Vegetable crop planner

Sowing and growing vegetables

It is essential when gardening in school to plan your sowing so you can harvest the crops in school term time. Here is a useful guide that should assist you with your planning. 

Speedy crops can be ready for harvest in one term, 3 to 13 weeks (up to three months) after sowing or planting;
Beetroot                           Carrots
Cucumber                        French beans,
Lettuce                             Marrows & courgettes
Peas (spring term),          Potatoes (first early)
Radish                             Spinach
Turnip.

Medium-term crops are sown or planted in one term to harvest in the next term, 14 to 25 weeks (three to six months) later.
Broad beans                 Cabbage (early) from seed and plugs,
Onion sets  (spring)      Peas (autumn sown)
Sweet corn                   Tomatoes.

Slow-growing or long-season crops are sown or planted in one term to harvest in the next term or even the following term, 26 to 52 weeks (six months or more) later.
Broccoli                           Onion sets (autumn planting)
Brussels spouts              Parsnips
Leeks                              Potatoes (main crop)           

 

Planning the spacing for your vegetables

The spacing of crops is determined by the ultimate height and spread of the crop. There is the space between the seeds or plants along the row and then the space between rows. Space is needed for weeding along and between rows, to create good air circulation and to allow each crop to grow to its determined size. Some crops in school may be harvested when they are young – smaller sweeter carrots and beetroot for example or baby salad leaves – rather than fully mature size, so spacing could be closer. Make a measuring stick to help you plot out vegetable spacings in the garden using the tables below. 

Crop spacing in traditional open allotment style growing

Read the back of seed packets or gardening books to determine the distance along the row and between rows of crops.
A general rule of thumb to calculate the space required between different crops is to add the recommended row spacing for each crop together and divide the total by 2. For example parsnips and peas growing next to each other: add the row spacing for parsnips – 30cms to the row spacing for peas – 90cms = 120cms. Then divide by 2 = 60cms spacing between a row of parsnips and peas.

Crop spacing in raised beds.

When growing in raised beds it is possible to plant a little closer than recommended on seed packets and gardening books. This is because there is no need to allow for access paths for harvesting – all crops are harvested from the edge of the bed. Also there is a greater depth of soil so plants will grow well in a smaller space.
A general rule of thumb is to allow a 20 per cent reduction in spacing. Use the rule of thumb of adding the spacing distance (at a 20 per cent reduction) of the 2 crops and dividing by 2.