Veggie Update

[tigerlily]

I have several strawberries starting to grow; there are loads of flowers on the tomatoes and some have become tiny little green tomatoes-in-waiting; the peas and broad beans are in flower!

I am a success, it would seem!

Really looking forward to getting down to turning the back yard in Germany into a veggie plot, or some of it at least.

Question is, what do I need to do to improve the soil? And when should I be sowing veggies? It tends to be a few degrees colder, as low as ten degrees below freezing in the heart of winter, and it does ice up badly.

Should I get the plot dug over in the Autumn, or wait until next Spring? I'm thinking if I dig it up this year then the frosts will break down any clumps and clods of soil nicely.

Advice, please!

[Fi]

Jul 17, 2008 9:43:12 GMT tigerlily said:

I have several strawberries starting to grow; there are loads of flowers on the tomatoes and some have become tiny little green tomatoes-in-waiting; the peas and broad beans are in flower!

I am a success, it would seem!

Really looking forward to getting down to turning the back yard in Germany into a veggie plot, or some of it at least.

Question is, what do I need to do to improve the soil? And when should I be sowing veggies? It tends to be a few degrees colder, as low as ten degrees below freezing in the heart of winter, and it does ice up badly.

Should I get the plot dug over in the Autumn, or wait until next Spring? I'm thinking if I dig it up this year then the frosts will break down any clumps and clods of soil nicely.

Advice, please!

hat you need to do depends on the soil type Tigs. If it's clay, then deigging in autumn is certainly a good idea - the frosts will do much of the hard work for you. It's also worthwhile getting a pH teast kit to find out if the soil is acid or alkaline - that way you'll know what to add to provide an optimum growing medium - for instance, brassicas love alkaline soils, so if your soil is acid, I would add some blood and bone mix as a fertiliser. Just about whatever the soil type, the other essential is compost, so if there isn't a bin, I suggest you get one for any autumn prunings etc. A shredder is also useful, for clippings from bushed and trees. The climate you describe is very familiar to me. It will mean that some plants won't be successful, but otherwise it just means that you will have to wait a couple of weeks or more before you can plant out tender veggies. However, all is not lost - some seeds produce hardy plants that will overwinter successfully - such as some broad beans, kale (a bit of an aquired taste), but worth the effort) and, if you have a heated greenhouse, you can start seeds off in it, so they will be well developed by the time they are planted out and will therefore crop earlier
The best source of advice will be those of your neighbours that grow their own veggies. If there are none, try the nearest garden centre.
Viel Glück!