What’s Growin’ On Guys? My name is Liam, I’m a 26 year old market gardener based in the Tamar Valley, Cornwall. I grew up in Reading but really unearthed my passion to grow whilst traveling in Asia. There I worked on a few different permaculture farms and instantly knew that I’d like to start something like this of my own!
My transition to Cornwall represented much more than just a change of location. It marked a huge life transformation. Before I decided to move I tragically lost one of my dearest friends to an act of unexplainable violence, serving as a pivotal moment in my life. The loss of a couple of other friends in the years leading up to this, due to the intense drug and party scene, had already stirred a growing awareness that change was non negotiable. It was almost serendipitous when, barely a week or so later, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity arose. The chance to move onto a farm in Cornwall.
Can you feel the energy of spring in the air? Here in Cornwall the relentless rain has stopped and the sun is showing its face here and there. With the days getting longer and the soil getting warmer we can start to sow seeds undercover ready to plant out in the coming months. Such as:
Peas: Peas are a cool-season crop that thrives in the early spring weather. Sow them directly into the ground in well-draining soil and provide support for climbing varieties.
Lettuce: Lettuce is a fast-growing vegetable that can be sown directly into the garden or started indoors for transplanting. Choose from a variety of leaf types and colours to add texture and flavour to your salads.
Spinach: Spinach is another cold-hardy crop that can be sown early in the season. It prefers cooler temperatures and will bolt in hot weather, so March is the perfect time to get it started.
Radishes: Radishes are quick to mature and can be harvested in as little as 3-4 weeks. Sow them directly into the soil in rows or containers for a crunchy and peppery addition to salads and sandwiches.
Now you have seeds germinating they will need a place to live once they have matured. If you haven’t prepared your vegetable beds already, here is a simple way to get started.
Lay down cardboard or thick layers of newspaper to smother weeds. Pile on organic matter like compost, straw, and leaves, building up layers. Remember, no need to till or disturb the soil—just let nature do its thing! Water well to kickstart decomposition. That’s It, You’ve got yourself a nutrient-rich, low-maintenance garden bed ready for planting. Now sit back, relax, and watch your veggies thrive in this eco-friendly haven.
Let’s Get Dirty: February’s Seed Sowing Shenanigans!
What’s Growin’ On Everyone! Can you feel that energy in the air? The snowdrops are out and the daffodils are sprouting, it’s like mother nature’s way of gently letting us know it’s time to get out of hibernation mode and get our hands dirty!
The weather in February may not be the best especially here in the UK but on those rainy days is a great time to start sowing the first of your seeds. You can sow things such as lettuce, radish, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli undercover or on your windowsill. February is also a great time to sow aubergine and pepper seeds to give them a good head start. This will have to be done on a heated propagator or in a warm place like your airing cupboard. Just be sure to keep an eye on them as they will need light as soon as they germinate, otherwise they will go leggy and eventually die. Last year I left it a little late and really missed out on a lot of potential harvests!
Creating The Best Potting Mix
Starting with a good potting mix is a crucial element to successful germination. I like to mix Rocketgro Seed And Cutting Compost (60%) with Vermiculite (40%). Vermiculite helps aerate the soil and gives small roots the oxygen they need to grow, it also makes it easier not to over water your seedlings. On top of the benefits to your plants adding vermiculite to your potting mix also makes it go further and saves you a bit of money!
Choosing The Right Seed
This can be a daunting task, it sure was for me at the start. A lot of it is trial and error but you can make sure you have the best chance of success by keeping a few factors in mind.
Wind
For me wind is an important factor when it comes to choosing what varieties to grow. Tall plants such as Sunflowers, Brussel Sprouts and kale may be damaged by the strong winds we have up on the hill so this year I have purchased dwarf varieties to avoid this problem.
Rain/Moisture
The amount of water present can affect what you grow in a number of ways. If your soil is dry and you do not get rain then you will have to choose plants that are accustomed to drought. In my case we have lots of moisture in the air in the form of mist, this can cause problems such as blight and mildew. Finding varieties that are resistant to such things could really help you out in the long run!
Sun
Depending on your exposure to the sun and the orientation of your garden you will need to choose plants that suit the amount of sunlight you get. You can also create microclimates by inter planting and companion planting. Making use of the shade that bigger plants create.
Heat
Heat can sway your decision too, if you’ll be growing outside you might not be able to grow some of the varieties you can grow in a polytunnel. I make sure I grow my peppers and aubergines in polytunnels but there are varieties you can grow outside. I just know my climate isn’t best suited to that.
Flavor + Productivity
Lastly, the most exciting factor! Flavor is such a key element in the selection process but it is also very unique to oneself. This is why it’s great to try a few new varieties each season so you can find your absolute favorites! Productivity Is important to me as I am growing veg for veg boxes and need to produce as much food as possible in as little space as possible. So finding varieties that taste amazing and are prolific producers is hitting the jackpot for me!
A New Season Begins
As the crisp January air sweeps through Cornwall our Rocket Gro filled beds eagerly await the start of the season! The soil enriched with nutrients from last year’s crops and a nice layer of Fruit And Veg Compost set the stage for another year of regenerative market gardening!
In these winter months we focus on soil preparation and general maintenance around the farm. This ranges from clearing beds and getting them ready for planting – Inspecting the buildings and making sure they are strong enough to withstand the winds and rain!
While the frosty mornings may deter some, we embrace the seasons. January is the perfect time for planning, ordering seeds and compost. Rocket Gro compost is the secret weapon behind our flourishing crops!
By the end of the month I will have planned my crops for the season, ordered my seeds and any compost needed to give them the best start possible. Kohl Rabi was a big hit last year so I’ll definitely be planting that again!
As the first green shoots of spring emerge an almost spiritual excitement permeates the air. Our journey as a regenerative market garden continues, rooted in the belief that healthy soil yields vibrant produce. Stay tuned as we navigate the challenges and joys of the upcoming growing season, armed with our trusty compost and a passion for regenerative cultivation.
What’s Growin’ On Guys? I hope you are all having a Holly Jolly lead up to Christmas and cranking the festive spirit up to Elf. I know me and my family are! December has been a quiet month for me on the market garden front. At the beginning of the season I made a Claus-Worthy decision not to grow any brassicas that had to be netted and protected from insects constantly. I had so much to do preparing the market garden and polytunnel in time for spring, like Father Christmas on Christmas eve. I decided to say NÖel to the extra stress of building cages for insect mesh. I still think that was a smart move for my first season.
As the year is wrapping up I’ve been Unwrapping my lessons of my first season as a market garden. I thought 2023 would be a HUGE learning curve for me and I was correct! I had only dreamt of running a veg box scheme (CSA) and after finding out the veg markets were not a great use of my time I jumped straight into delivering veg boxes and this made a huge difference in the amount I was selling. The veg boxes turned out to be the North Star guiding my market garden Sleigh. It wasn’t just about what I was growing; but cultivating the happiness of my customers.
December isn’t all Candy Canes & Tinsel. There have been lots of jobs to get done ready for spring as the days are numbered… Just like your Advent Calendars. I have been sowing carrots (Yellowstone Variety) in my raised beds in the polytunnel which I have topped up with Rocketgro Fruit + Veg Compost! Onion sets and charlottes are also going in the ground to get a good start for next year, this will not only give us some earlier harvests but also a bigger crop as they have had more time to grow.
If you want to grow your own christmas dinner next year you will need to remember to sow your brussels sprouts, cauliflower and other brassicas at the beginning of next season and cover them with insect mesh from the start to prevent as much contact with butterflies and other insects as possible.
I have been planting out some shallots I received in the post. I know you’re supposed to plant them out around March time, but I thought if I could plant them in the polytunnel and get a couple of months head start, I’ll have some delicious veg early doors next season!
To do this, I used a grid marker to mark even spacings on the compost. Then, I dibbed holes equal distances apart. Shallots grow in the ground like onions and have long, thin greens, so I have planted them slightly closer than recommended to prevent weeds from growing in the compost between, but have kept in mind they will need space to bulb grow into healthy plants.
What’s Growin’ On Guys, since my last blog I have been busy doing all sorts of jobs on the farm. These jobs are not as fun as the summer seasons because there is less harvesting but they are still very important jobs.
Harvesting And Tidying Up Veg Beds In The PolyTunnel And The Market Garden
I have been harvesting the last of my carrots, lettuce, peppers and any other crops that will not survive the winter. Tidying up the organic matter and adding it to the compost. This comes hand in hand with Preparing Beds For Spring. Once the beds are cleared of previous crops I spread a layer of Rocketgro Fruit And Veg Compost as a mulch and cover over with landscape fabric to prevent any weeds or animals disturbing the newly prepared beds.
Planning What To Plant Next Year
This year has been my first year growing on the land so I have to look back and reflect on what has grown well, what I can change for next year and what I will be avoiding next year.
If you followed my Instagram earlier in the season you would have seen one of my beds in the poly tunnel where I experimented with biointensive planting and seeing how much I could get away with in one bed. I planted 2 varieties of Kohl Rabi, Icicle Radish, Candy Beetroot in a 30 inch bed in alternating rows. I thought each plant has a different growth rate and can be harvested at different times. I was correct but I hadn’t taken into consideration the effect of the plants shading eachother out. I had some epic Kohl Rabi and radishes but the beetroot struggled.
Next year I will be playing with biointensive plant spacings again for sure but I have learned from my mistake and will think what will grow best with each other.
Building And Fixing Structures
In the winter months I concentrate on constructing and fixing of structures, this insures they survive the gnarly winters we have here in Cornwall. I am currently working on a shelter for our Authentic Gypsy Wagon so people can stay and enjoy the incredible views from the comfort of a cozy caravan with log burner.
Assess Irrigation Systems
Be sure to check your irrigation systems and make sure they will not be damaged when the frosts come. A small change now could save you lots of time and money in te spring.
Maintaining And Cleaning Poly Tunnel
This is something I am yet to do, I will be waiting until the end of december/new year to clear any weeds that have grown around the tunnels. I will also get some old bed sheets and tie them together. This will create a big piece of material I can clean the polytunnel with. One person on each side and water from the hose any algae should come off with not much of a problem. This is something I will be doing every year to ensure maximum light hits the plants and plastic doesn’t deteriorate.
What To Plant Before The New Year
- Garlic
- Elephant Garlic
- Onion Sets
- Corn Salad
- Kale
- Radish
- Carrots
- Spinnach
- Winter Lettuce
- Mustard Greens
Berties First Butternut Squash
My partners 5 year old Bertie, sowed some butternut squash seeds with me at the beginning of the season. We chose the strongest seedling and planted it out into the poly tunnel. Bertie came up and made sure it was watered and kept an eye on it for months. When the time to harvest them came he was so proud of what he had achieved.
I believe all children should be taught how to grow their own food, it is a life skill that has kept the human race alive for generation after generation. Watching Bertie getting so involved with his squash plant has really inspired me to share my knowledge and encourage the children of Devon and `Cornwall to get their hands dirty and grow their own food!
The last few weeks I have been spending lots of time on my hands and knees weeding. I went for a week away in September with my partner and her little boy to Menorca. As we left it was hammering down with rain and we thought we were escaping to the sun with nothing to worry about. What we did not know was the second we landed the UK had another unexpected heat wave. The mixture of excessive rain for days on end and glorious sunshine resulted in a ridiculous amount of weed growth.
The two main weeds I am dealing with in the market garden are Creeping Buttercup and Dock Leaf. I have spent weeks digging out as many roots as possible and have even had friends come and help me out.
After removing as many of the weeds as possible I lay down the annual spread of Rocketgro compost and cover with landscaping fabric. This will smother the weeds and block out the sunlight, the weeds then exhaust themselves trying to grow in the dark and kill themselves.
Preparing beds at this time of year and covering with a black tarp eliminates soil erosion, keeps the beds dry in the really wet periods of winter so that the soil isn’t too damp for early plantings. Most of all the black tarp keeps the soil warm and increases activity of soil life that converts your nutrient dense compost into nutrients and minerals that are directly available to plants.
What I Have Planted
Onion Sets
Garlic
Elephant Garlic
Corn Salad
Mizuna
Komatsuna
Rocket
Lettuce (for the poly tunnel)
Beetroot
Radish
Kale
Rainbow Chard
Carrots
Pak Choi
What To Do Before November
Harvest Remaining Crops And Make Preserves
This includes the squishy tomatoes and other veggies/fruits you’ve been leaving to last because they didn’t look as nice as the others. I have made a load of passata from my leftover tomatoes and froze it in sandwich bags so they lay thin and flat on the freezer shelf. Easy to snap off portions for pasta or soups!
I also made a few jars of vegan pesto from my excess basil plants, this stores for months but make sure you sterilize your jars beforehand! If you do not have time to do this please post something on your local community facebook page and see if anyone else would like to make use of your leftovers before they go into compost. That’s what I did and people snapped at the chance!
Tidy Up The Plot And Cut Grass Ready For Winter
Pulling weeds when you see them will save you DAYS-WEEKS of weeding. Cover any unused beds with mulch, compost or leaves then cover with black tarp until you are ready to plant. This keeps out any airborne weed seeds.
Prune Trees And Shrubs
This is the best time of year to prune your fruit trees and shrubs ready for spring growth.
Plant Spring Bulbs
Planting bulbs now will give you gorgeous flowers early on in the year. These don’t just look lovely but are also a great early pollen source for our bees!
August and September didn’t only bring big changes to the market garden but also to What’s Growin’ On as a company. I refrained from doing my usual market stalls at the weekends and decided to start seasonal veg box deliveries to local villages. Due to popular demand I have now expanded my deliveries and will be supplying nutrient dense, delicious fresh vegetables to families across the Tamar Valley! If you are interested in a seasonal veg box please feel free to contact me on Instagram or Facebook.
So, whether you’re a seasoned no-dig guru or just beginning your gardening adventure, know that the late summer and early autumn months have a special kind of magic in store. Keep tending to your garden with love and it will reward you with an abundance that’s truly What’s Growin’ On!
Liam here from @whatsgrowinonuk, and I’m thrilled to have you join me for this exciting leg of our no-dig market gardening journey. August and September are incredibly dynamic months in the garden, and there’s a whole lot happening that’s worth celebrating. So stick your gloves on and let’s get into it!
What Is A No Dig Market Garden?
“No Dig” is a growing technique now widely used around the world thanks to the work of Charles Dowding and other No Dig practitioners. It is a regenerative farming technique we love to use and here are few reasons why:
Minimal Soil Disturbance: No-dig gardening involves minimal or no digging, tilling, or turning of the soil, which preserves the soil’s natural structure.
Healthy Soil: The focus is on building and maintaining healthy soil through the addition of compost, mulch, and organic matter.
Reduced Weed Pressure: By not disturbing the soil, weed seeds are less likely to be brought to the surface, reducing weed growth.
Water Conservation: The layers of mulch and compost help retain moisture in the soil, reducing the need for frequent watering.
Enhanced Soil Biology: No-dig gardening encourages the growth of beneficial mycelium, microorganisms and earthworms that improve soil fertility.
Late Summer Planting And Harvesting
This time of year brings bountiful harvests of incredibly bright colors. Courgettes, squash, tomatoes, rainbow chard just to name a few of the delicious vegetables you can be enjoying.
Tomatoes in the polytunnel can last up to December if plants are healthy and kept at a temperature no less than 13℃ this can be done by using fleece. For me this might not be the most productive use of space in my polytunnel so I have started to interplant other crops such as beetroot and salad greens.
Sowing In September
Leafy Greens:
- Spinach
- Lettuce (choose varieties suited for winter)
- Swiss chard
- Pak Choi
- Mizuna
Brassicas:
- Kale
- Spring Cabbage
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
Peas:
- Dwarf pea varieties
Root Vegetables:
- Carrots
- Beets
- Turnips
- Radishes (for quick harvest)
Herbs:
- Parsley
- Chives
- Mint
- Thyme
Garlic and Onions:
While it’s usually best to plant garlic and onion sets in October, you can start preparing your beds in September and get ready for planting.
Overwintering Onions:
Sow sets of overwintering onions for early spring harvests.
Green Manure:
Consider sowing green manure crops like field beans or crimson clover to cover bare soil during the winter, protect against erosion, and improve soil fertility.
Remember that the exact timing of planting in September may vary depending on your specific location in the UK and the weather conditions.
All of my no dig beds in the market garden and polytunnels are made with Rocketgro Fruit And Veg Compost and mulched with green waste compost. Any sowings I do in module trays I use Rocketgro Seed And Cutting Compost sometimes paired with vermiculite depending on what seeds I am sowing.
