"Sow and Forget" Crops 채마 (garden vegetables) that do well without too much attention* at Elm Road Allotments

*i.e. no thinning out, transplanting, protection against pests, attack by diseases or need for watering. All crops need hoeing and probably one hand weeding.

Potato 감자

Red Duke of York - this is an early and the red skin puts slugs off [harvested 27 May 08] Seed supplied by Tuckers

Pink Fir Apple - a waxy salad potato which is nice hot and cold. A few little slug holes later in the season [photo July 08]

Desiree - a fantastic potato in all respects [photo mid-Aug]

Spinach 시금치

Bloomsdale - pretty much pest and disease free but bolts after a few weeks [harvested 27 May 08] Seed supplied by Kings

Perpetual Spinach - a fantastic crop that keeps on giving and sows itself around the plot. No pests [photo July 08]

Lettuce 상추

This is a mix of various varieties sown early (Feb) - all lettuce seems to do well early in the season but later the slugs get involved [photo May 2008]

Beetroot 사탕무우 뿌리

This is "cylindra" very free of pests and diseases and the leaves are a fantastic spinach too [photo June 2008]

Carrot 당근

Detroit 2 - particularly pleasing as this is B&Q value seed which cost 39p ! [Photo Aug 08]

French Bean 강남콩

This one is Royalty the purple skin makes it easy to see and it is a heavy cropper with no pests [photo Aug 08] Most french beans are easy but my Safari got some blackfly this year.

Perilla 깻잎 (commonly called Kkaenyip)

Very healthy Kkaenyip

Parsnip 양방풍 나물

This variety is Tender and True, an excellent doer with no fuss [photo mid Aug]

This Mid June Seasonal Box contains: early potatoes, baby salad potatoes, baby carrots, beet, mange tout, American cress, spinach and mixed lettuce. Of these only the mange tout is not entirely easy.

End July Seasonal Box: From "12 o'clock" clockwise: savoy cabbage thinnings, pak choi, French Bean royalty, French Bean Safari, perpetual spinach, potato Pink Fir Apple, French Bean Sprite and in the centre courgette Marrow Long Green Trailing.

Late Aug Seasonal box: Marrow, courgette, spinach (everlasting), cucumber, tomatoes, calabrese

Mid Sept Seasonal box: cabbage head, broccoli (Calabrese), second sowing of beetroot, tomatoes

What About Everything else?

Why oh why, when there are so many crops growing on the allotment, do so few make the "easy" list?

• Cabbage and other brassicas: pigeons love them, need transplanting, caterpillars, etc and don't even talk to me about cauliflowers
• Courgettes: if it didn't need water would be on the list as it is pretty pest-free
• Cucumbers: need water
• Leeks: need transplanting - other than that pretty easy, (can just be thinned out in situ)
• Marrow: needs water, gets all over the plot
• Onion: rot in wet weather, bolt in dry (but pretty easy it should be said)
• Peas: pigeon attack, have to be supported, get pea moth
• Radish: flea beetle, cabbage root fly, bolt
• Runner Beans: Need support, can over-produce and get woody
• Sweet Corn (Maize): seed is expensive, takes up a lot of space, needs hot weather to do well, a pigeon ate a cob straight on the plant
• Tomatoes: need loads of water, need support, need hot weather to ripen properly, get blight in a wet summer

Page Updated by JP 22nd September 2008

All photos taken at Elm Road Allotments and copyright John Palmer

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