Article submitted by Sue from Cheshire ( Free seeds on their way!)

As we spend this final weekend in January cleaning out the greenhouse and the shed, we are reviewing the first wonderful year on our own allotment. Although we have grown our own, on a very small scale at home for many years, we have learnt so much in this last 12 months. These are our top ten lessons that will mean we have even bigger, better,more delicious vegetables all year round.

1.Crop rotation is easy once you have a plan. If you feel overwhelmed with the complexity of information, just follow a couple of simple rules. A) Don’t replant the same crops in the same beds each year. B) Divide your plot into five beds and grow in this order 1) root crops and alliums, 2) brassicas, 3) peas and beans 4) courgettes, squashes and pumpkin 5)potatoes. C) Each year move each group one plot on keeping to the same order. So for example brassicas move into the peas and beans plot etc.

2. Prepare the soil in autumn ready for the crop to be grown in the spring. Each of the five groups requires slightly different soil preparation. Lots of manure in winter for the potato plot, lime for brassicas, no manure but sand and grit added to heavy soil for root crops etc.

3. Only grow what you will eat!! Sounds obvious but we used up space and energy with crops such as beetroot, which although an occasional delicacy, we simply didn’t use in the quantities that germinated. Oh . . . . . and sow plenty of what you and your family eat lots of. We were disappointed to run out of onions and garlic before Xmas.

4. Succession sow peas, beans, carrots, spinach, rocket, salad leaves etc. at the rate at which you use them, i.e. few and often. That way you can enjoy a regular supply of freshly picked daily vegetables right through the season.

5. Crop fast growing fruit and vegetables regularly. We made the mistake of leaving courgettes on the plants for far too long which means they stop producing. Part of the pleasure of growing your own is enjoying the smaller, tastiest vegetables that are so expensive in the supermarket.

6. Place slow growing crops that stay in the ground throughout the autumn and winter, at the ends or edges of beds so you can still dig over and add soil improvers to the rest of the bed in autumn. For example parsnips, leeks, celeriac, winter cabbage, swedes and sprouts will still be in the ground when you are preparing your beds for the winter.

7. Weed little and often to prevent it becoming a huge chore and water deeply, soaking the ground when it’s dry. However, do not water during the day or in direct sun; wait until the evening so your crops can get the benefit of drawing water through their roots overnight.

8. Take the attitude – ‘You win some you lose some!’ We have just experienced two distinctively different winters, this year we are still cropping vegetables that would normally have been destroyed by frost before January. Don’t be afraid to experiment. If you grow all your produce from seed you can afford to try starting early, planting late, grow a few extras in case of a lost crop.

9. Start as many crops as you can indoors or under glass early in the season. Use toilet roll tubes for peas, beans, leeks and cabbages and plant out in the tube without disturbing the roots. For those crops sown directly outside – carrots, parsnips, turnips, beetroot and sweedes - thin, thin, thin!! It will make all the difference to the quality of the crops that are left to grow to full size.

10. Don’t just grow fruit and vegetables, sow cheap and cheerful flowers and herbs from seed e.g. sunflowers, French marigolds, nasturtiums, sweet-peas, comfrey, borage and oregano. They not only look beautiful but work hard for you too! Comfrey makes an excellent feed, flowers encourage bees which help pollination, companion planting is an efficient and ‘green’ method for luring away the bugs from your vegetables.

Oh and one more thing . . . . . . Have fun, don’t take it too seriously and enjoy the fruit of your labours. Reward a day’s work by cropping and cooking or barbequing on site and share your produce and a glass of wine with fellow allotment holders, as you watch the sun sets!

SO - Raise your glass of homemade elderberry and raspberry wine and toast another incredible year!