Self perpetuating veggie plot - daft idea?

[veggiechicken]

I've already done the bunging of old seeds thing and it worked splendidly.

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ugh_89301.html

[Elfeda]

I have planted few spinach seedlings next to strawberry bed, they go to seed at this time of year and come up again in september. I need to thin out strawberry plants heavily to let the spinach self seed in that bed again. instead , thinking of moving the neww seed heads to other bed this year, and will grow some annual veg in that bed during summer.

will put one bed for each salad groups, and that might make my life easier.


I have enough space but only thing is the place need to be well prepared before hand to let it self seed?

Like I would like to leave tiny potatos in the ground where it goes next year.

Note: the beds that is left to self sown are to be protected from micebirds/slugs and snails.

I think if you let garlic to go seed, you get self seeded chives in early spring

if you leave onions , next year you get lots of spring onion bunches !

self seeded beet roots is also sounds good idea. so I leave few this year and plant few more beetroots in the same bed. so every year there will be beetroot seeds .

Again small beds of dwarf beans I have this year..may be they can come up in their own time and help me in succession. mean time I can sprinkle some spinach seeds in the same bed.so I get either spinach or beans in that bed for over 10 months?

I better mark each small bed ,what to expect next year...

This year I want to try few onions harvesting only edible bulb part and leave the root end intact with the ground. when they regrow will I get multiple onions or not is to test.

only hassle here is, you need to fill all the beds with winter crops or green manures so that no much weeds grow and disturb the soil structure. If I cover the beds with weed membrane what happens to seeds?

[ESBkevin]

You are thinking of a concept called Food Forest. This is where all types of vegetable and fruit co exist as they would in the wild with little (but some) intervention from (Wo)man. because there are few areas of monoculture with the plants spread and interspersed, there is little in the way of pests as desease as we understand them. Some plants should be for the benefit of others like beans are nitrogeon fixing. Some like comfrey are for 'chop and drop' as a mulch, and some are for eating! You need to actually plant some of the vegitables which you might raise as seedlings, others you cast seed about and kick them in the dust. Throwing plenty of mulch/compost about takes care of the watering and feeding.
Have a look on yoo toob for Food Forest, here's a couple that do a whole series of the concept and this is a short intro.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ywhC3pdAJ0

[happyhumph]

Random thought - if you have a bit where you're happy to dig how about Jerusalem artichokes - hard enough as it is to get them all out so why bother - just let the ones you can't get out grow for the next year. It's why I'm doing mine in a pot

Is it worrying this just popped into my head & I actually searched for this thread again

[veggiechicken]

Its very worrying HH. You need to get a life

Its taken me years to get rid of the JAs so its a big NoNo to planting more

[happyhumph]

Think your right VC, on both counts

[veggiechicken]

Here's one of the beds that I'm going to leave to sow itself
Chards and asparagus kale were planted there 2 years ago. Last year it was a spud bed.
Now its filling up with self seeded chard, asparagus kale and potatoes. I planted dill, pansies and sweetpeas before I realised how much chard was in amongst the weeds! The bed just above this one also has chard in the weeds.

A white dog seems to have grown there too

[muddled]

The dog definitely belongs there...didn't she self perpetuate when you got her too?

I'm finding (in my little self seeding chicken bed) that the chard and spinach, so quick to bolt and flower, is taking an absolute age to dry and drop the seed!
I had hoped to have some lush little seedlings by now....instead I seem to have a perpetually half dead and scruffy bed

[veggiechicken]

Everything in the random sown chicken run has been scoffed. It was a great way of using up old seeds though and I'll do it again as the chooks enjoyed it so much.

[Jimmy]

This sounds all very wrong, a bit like the concept of flowers.
Veg should be in neat organized rows with labels.
None edibles should be put to the hoe, Madame Guillotine in gardening terms.
Jimmy

[veggiechicken]

Oh dear Jimmy!
One day, you should throw caution to the wind, let your inner randomness out and become a free spirit. One who scatters seeds willynilly, including flowers, and wears unmatched socks

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

My God!.................................I'd Die! ..............................

Although I do egree with the concept of it.

Each to their own as they say, each to thier own!

[Jimmy]

Oh dear Jimmy!
One day, you should throw caution to the wind, let your inner randomness out and become a free spirit. One who scatters seeds willynilly, including flowers, and wears unmatched socks

Unmatched socks, mine never match. One always has more holes then the othes.
Jimmy

[veggiechicken]

Look away, all you neat and tidy gardeners - this is not for your eyes

Here's the chard and asparagus kale bed preparing to self-perpetuate The chickens adore this bed. Whenever they disappear I know I'll find them somewhere in the middle, scoffing away. Good thing too as I'm not that keen on chard - but its bright and cheery and I like that

[Darthcider]

It's worked for mother nature for several million years, but she never had to deal with the allotment comittee!