Dig Free Dabblers

  The growing season is well underway!  All the hardy seeds have been sown and germinated in propagators on windowsills in the house, then transferred to the greenhouse to continue their growth.  We now have: celery and celeriac germinating inside; several lettuce varieties, spinach, broccoli, peas for shoots and pods, radish, sweet peppers, coriander, parsley, dill, aubergine, tomatoes and sweet pea young plants doing well in the greenhouse.  Some radish, lettuce, peas for shoots and peas for pods are planted out in the beds, covered in fleece to keep them a little warmer.  Outside sowings have begun too with: carrots, parsnips, radish, speckled trout lettuce, and onion sets.  The buddleia has also been pruned back hard.  Sowing of more flowers has begun with calendula, night scented stock, and cornflower seeds going into the propagator just today. In the next few days I hope to plant early potatoes and sow basil.  I'm also aiming to sow a new row of carrots each week for the next

  No Dig Organic Home & Garden by Charles Dowding & Stephanie Hafferty suggests a family of four require around 46sq.m of cropped area, including paths and edges.  It also says to count protected areas, like a greenhouse or polytunnel, as four times the space they occupy.  Our raised beds, paths and edges take up 10sq.m, while our greenhouse fills 2.22sq.m Therefore our food growing space equates to just under 19sq.m. We also have a few containers and some large fruit trees dotted around the lawn so if we can grow a third of our fruit and vegetable needs for this year, I will be really pleased.