Wow, haven’t we been having a ball! It’s so thrilling to see so many of you come here and take up our offer for a cup of coffee and a chat about your vegetable plots. Thank you so much, it’s been really great.
 
One thing we have been talking a lot about with you is what to plant where. So, here’s a little summary of all those wonderful conversations we’ve been having.

You might remember about planting times during the year? So, here is a little clarification for you. Spinach, lettuce, early carrots or radishes are typical early crops. You can sow and harvest those early in the year. Others, such as pumpkin and courgettes, tomatoes or peppers, should only be planted outside after the Ice Saints in May. But, with climate change really happening now, that rule is beginning to sway a bit. Kale and Brussels sprouts, carrots and parsnips also need many months from sowing to harvesting. They are all those main crops we mentioned. Autumn varieties of radish and spinach as well as endive and lamb’s lettuce can tolerate or even need low temperatures and are suitable as secondary crops later in the year.

If you’re pushed for time, why not plant at the same time but harvest at different times?  

If you plant different types of vegetables at the same time in the same bed, it will lead to a larger harvest. As long as larger vegetable plants are still small, plant others in the gaps next to them. So, for example, if you sow bush beans, you can plant lettuce to the right and left of the row at the same time. They will be ready for harvesting before the beans are big. Other large vegetable crops that leave room for partners at the beginning are Brussels sprouts and kale, tomatoes and cucumbers. Other fast-growing plants and therefore suitable as gap fillers are radishes, lettuces and spinach.

Another possibility is to place several species with similar requirements in the same row. In the bed in the cultivation plan, celery could be combined with cauliflower. The young plants of the two species are then placed alternately in the row. It is important to maintain the original planting distances and not to plant all crops twice as close together. Otherwise, the plants will remain small. Kohlrabi and leaf lettuce can be combined well. A well-known example is garlic with strawberries.

Well, we hope this helps you a little. Keep coming, we’d love to see you and share all the experiences you have, answer your questions and give you our advice.