins are very heavy feeders, peas/beans need something to climb and sweetcorn is shallow rooting so can be easily damaged by hoeing. But plant them together and the pumpkins suppress the weeds - so no hoeing around the sweetcorn, the peas/beans fix nitrogen - plenty of extra pumpkin food, and the sweetcorn grows tall - making a pea/bean climbing frame. You could cram loads into your patch this way and, because none of these plants are particularly susceptible to disease, you can do it year on year. Another thought is to get hold of a book called 'Square Foot Gardening' sorry, can't remember the author or the publisher, but this tells you how to effectively ram your plot full of lots of different produce.

[ocailleagh]

Thats not a bad plan actually, thanks Bluemoon!

[Bluemoon]

Thats not a bad plan actually, thanks Bluemoon!

It's an old Native American trick, sadly I can't take the credit.

[ocailleagh]

I'd heard of it before but forgotten about it, so you can take the credit for reminding me of it at least! :-)

[Peggy Sue]

You migth find it hard to get your sweetcorn going early enough to be tall enough in time for the beans- apparently that's the issue in the UK - My sweetcorn are about 2" tal now and a few beans are 2' so I can see it may be difficult!

before we had our (lovely) allotment (nice soil, less slugs, lots of space) we had a 6' square patch of clay in the back garden. We managed sweetcorn, runner beans, spinach and the raspberries loved it. Had more trouble with cabbage family, beetroot & onions all of which only grew small (but very tasty).

For containers why not try contacting any local companies that might use stuff in 25litre pastic containers. My company use chemicals and have to pay to have the containers taken away. I pick out barrels that have had stuff I think isn't too bad and give them a good wash, drill holes in the bottom and get planting
It may not be pretty or ideal if you want organic, but beggars can't be choosers in this world and it saves landfil space. Some drums have really innocuous stuff in, they are not ll poisonous.

[Bluemoon]

I'm doing it by allowing the sweetcorn to grow to about 2ft 6 then sowing the beans in situ, there are quite a few varieties that don't need to be sown until as late as July. I never put my runners in until the end of June, but these would grow too big anyway, a climbing french bean or the pea bean (also known as yin yang bean) are apparently suitable, but this is the first year I've actually tried it so can't comment. A tall climbing pea (I think it's the variety 'Alderman') is also supposed to be good and I do know someone who's tried that with some success.

[Peggy Sue]

Thats good info, I'll give that a go myself

[Jobi1canobi]

Another thought is to get hold of a book called 'Square Foot Gardening' sorry, can't remember the author or the publisher, but this tells you how to effectively ram your plot full of lots of different produce.

I second that - the author is Mel Bartholomew. Published by Cool Springs Press. (Make sure you get the 'All New' Square Foot Gardening as there lots of beneficial revisions).

I currently have 2 of the 4' by 4' raised boxes and also have 2 of the 2' by 5' boxes.

In just one of the 4x4's I have 16 x Beetroot; 16 x carrots; 16 x parsnips; 2 x broccoli; 9 x leeks; 64 x spring onions; 9 x red onions; 4 x lettuce; salad leafs (lots!); 4 x turnips; 9 x spinach; 2 x cauliflower; 4 x florence fennel and 4 x celery.

Vertical gardening is also very easy - it provides detail on how to put a frame in for your trailing plants to be trained up it - including pumpkin!

With the additional space around the edge you could then put other crops in pots as long as you allow room to get to the beds!

Very easy to maintain, relatively weed free, no pests (as yet), organic and easy to net to keep birds and cats off your plot.

I can provide pictures if you want them.

Hope that helps.

[Jobi1canobi]

One of our other boxes has tomatoes and cucumbers in it with a plan to put in a pumpkin plant or two - so this weekend we are going to improve our vertical gardening status by attaching frames to the two smaller boxes.

Should be interesting!