2023 - Plans & Hopes

On a wet and miserable November day, my thoughts are on spring and what would I like to be doing then.
With that in mind, are there any things you want to change or do differently next year. Any plans, crazy ideas, tweaks, something you won't do/grow again? 

2022 thread at https://gardenandgossip.org/showthread.php?tid=1289

How long you got ?   
I’d like to start moving things into my new garden. Before that can happen I need to sort out fences (started), drainage (have the pipe and a rough idea where it’s going) & beds (the plan has been drawn up (repeatedly     ))
I also intend on growing a lot more veg again. I have missed it so much this year. I definitely want chillies, tomato, aubergine, courgette, squash/ pumpkin, sprouts, peas, kale, lettuce, beans and carrots. I will probably add more to this because I have no will power 
I’m going to be growing a lot more flowers for cutting . This will be a new venture for me.

I have a few plans:

Grow even fewer bush tomatoes. I still had too many this summer so I'm limiting them even more, probably just one each of Tumbling Tom Red and Yellow, a Golden Grape and a Ciliegia. The bulk of my tomatoes will be vine cherry or medium varieties as they produce best for me in the garden.

Grow more runner beans. I hadn't grown runners before for some reason, but I tried some this year and I loved them, even more than french beans. I'll still grow some french (a mix of green, yellow and purple again) but I'll give more space to runners. I'm planning on digging out a new rectangular bed in the lawn so I'll have easier access all around for picking.

Pollinate summer and winter squash. I had poor pollination on all my squash this summer with a disappointing harvest overall. I had noticed young fruit just dropping off so started hand pollinating but it was probably a bit late in the season.

Look after the sweet peas better. They didn't do as well this year, probably because it was so hot and I didn't water or feed them enough.

Find a spot to grow shallots and garlic.

Given the dreadful year we've had (relentless blistering temperatures, next to no rain from June until just last week and the loss of a lot of mature trees and plants) it was a good job I had few plans 

As it appears I had no plans or hopes for this year I have absolutely nailed it!

I have the last border to plant up to complete the circle of ornamental beds and borders all round the house, but very irritatingly the delivery of plants has been delivered to and signed for by persons unknown and the majority are now out of stock. I guess I'll wait until the autumn now.

In the end the bare root plants did arrive and most were still alive. However from early August we were banned from using water on anything but fruit and veg so they all died anyway!

This year my plans are to convert a lot of the garden to a drought garden, focusing on the things that have survived without watering - grasses, bamboos, red hot pokers - and abandon the things that haven't, which is sadly anything in pots, along with dahlias, hardy gernaiums, clematis and even the hibiscus have struggled.

In the veg garden we're still eating tomaties, peppers and aubergines although the end is in sight. Things like leeks have not coped, of the 260 planted I have about 30 left! I am thinking about building a structure for shading to give stuff like lettuces, radishes and turnips a chance. That's a plan.

Having been incredibly depressed by the garden this year - what had been a source of comfort during Covid lockdowns became a source of despair and fear (wild fires ripping through the trees) this summer, and why I stopped visiting you lovely people - I'm determined to find a way to make my heavy clay work without rain and with high temperatures. 

We are also in the process of fully fencing the garden to try and keep the deer and wild boar out as they've done a lot of damage this year, especially the deer. Possibly my fault for ensuring there was always water down for wildlife resulted in the wildlife coming into the garden to drink. Hmmm. But I'll be putting more over to wildlife anyway, just not the big ones

Good to see you again, PP, I've been wondering where you were.

Ditto Veggie I was going to ask if anyone had heard from PP. Welcome back PP.

My plans are merely a variation on last year. Move/ get rid of some flower clumps to make room for penstemon and others I hope to grow from seed. Try successionsal sowing again of corn, courgettes and beans. Reduce the number of toms in each gh border to 5 rather than 6. Devote one border of gh to cucumbers (maybe). Find room to grow all the favourite toms whilst still experimenting with some new ones. Concentrate on trombas and give up on winter squash they never thrive. There will be more as the season approaches.

The big recycling bins and 50 L pots (except for the 3 potato ones) will be converted to wicking containers, which proved so successful with the bush tomatoes. The wicking containers require less frequent watering, the compost stays consistently moist and doesn't shrink away from the sides, there is much less water waste through run off and if I put enough organic fertiliser in at the start they shouldn't require any feeding. This means the cucumbers, celery, courgettes and bush winter squash should all do better and require less looking after.

I am going to grow all of the peppers in the ground instead of pots. Making the potting mix and filling the pots is tough work and growing in the ground instead means I can really reduce my use of perlite, bagged compost and chemical fertiliser. Sweet peppers also need a lot of water in pots, much more so than chillies, and I find frequent watering such a chore.

The outdoor plum tomatoes need sturdier supports as when the plants are top heavy with fruit, vertical bamboo canes are no match for 40mph winds.

I want to be better with getting a constant supply of kohlrabi, spring onions and lettuce.

The tree roots of next door's silver birch are invading the greenhouse borders and 3 of the raised beds. In the height of summer the tree sucks all of the water out of the soil. In the raised beds this bakes the soil into a crust so any water runs off down the sides and doesn't penetrate the surface. To rewet the soil I have to break up the tough layer and rub the water in by hand. Dry soil means stressed plants which makes them more vulnerable to pests. I am going to have to dig a trench and put some sort of root barrier down along the wall which the roots are coming under.

My plans for 2023
I have access to all the horse manure I need, just not enough time to go and get it. I'm hoping to free up a day on a weekend sometime soon to get another load. I will consider paying someone to get me it here.

There will be more growing space, maybe even double next year. I already have the cardboard and two daleks full of horse manure. Just need more manure.

I have definite plans of laying a path, a red brick path down the garden, in between the summerhouse and the gardening shed. My wooden arbour will go over it.

A gradual redesign of the front garden. The octagonal raised bed in the middle of the front garden is nice, and things are growing well, and I may keep it. All the gravel surrounding it though.... that has to go. I want a massive border filling that space, preferably with a theme, but I'm not sure what yet. It'll distract from the boring look of the house. And ideally, I'd like to paint a mandala on the front of the house, but I doubt I'll get Jay to agree to that. And a silver birch - that needs to go somewhere.

Having fenced off the end of the garden to keep the dogs off it, I want to make this part as productive as possible - aiming to eat something from the garden shop every day.
Also intend to eat more of what I grow instead of letting it go to waste.
This means more successional sowing - small batches more often.
To grow less small tomatoes and no big ones that take too long to ripen.
To try outdoor cucumbers as the indoor ones weren't very productive this year.
To grow more edible, ornamental plants - flowers with uses.
To empty the far pond and turn it into a fruit and veg bed.
Continue pulling up montbretia, vinca and grass and reducing areas that need mowing.

There'll be more.