Brand New Potting Shed

My brand new potting shed arrived and was put up a few weeks ago... as usual I was far more excited than a normal person would be about such an event. I can't wait to use this new space to sow and nurture my seedlings next year.

Past Successes - Peppers

I grew 2 varieties of peppers last year and 3 this year, and I was surprised how well they did... for some reason I thought they would be really difficult to grow. They worked equally well in salads and cooked dishes.

Past Successes - Shallots / Onions

A kitchen staple that is easy to grow, go in everything and store well... I just leave them to it. The amount of shallots I had this year was amazing.

Past Successes - Lettuce

Lettuce is so easy to grow and takes hardly any time at all, especially the cut-and-come-again varieties.

Past Successes - Cucumbers

You can't beat home-grown cucumbers... these mini-whites are extremely prolific and taste delicious, plus you can use the whole thing in one go and don't need to leave half of it in the fridge.

Past Successes - Courgettes

I can totally understand why someone wrote that book about these vegetables... last year I picked about 2, this year I was picking them every day and couldn't keep up. Some of them were enormous, but still yummy by the time I got round to eating them and I even had a couple of marrows because they were left on the plant so long.

Past Successes - French Beans

The photos really don't do these justice - I have been buried under the weight of these prolific croppers for the past two years and they are delicious... I never thought I would enjoy eating raw beans straight from the plant.

Past Successes - Chillies

I was never really a huge fan of chillies but have grown to love them as they produce so well for me, and they get added to pretty much every meal now - I love them.

Past Successes - Tomatoes

After a successful first year, I grew 7 varieties this season and was overwhelmed with produce, so lots of salads and tomato-based dishes were consumed, a load went in the freezer and I even managed some green tomato chutney.

Past Successes - Sweetcorn

I was over the moon with my sweetcorn. For two growing seasons I have achieved excellent crops that have towered above me (not that difficult at a mere 5' 2") and they don't require too much attention. It's true what they say... the quicker the cob gets from the plant to the pot, the sweeter it tastes.

Past Successes - Broccoli

This was another early success and produced extremely well during my first growing year. For some reason the whole brassica family were really poor this year, but I'm hopeful for future years.

Past Successes - Mange Tout

This was one of the first vegetables to crop during my first year and I was so excited at the fact that I had really grown something. They taste great raw, straight from the plant.