Garden Log #1

I'm really bad at keeping records, every few weeks I wonder what I did last year, what I planted when and what the yields were. This post is an effort to keep a reference for future years so I can improve my processes and, hopefully, not make the same mistakes. I'm also interested in yields vs inputs and how the garden produce compares, financially, with the supermarket. I'm not expecting that it will be cheaper

One of the biggest challenges I find in keeping the garden productive is getting the timing correct. Its not just knowing what time of year to plant because the weather varies so much, however there are plenty of guidelines which I attempt to adhere to. The Yates garden guide is a very handy reference here.

Our front door porch is no longer used as an entry way and gets a lot of sun so it have become my seed raising area. It there now, planted in vermicast, are

• 1 tray onion seeds
• 1 tray salad greens

Last year I planted what I thought would be plenty of onions (one a week or 52 in total) but that is insufficient so I'll plant twice as many this year (120ish). We seem to have plenty of garlic but as I didn't keep records I don't know how many I planted. I harvested around 40 bulbs of very tasty garlic, so much better than what is available in the supermarket.

The weekend just been has seen me set up an experiment in companion planting it the hope that my brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower etc) will not be quite so infested this year. In the south raised bed (1m by 2.4m) I planted the following

• front row of Nasturtium and Marigolds (seeds)
• back row of Borage (seeds)
• 5 broccoli seedlings
• 10 garlic cloves around the broccoli seedlings

Its probably the wrong time of year for planting the flowers but the seeds should stay dormant until summer. I'll also put a cloche over them to keep them a bit warmer and keep the cats out.