OK so I’m six months into growing a Victory Garden, so I thought I would give you a little bit of an update to let you know how it’s all been going. I’m at the stage whereby most of my time consists of watering and weeding, which is a nice position to be in overall.
About a month ago I did my first major bout of weeding on the two patches and I can’t help but admit that my body ached all over – it was like I’d had a yoga session for 5 whole hours. This told me two things… 1. my beds are too big and need to be scaled down. 2. I planted the plants too close together, I was so worried about treading on something that I am now a fully qualified contortionist.
These have all germinated and seem to have grown without hindrance – however they haven’t been without their problems. At first they became victim to a flea beetle or weevil attack, which I suspect stunted their growth slightly, but not decimated the plants.
Brussels Sprouts – Darkmar , Savoy Cabbage – Winterking
Oh my goodness, I can’t tell you the amount of disdain I have for the slugs right now. As soon as these germinated, they were eaten. As a result, I started these off in pots in the flat and I’m happy to report that I now have a set of around 10-20 plants of each. I should have followed my own advice when it comes to combating slug attacks, which you can read here.
Red Duke of York First Earlies
This very weekend I dug up the first earlies, in the hope of being loaded down with firm, red skinned new potatoes. So you can imagine the massive disappointment I experienced when I dug up around two three portions, considering the number of tubers I planted into the ground. I’ve done a search online on what causes poor yields and in general, a lack of potassium and a lack of water can cause a pitiful display. One thing I did notice was that the original tubers I dug out were swollen and large, almost as big as a baked potato – this tells me that a lack of water is probably the main issue.
Sadly, they also suffered a little bit of frost damage.
These are by far the most successful plant in the Victory garden. The tubers were practically leaping out of the ground this weekend. Needless to say, I’ve picked them and they’re so tasty that I can see me and the missus eating them like apples – they offer such a tangy tasty flavour that’s full of energy, vitamins and roughage. I’ll be growing these again, mainly because they’ve been so easy.
Gardener’s Delight , Tomato Beefmaster
These are the tomatoes plants that I’ve chosen to grow in the Victory Garden. The varieties differ in the fact the Gardener’s Delight produce trusses of cherry tomatoes, where as Beefmaster produce – as the name suggests bunches of large tomatoes that are perfect with a steak or beefburger. I sowed the seeds in pots at the suggested time on the packet, and just as the cabbages and sprouts, they became victim to a slug attack which more or less wiped out the entire sowing. I then sowed them again around three weeks later, but kept them inside the flat, under my watchful eye. I now think I have more tomato plants than ever!
According to my plan – I’m yet to sow cauliflowers and French beans into the two beds. That said, as I harvest more, I’ll be looking to sow more, maybe something that’s not one the list. Who knows!
There you, this is where we are six months into a Victory Garden! If you’ve grown a Victory Garden before, I’d love to know how you got on and read any hints or tips you may have to keep everything on a self sufficient level as possible.
The Carrot Tops Allotment Blog! 
Leave a Reply