I have reached a point of trying to decide what I will grow next season. My main problem is growing space, I don’t have any but that’s not to say I need to give up. I like a challenge and it will be if I want to achieve growing a reasonable amount of interesting produce. I’m not out to feed the world with any of the produce I grow but I would like to encourage everyone, green-fingered or not, to grow something for themselves.
I share a lot of produce from seeds, plants and even vegetables if I can, and whilst I can’t provide quantities, I can at least let people taste new and interesting plants. The only thing I have grown I know I won’t grow again is Epazote, (Dysphania ambrosioides), known also as wormseed, Jesuit’s tea and Mexican tea amongst other names. In it’s Latin name ‘ambrosioides‘ you would think indicated something tasty, but this is not a nom de plume for ambrosia, far from it. It is a medicinal herb used by Mexicans as a relief from eating too many beans and it tastes of petrol.
In spite of the epazote, I will be growing beans as well as achocha, courgettes, tromba squash and peas, all of which are climbers so what I miss for ground space, I can make up for with vertical space. The tromba and courgettes will also provide colourful, big showy flowers and the beans and peas, a variety of colourful flowers and pods.
Root vegetables take up a lot of space but I will try smaller snack size carrots and beetroot, this year’s chioggia beetroot is still growing although it was late in getting sown. These can be grown in a window box.
Potatoes take up so much space but I will try out the double potato pots with a better choice of potato next season. I’d thrown some elderly salad potatoes from the back of the cupboard into one of the pots near the end of the season but with better care, they would have been better. However, I did get several meals out the three tired little potatoes I started with.
Komatsu Japanese Green Boy, likes cooler weather and grew very well at the beginning of spring, it was growing well until the slugs and snails got their eyes on it. I tried late planting but alas they were lying in wait for it. Thankfully it is one of the plants ‘recovering from being nibbled’ and I may get some worthwhile plants yet.
Dwarf green curled kale, did very well under nets but needed a bit more protection from slugs as well but I did manage to save a reasonable amount and it’s now in the freezer.
I will have plenty of time to study the seeds I have before deciding the challenges ahead. One thing, there is nothing quite so satisfying as to be able to grow your own produce. Even if all you get are a couple of strawberries, they will probably be the best strawberries you will have tasted. So whether it’s no more than a pot on the windowsill, it’s still worth trying.
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