Those who fail to study their history are doomed to repeat it

This year’s growing cycle is mostly done, but thinking back to the lessons I learned has helped me compile next year’s plan.

1. I can grow sweetcorn but I need to space it well, plant more of it, and feed it more. I’m growing it in two places next year
2. Just because the seeds came out of a butternut squash packet from a reputable seller, doesn’t mean that’s what you’ll get (Banana squash resulted).
3. Squashes are thugs and will take everything over. I’m building them an arch next year
4. When you buy tomato plants from a garden centre because yours failed to germinate well, don’t assume you’ve picked the full-size variety. One can have too many cherry tomatoes.
5. Two years ago I planted 12 runner beans as seeds, it was too many. This year I planted 8, still too many. Next year I will try 6.
6. My carrots (Nantes) did very well in a whisky barrel with a good chunk of sand mixed into the soil.
7. My potatoes (Desiree) that did the best also had a good deal of sand mixed into the soil and grass clipping to mulch them up.
8. If you don’t remove the side shoots from Celeriac, you get a very small bulb.
9. Radishes grow quickly and easily, but that means you need a use for a lot of radishes.