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You're never too old to learn . . .
Regular readers may remember that when I wrote my very
first column in December, 2006, I was looking forward to growing my own
vegetables in, at that time, a new garden.
Well, as they say, the anticipation was better than the
realisation. I just never seemed to have the time to get to grips with the
job. Other than that first flush of crops, I have struggled to keep up with
the garden and have tended to be restricted to a few tomato and pepper
plants.
Say, Bob, you never
really planted
potatoes before, have you?
Is this year going to be any different? Well, I have
had my usual flush of enthusiasm, digging over the plot in February, and
incorporating the contents of the compost heap at the same time. The ensuing
lull (wet weather) then prompted me to think about what I could put in the
ground.
My plot is bigger than in previous years (I am developing
a site in Gouves to act as a base for my landscaping business).
This means that I can divide the
site into four to allow for proper crop rotation. I intend the different
sections to be for legumes and salads, tomatoes and peppers, root crops and,
finally, brassica-type plants.
So, what did I have in my seed tin that I could put in?
My first reaction was: "Wow, so much!" The
second reaction was: "Wow, they're all out of date!" Not fully trusting the
sowing dates on the packets, I nevertheless have sown some peas, dwarf
beans, carrots, snowball turnips and spinach beet. I also planted some
silver onion sets (small bulbs).
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As I am basically a landscape gardener, I thought it would be a good idea to
get some local knowledge. Who better to ask than organic grower, Minas
Petrakis?
On his small farm in Gournes, Minas showed me the potatoes, lettuce
and onions that he had planted/sown. He had sown his peas during November
and felt that they benefited from the cooler winter weather. Other things
that he had put in before the onset of winter were broad beans, rocket,
garlic and spinach.
My peas are what are known as "earlies" in the
UK, so they should crop before the heat of
summer. I grew them once before with some success. My spinach beet should
grow but, according to Minas, will not taste as good as a winter crop.
I couldn’t leave Minas without asking advice on what to
plant in April. During this month, Minas will be sowing/planting all types
of bean (except broad), zucchini, cucumber, melons, peppers, aubergines,
tomatoes and sweet corn.
I intend to get a regular update from Minas on what he
will be putting in the ground and will give you a list every month.
Still on the subject of learning, last year my daughter
sent me some Goji seeds (Lycium barbarum). I had no idea what these were,
but sowed them into pots anyway. The resultant plants have been sat, still
in their pots, behind the house ever since. It is time then to do something
with them.
A search on the internet showed that they are a recent
health food fad with both the leaves and the berries having beneficial
properties. The plants are far from new, though. They seem to be native of
the Himalayas, but are naturalised all over the place, including
Crete.
Seeing as they can reach up to four metres in height, I
have given up on the idea of using them as a divider on my vegetable plot,
and will, therefore, plant an informal hedge at my new base in Gouves.
I will keep you updated on their progress, and would
appreciate feedback from anyone with experience with this plant.
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