HomeblogGiveaway: Veg Journal, by Charles Dowding Win a copy of this beautiful veg-growing book and journal by expert Charles Dowding. This is such a lovely, lovely gardening book. And we’re offering one lucky F&F reader a copy. Charles Dowding’s Veg Journal, just published by Frances Lincoln, is a mixture between a journal for you to record your sowings, harvests, successes and failures, calendar of monthly jobs and practical manual to a productive no-dig vegetable garden. F&F readers will know that a book written by Charles is well worth paying attention to. We profiled his amazing no-dig plot in 2011. Here’s a quick peek: There are pages for you to write your own records: And charts and practical guides: To get your own copy, you just need to comment below telling us one new veg you hope to grow this year. Entries close at midnight 30 January, and we’ll pick the names using a random number generator. Share this:Share 23 Responses Stephanie January 12, 2014 Would love to be this organised! I’m going to try Borlotti beans this year - they look so pretty and are great in the kitchen too Reply Matthew January 12, 2014 This looks amazing. I’m going to try brassicas this year - my one failed attempt in the past was due to cabbage whites so they will be under netting if I succeed! Reply Jayne Hannon January 13, 2014 Jerusalem artichokes! Apparently they produce years of crops from a single planting, so are very low maintenance (which chimes with Charles’ vegetable growing ethic :-)) Reply Rob Cornelius January 13, 2014 Going to try pak choi this year. Love to eat them and want see how much better home grown ones are Reply Caroline Maddison January 13, 2014 I will be trying sea kale this year for delicious green leaves and the forcing them later in the year to make fabulous crudités maybe this time next year. An all year round vegetable hopefully. Who knows I may even try them as a micro leaf too. Reply Susie Hartland January 13, 2014 Love the no-dig method! This year I want to grow some exotic squash as a change from butternut,on my roof terrace. Fingers crossed! Reply Janet January 13, 2014 Well, i’m actually going to have a bash at growing Giant Onions, i had some seed given and hope to enter the onions in a competition if they do well. The variety is Mammoth Improved. Should be fun! Reply Sandra Kay January 13, 2014 I’m going to try Romanesco in the hope that it will be more successful than the standard cauliflowers I’ve tried in the past. Reply Chas Gilbert January 13, 2014 I am going to try Brussel Sprouts this year Reply Carys January 13, 2014 I am going to try a variety of beans for drying, including a butter bean. I hope we have a long warm summer to help them on their way! Reply Gracie Alexander January 13, 2014 Inspired by going on a Charles Dowding course last year, as many varieties of beetroot as I can get my hands on! Reply Karen Scammell January 13, 2014 Two years ago I grew a pumpkin for the first time, last year I grew cucumbers for the first time… I also grew some unusual things such as cucamelons. However, I was unsuccessful with tomatillos so will be trying again with those this year. Reply Julie Rayner January 13, 2014 I hope to grow a variety of squashes. I grew one variety last year and they were lovely. There are so many varieties to choose from. Reply Jan Willetts January 13, 2014 A friend has promised me some skirret to try, hope it tastes better than it sounds! Reply Kaz Bridges January 14, 2014 Would love to grow some pumpkins so I can make pumpkin pie and pumpkin soup with home grown pumpkins Reply Gudrun January 14, 2014 My grandmother grew up on a remote farm in the Austrian Alps and I remember her beautiful vegetable garden, with a rose bush at the center. I recall the purple-green heads of salads that she harvested. She passed away when I was a teenager, and long before I became interested in growing our own vegetables. I will try Merveille de Quatre Saison, Grazer Eishäutel 2, Dynamite and Maikönig. And fingers crossed one of those will look and taste like my Austrian Grandmother’s. I’d love to record my progress in Charles Dowding’s book! Reply Stephen Hackett January 15, 2014 This year I will be mostly growing Globe Artichokes. Reply Sara Ward January 18, 2014 I’m determined to grow aubergines this year (big enough to eat!) Reply laura jones January 19, 2014 id like to grow pumpkins so expensive to buy Reply Cheryl M January 19, 2014 Wish I had the room to grow all this - and in such an orderly fashion! I am told courgettes are really easy, so I’m going to have a try at those this year. Reply Karen January 19, 2014 I’m running out of new ‘normal/everday’ veg as I’ve tried most on the allotment already. Was looking at something new from this list: tomatillo, padron pepper, lentil, chickpea, peanuts but I’m not sure how successful they would be.. Reply potty January 19, 2014 I am anxious to try growing artichokes and a variety of kale. Love my veggies. Reply David January 19, 2014 I will be growing as much as salad as possible Reply Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published. Name* Email* Website Comment Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email.
Stephanie January 12, 2014 Would love to be this organised! I’m going to try Borlotti beans this year - they look so pretty and are great in the kitchen too Reply
Matthew January 12, 2014 This looks amazing. I’m going to try brassicas this year - my one failed attempt in the past was due to cabbage whites so they will be under netting if I succeed! Reply
Jayne Hannon January 13, 2014 Jerusalem artichokes! Apparently they produce years of crops from a single planting, so are very low maintenance (which chimes with Charles’ vegetable growing ethic :-)) Reply
Rob Cornelius January 13, 2014 Going to try pak choi this year. Love to eat them and want see how much better home grown ones are Reply
Caroline Maddison January 13, 2014 I will be trying sea kale this year for delicious green leaves and the forcing them later in the year to make fabulous crudités maybe this time next year. An all year round vegetable hopefully. Who knows I may even try them as a micro leaf too. Reply
Susie Hartland January 13, 2014 Love the no-dig method! This year I want to grow some exotic squash as a change from butternut,on my roof terrace. Fingers crossed! Reply
Janet January 13, 2014 Well, i’m actually going to have a bash at growing Giant Onions, i had some seed given and hope to enter the onions in a competition if they do well. The variety is Mammoth Improved. Should be fun! Reply
Sandra Kay January 13, 2014 I’m going to try Romanesco in the hope that it will be more successful than the standard cauliflowers I’ve tried in the past. Reply
Carys January 13, 2014 I am going to try a variety of beans for drying, including a butter bean. I hope we have a long warm summer to help them on their way! Reply
Gracie Alexander January 13, 2014 Inspired by going on a Charles Dowding course last year, as many varieties of beetroot as I can get my hands on! Reply
Karen Scammell January 13, 2014 Two years ago I grew a pumpkin for the first time, last year I grew cucumbers for the first time… I also grew some unusual things such as cucamelons. However, I was unsuccessful with tomatillos so will be trying again with those this year. Reply
Julie Rayner January 13, 2014 I hope to grow a variety of squashes. I grew one variety last year and they were lovely. There are so many varieties to choose from. Reply
Jan Willetts January 13, 2014 A friend has promised me some skirret to try, hope it tastes better than it sounds! Reply
Kaz Bridges January 14, 2014 Would love to grow some pumpkins so I can make pumpkin pie and pumpkin soup with home grown pumpkins Reply
Gudrun January 14, 2014 My grandmother grew up on a remote farm in the Austrian Alps and I remember her beautiful vegetable garden, with a rose bush at the center. I recall the purple-green heads of salads that she harvested. She passed away when I was a teenager, and long before I became interested in growing our own vegetables. I will try Merveille de Quatre Saison, Grazer Eishäutel 2, Dynamite and Maikönig. And fingers crossed one of those will look and taste like my Austrian Grandmother’s. I’d love to record my progress in Charles Dowding’s book! Reply
Cheryl M January 19, 2014 Wish I had the room to grow all this - and in such an orderly fashion! I am told courgettes are really easy, so I’m going to have a try at those this year. Reply
Karen January 19, 2014 I’m running out of new ‘normal/everday’ veg as I’ve tried most on the allotment already. Was looking at something new from this list: tomatillo, padron pepper, lentil, chickpea, peanuts but I’m not sure how successful they would be.. Reply
potty January 19, 2014 I am anxious to try growing artichokes and a variety of kale. Love my veggies. Reply
