So to continue... Spring Onions... As I said in the part 1 we love our onions.  As well as the normal onions I also have a small bed of multiplying onions - like a spring onion but a bit smaller. I originally planted a few bunches of two or three onions and they soon turned into huge bunches of tall tasty onions which are ideal in stews and soups. They have a totally different taste to normal onions. I dig up a portion of a bunch when required by driving a spade through the bunch and replacing some soil to fill the void!! When the whole bunch has been used I replant a small bunch of 2-5 and in not time they will be ready for eating as well. This way one only needs a square meter or so in the garden for theses.  They over-winter without any problem and jump back into growing mode i

Wow - I was quite astounded when I added the quantities of veg that I grew on my allotment last season.. I grew 588 kg. on 165 sq. mt.   My Harvest 2013 After seeing the price of runner beans in town I decided to do a harvest record just to see how much I have grown and priced at supermarket prices.. Some estimates are on the lower side!! Strawberries 40kg = 88punnet @ £2.50 = £225 Broadbeans 6kg @ £1.80 per kg = £11 Peas 6kg @ £2 = £12 Potatoes 90kg @ £1 = £90 Gemsquash 130 @ 50p = £65 Runner beans 31kg @ 6.67 = £207 Courgettes 20kg @ £1.60 = £32 Squashes loads +/- 12 @ £1 = £12 Hubbard squash 4 large @ £4 = £16 Acorn squash 21 @ £1 + £21 Pumpkin 1 @ 2kg @ £2 = £2 Beetroot +/- 25 kg @ £3.3 = £83 Garlic 80 large bulbs @ 50p = £40 Onions 450 @ 2

As propagators and soils warm all across the country, gardeners start to think tactically about which seeds should be sown now and which to hold off on. Broad beans are perfect for sowing indoors now and you can even sow them outdoors in warmer areas of the country as long as they are provided with a little cover in the form of a cloche or fleece in very cold weather. Three to try: Aquadulce Claudia: An excellent cultivar for overwintering. This particular broad bean can be planted in the autumn where it will germinate and grow until the temperatures drop. Throughout winter it will cease growth and then resume growing when temperatures rise. A perfect plant for an early crop. Can also be sown in late winter/ early spring. Bunyards Exhibition: A favourite of many gardeners, t

Growing beans is quite easy and rewards are fantastic. Being part of a vegetarian diet, beans are getting more popular year after year. You can grow runners, borlotto beans or french beans very easily even in smaller gardens, or the dwarf ones in pots on your patio or balcony. These beans need very similar conditions, while growing broad beans is completely a different matter. Sowing: For an earliest crop sow your french/runner bean seeds indoors at a minimum temperature of 15 Celsius, about three weeks before the last expected frost in your area. An ordinary all purpose compost is suitable for the beans, cover the seeds with as much compost as the the longest side of the seed. With other words sow the seeds as deep as big the seed is, this rule can be applied to any seeds in genera