been lazy all winter - what should i do now/first

[LucyEllensmummy]

last year grew our own veg, want to repeat this year. Didnt dig anything up - the cabbages are triffids, beans still in situ etc, so going to go out in next few days, dig up and dig over. Should i add compost or horse poo? What about rotating, ive got limited space and this will be the second year one bit is used and the third for another.

Someone give me some ideas? I would quite like to have a go at potatos this year, what variety and when? Will do tomatos again, and carrots, they did really well. Wont bother with cabbage and spinach - the caterpillars anhialated the cabbage and the spinach bolted.

Any other suggestions - umming and ahing re dwarf beans.

Also, ive noticed my rhubarb has got some stalks and leaves (2) should i force it and if so, should i wait til it has more shoots?

im quite excited

My mil does sweetcorn. She was surprised at the sucess. I want to do tomatoes and strawberries in one of those little plastic greenhouses.

Your carrots? Do veg need to be in the sun to grow......I've no idea!!

my sweetcorn was a disaster, and yes, they need the sun

Don't add compost or horse poo where you want to grow carrots or they will fork. Spuds will want muck, beans will want compost &/or muck. Don't grow carrots or toms or brassicas (cabbage family) in the same places as last year - rotate them. (Also note for rotation spuds and toms go together, so don't grow spuds where toms were last year either).

ah, i didnt rotate my tomatos last year and i had a disappointing yeild compared to the year before, perhaps that is why! Will have to give this some thought, ive a limited patch.

Tend to grow toms up against the fence, but they will be ok in the open then?

if the carrots fork, isn't that a good thing? Two for the price of one?

I think straight carrots are easier to peel and are often rather larger than the forked ones, but you are right it is mostly cosmetic. With rotating tomatoes - they are more likely to get blight if you don't rotate them but do prefer a sheltered spot too, so that's trickier. They would certainly need more support in the open and might not do so well unless you could contrive some sort of temporary 'wall' for them? An alternative would be to grow them in containers or growbags in the same place as before, but I find they never do quite as well then and need much more careful watering too.