The old greenhouse has been our main growing area for several years and is home to a diverse range of plants.
Although the greenhouse has lost a lot of glass panels, it still has its own micro climate which gives us the opportunity to grow things we may not necessarily be able to do outside of the greenhouse.
We often will grow the same thing in several different environments for comparison, it helps to give us an idea of where best to plant the following year.
Companion Planting
Rather than planting in formal rows, we grow many different plant species together in the same area and this is much healthier, natural environment.
Plants that are grown with others can be less susceptible to pest invasions and diseases since many plants have compounds that repel. Just as equally, they can attract, which is why we use plants particularly attractive to pollinators, in order to tease them into the veggie garden!
Crop Rotation
Another principle we think is effective when growing vegetables is to rotate which plants are grown in which areas. All plants leave a trace and this could be potenially beneficial, or hindering to the plant that follows.
Plants go into position based on position, sunny or shady, but also whats been growing there before. Understanding plant families helps as this is what your working with.
In winter we turn all our beds over with a fork, mulch them up with some Organic material and cover them until Spring.
Fresh onions are one of our most used ingredient in the kitchen so we grow loads!
Chilli peppers and Sweet peppers are settled in to their beds by June
We sow a border of herb seeds around the plants to fill in all the gaps by summer!
The white grapevine has been growing for many years and produces big bunches every summer!
