The Spring Allotment and Garden:
A Vegetable Growing Guide Cheat Sheet
For all the gardeners out there, and that includes me, spring, and I feel that spring has truly arrived now, is a time to order your seeds, plan your garden and sow some of the early crops. We have two lovely gardens, both in France and the UK, and with the lighter mornings (and evenings) as well as the warmer weather, it’s certainly time at Chez Lavender and Lovage to get weeding, digging, sowing, planting and generally tidying up after winter.
Today I would like to share an amazing ” Vegetable Growing Cheat Sheet” infographic from Good to be Homeit’s a handy and informative chart that shows you how to organise your veggie plot, whether it be in your garden, on the allotment or in a courtyard or patio. The TEN tips this Vegetable Growing Cheat Sheet will show you are:
1. When to plant
2. How far apart to plant seeds
3. What needs propagating
4. What needs to be in a greenhouse
5. What size pot to plant in
6. Distance to thin seedlings out to
7. Germination & maturation times
8. Which pests to look out for
9. What veg works best together
10. When to harvest!
As well as the ten tips shown above, the chart also has a handy “companion planting” guide tool, which always fascinates me, and I try to sow my herbs and vegetables in a “companion” pattern. Last year, our veggie plot was very productive, and regular Lavender and Lovage readers may remember “The great runner bean glut” we had, and how I dealt with the happy problem here: The Walnut Tree and Spiced Runner Bean Pickle…….
…….as well as kilos and kilos of runner beans, we also had lots of tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, potatoes, garlic and onions, so it was a bumper year for us. And, what vegetables we didn’t grow were provided by a friend, Jeff, in an informal and friendly “fruit and veg swap”, with us providing him and Barb (his wife) with loads of fresh figs, walnuts and raspberries, as our fruit was also prolific last year.
But, back to the cheat sheet for today…….if you find the infographic handy, then you can download it (and print it) here: A Vegetable Growing Cheat Sheet Infographic. I’d be really interested to hear what all my readers are planting this year, so, PLEASE do let me know via the comments below, and let me know if you have an allotment, garden, patio, balcony or a windowsill! Have a great week, and see you back here with some seasonal recipes for St Patrick’s Day. Karen
Some new recipes coming soon using HOME-GROWN vegetables:
Braised Ruby Gem Lettuce with Spring Onions, Lardons, Peas and Creme Fraiche
Chilli Honey Roasted Roots with Marigold Petals
Three Cheese and Swiss Chard Pasta Bake Cake
Rosie says
I love this – thanks so much for sharing. Super helpful.
Rosie xx
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Rosie – it’s a GREAT resource isn’t it?
Vicky says
This is such a useful infographic – thank you for sharing! I’ve just moved somewhere new with a garden and I was just starting to think about what I should be planting when! Perfect timing.
Karen Burns-Booth says
BRILLIANT! So pleased this has come in handy for you when you need it Vicky! Let me know how your garden grows! Karen
Heidi Roberts says
Have already got most of my seeds for the allotment – can’t wait to get growing and harvesting!! Will download the cheat sheet when I get home!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Great news Heidi! I will watch out for what you grow and sow this year! Have a great holiday, Karen
Sarah Goodwin says
I can’t seem to download the cheat sheet Karen. It just gives an error 404 message, page not found 🙁
Karen Burns-Booth says
The download is here Sarah: Gardening Cheat Sheet Try that and let me know if it works! Karen
Sarah Goodwin says
Thanks Karen, that worked fine!
Karen says
Great Sarah. It’s a fab charts and I’ve printed it already, Karen
Glamorous Glutton says
This is a fab cheat sheet. I haven’t decided what to grow this year and The raised beds are quite small. Definitely sweet corn again but not sure beyond that. Your prolific garden produce was wonderful last year. GG xx
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks GG! Malcolm is in charge of veggies, and I am in charge of herbs, and the fruit trees sort of take care of themselves! I’ve got a long list of new herbs (well old ones actually) I want to grow this year and can’t wait to cook with them. K xx
Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere says
Great resource. We will be making good use of this! This time of year always gets me a bit antsy because we can’t even start our seeds indoors until the end of March. But, that’s not to say we can’t start planning!
Karen Burns-Booth says
I started my seeds indoors last year Sarah – I sowed them in old egg boxes, so they could be popped straight out into the garden later…….will blog about that idea soon!
Dom says
That’s actually a super cute info graphic. The Viking will love it. Can’t wait for that pasta cake recipe!!!
Karen Burns-Booth says
The pasta cake recipe is coming soon Dom and I had a feeling The Viking might find this infographic useful!