OK so you may have read that I’m on a mission to grow and build my own victory garden to see if I can live off of the allotment as much as possible. Even though I’ve only planned for 12 months – I suspect that this will be a two year project as I would like to grow some onions and raspberries toward the end of 2017, within my designated victory patches.
The plan hopefully ensures that I always have something growing – but also things that don’t take up room for too long. I’ve also factored in the rejuvenation of the ground. So far I’ve only managed to do prepare the ground and dig in some well rotted material from the compost bin.
What on earth shall I grow?
Well I’ve studied the RHS Grow Your Own Veg Planner and picked things that I can start growing in February onward. During my victory garden research I found that this could be a good opportunity to a little bit of good for the world (all be it indirectly) from my humble allotment. This is why I’ll be buying the majority of my seeds from Groseeds.co.uk, who are a fairly young company, who by their own admission are on “a mission to impact lives by inspiring people to engage with the natural world through the regular involvement of gardening.”
Not only that, but they believe in giving something back and have put this ethos at the forefront of what they do. They’re part of the Global Giving Initiative Buy1GIVE1, which means in short – every time a seed packet is bought from them somebody somewhere receives access to life-saving water. Cool huh!
Here’s a list of what I’ve ordered…
Broad Bean – Karmazyn
Brussels Sprouts – Darkmar
Turnip – Snowball
Carrot – Berlicum
Beetroot – Cylindra
Savoy Cabbage – Winterking
Pea – Hurst Greenshaft
Tomato – Gardeners Delight
Tomato – Beefmaster F1
Cauliflower – Igloo
French Bean – Neckargold
Cabbage – Dutchman F1
Now that the weather has started looking up I’m really itching to get something in the ground and get the whole process underway. I haven’t managed to sow a dot yet and it feels like time is slipping away, like grains of sand through my fingers.
Have you had any experience in growing a victory garden? What challenges have you faced? What are your triumphs? I would love to hear your experiences!
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