Last year I had some success with Runner Beans and tomatoes but the courgettes were a complete loss! It's mad really as we have lots of land here in Brittany but not much time, we both work not full-time but its all or nothing so weeding gets put well down the list of jobs to. Plus MOH hates it if it looks un-cared for and masses of weeds, I have said some people say it doesn't effect the crop but he's not that sure.
We also have 5 chickens that free-range all over our land and I don't want to plant something that they will eat, I can put up a wire fence if need be but I really want my girls and Claude the cock freedom. Has anyone got any thoughts or good ideas on the above as I love veg that I have grown it tastes so much better.
So did you grow the beans, tomatoes and courgettes in containers? Last year we successfully grew purple climbing French beans, early potatoes and tomatoes in containers.....actually, the potatoes we grew in those heavy duty supermarket shopping bags, the reusable ones you can buy (well, over here anyway) for 50p. We also grew cut-and-come-again salad leaves in growbags, placed on top of an old garden table, in an effort to keep the mice off - that worked well too. Our strawberries too were in growbags, on shelving fixed to the garden fences, they cropped very heavily.
So if you want to keep your hens away from your crops, I would suggest growing in containers, growbags or simply heavy duty bags full of compost, but try raising them up off the ground out of reach of the hens. They need lots of water, of course, when grown in containers.
learning to love veg…..except celery :-O
Hi Sooliz
Yes the Runner Beans were in a big container and we ate them most nights, the Toms were Tumblers and had loads but the courgettes again were in a container and watered lots but never really came to anything! I am told you need a male & female plants?? and don't grow near Cucumbers. The strange thing is the first year I moved to Brittany my Husband was working away from home so my Neighbour rotarvated a small veggies patch for me and as I ran out of room I planted the courgettes in the same tub as I used last year and I had so many of them I couldn't give them away.
I'm really looking forward to starting my veggies again just get Feb out the way and I can start planning again.
I grow everything in Containers, as am Disabled, have some purpose built ones, simply made from Pallets. Oblong and Square, so they are the right height for me. You can Fertilize Marrows yourself, simply by picking the Male Flower and inserting it into the Female Flower. Also with Courgettes, which are just young Marrows anyway. A trick I find works is to grow a few Flowers in the same Container, the Bees are attracted to the Flowers, and Voila!
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