Veggie's random garden

Sit down, I'm about to do something very unusual - follow a plan and garden in beds - maybe even plant in rows. I should add that this will still leave the middle bit of the garden for random growing
I've been following Huw Richards You tube videos about a 2 year growing experiment he did on a plot of land the size of a half allotment (10m x 12.5m). His aim was to grow enough food to feed 2 people all year round. His videos culminated in the publication of a book which has just been published. Being a cheapskate, I've been writing down his sowing plans and plot diagram with a view to copying him. However, my scribbled notes miss out a lot so I've treated myself and ordered the book. Hopefully, it will arrive tomorrow and I can come up with a real plan that will work in my garden. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0241...=dkuk00-21
Huw's plot is neatly fenced, is flat, no tree cover, has raised beds, a polytunnel and is, basically neat and tidy. Mine is the opposite, I don't have any raised beds and I have to jiggle with what I have. I think Huw has 11 beds I have 2!!. Details, as they say! I don't know what size beds Huw has so that'll be my starting point, before I start setting out odd planks and poles in an imaginary plan. His Polytunnel will be my GHs.
I'm quite excited.

That looks like a very interesting book. I’m very tempted. I’ll add it to my (long) wish list

The Book has just arrived!
The overall plot size is 10 x 12.5 m (33 x 43'), fenced all round.
He has 9 raised beds, 3 of which are covered "hoop houses". He doesn't give specific measurements for them but says he has found the ideal bed size to be no longer than 3m/10' and no wider then 1.2m/4'. I'll work to something near this as far as possible. He seems to like planting in square metre blocks which suits me fine as I've already thought about square yard gardening.
His Polytunnel is 6 x 3 m (20' x 10'). I'll use my GHs instead.
He also has 2 Hot beds which are 1.5m square with an inner frame that is 1.2m square. I probably won't have these. I'll rely on germinating seeds indoors.
Additionally, he has beds around the inside of the outer fence, plus compost bins and pots for potatoes. I can do this!

^^^^ Its no good, I can't do it! My inner rebel emerged at the mention of plans and rows. I did try, honest. I even planted the onions in rows, albeit slightly wobbly ones. I was distracted by the "chicken run" plot which was far more fun than having an orderly bed.
The good news is that I've decided, yet again, to only grow the things I enjoy eating and can grow relatively easily. So OUT go the Hearting veg (brassicas) and the roots that sit in the ground for months, to emerge full of holes and as tough as old boots. I don't even like swede and parsnips much.
Maybe, I'll go back to my tried and tested plans, at least I understand them!

^^^^ Its no good, I can't do it! My inner rebel emerged at the mention of plans and rows. I did try, honest. I even planted the onions in rows, albeit slightly wobbly ones. I was distracted by the "chicken run" plot which was far more fun than having an orderly bed.
The good news is that I've decided, yet again, to only grow the things I enjoy eating and can grow relatively easily. So OUT go the Hearting veg (brassicas) and the roots that sit in the ground for months, to emerge full of holes and as tough as old boots. I don't even like swede and parsnips much.
Maybe, I'll go back to my tried and tested plans, at least I understand them!

Plans are for planners and spreadsheet users. Stick to your erratic ways and daft ideas,it's served you well in the past and brings a bit of bedevillment to gardening!

My NEW plan (I think) is to grow enough fruit that I can have some with breakfast all year round, enough salad leaves for a sandwich, if not a complete salad for lunch each day and, hopefully, something to eat with the evening meal - easier in summer than winter.
I'm not going to grow cabbage but stick to kale which is a sort of Cut and Come again veg. I can pick kale and some sort of allium all year round now without trying too hard so I'm going for easy and fun gardening without struggling to grow perfection.

So back to your usual style. As it should be  . Growing in rows was always going to be a step to far for someone as free spirited as you   .

My NEW plan (I think) is to grow enough fruit that I can have some with breakfast all year round,  enough salad leaves for a sandwich, if not a complete salad for lunch each day and, hopefully, something to eat with the evening meal - easier in summer than winter.
I'm not going to grow cabbage but stick to kale which is a sort of Cut and Come again veg. I can pick kale and some sort of allium all year round now without trying too hard so I'm going for easy and fun gardening without struggling to grow perfection.

That's not a plan, it's your innate common sense coming through, and so it should. Rows were never going to work. I think we all gravitate to growing what we like to eat and what's successful. There's so many veg that are always a failure and don't care for - radishes, kohl rabi to name two. Nothing says you can't experiment though.

           

This is the Shelter bed (used to have a roof and a seat to shelter from the rain). The roof "Onduline" warped in the sun and was removed - now suppressing weeds somewhere in the veg plot.  The shelter has been enclosed with Fire guards and netting and I've decided to grow beans there. I've put one row of canes on the outer edge, attaching them to the fireguards. Then an inner row, at an angle so that I could tie them to the upright canes. If I was taller, I could have attached them to the roof timbers, but, as we all know, I'm vertically challenged,
 If the beans like it here, I may put some canes across the top, so that the beans can travel from one side to another. This is all wishful thinking as I've only planted a few beans and they're only a couple of inches tall.

You could climb trombas over that.