Allotment flowers and vegetables

Allotment flowers with fruit and vegetables

When sowing my fruit and veg seeds I always sow a mixture of flower seeds to help with pollination and pest control.

Bees are always a welcome site up the allotment especially when there are plants to be pollinated. Purple, blue and yellow flowers are especially attractive to bees. Nasturtiums also attract bees and there leaves are also edible and very high in Vitamin A and C.

As well as being vibrant and colourful, Marigolds also attract beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, hoverflies  and other insects that prey on garden pests.

Another favourite beneficial plants of mine is Lavender, as well as countless medicinal uses it smells fantastic and attracts so many bees.

Calculating Veg For A Year

How much veg do I need to feed my family of 6 

So the only way to work this out is to go though what we eat summer, winter and every week, this year I won’t be taking into consideration potatoes. Then calculate how many Lbs or individual items I need to grow. This will take a bit of time but I think its the only way to work it out. Winter is made up of stew, bolognese, roast dinners, pies dinners and pizzas. Summer is obviously salad, pizza and salad, pasta salad with roast on Sundays.

Tomatoes are used a lot in my house as mentioned we have bolognese salads also in sandwiches, lasagne, on toast and the list goes on. We use a jar of passata a week, 2 tins of chopped tomatoes and about 6 fresh ones a week in Autumn/Winter and about 6 large and 12 cherry tomatoes  a week  Spring/Summer. 

Estimated 

Tomatoes                 100 Lbs a year

Onions                     150 a year

Cabbage                  12 a year

Cauliflower               12 a year

Broccoli                    12 head a year

Garlic                        12 bulbs a year

Bussel sprouts          5lb a year

Green beans             5 lbs a year

Lettuce                     40 a year

Cucumber                26 a year 

Aubergine                 5 a year

Pumpkin                   3 a year

Squash                     40 a year 

Peas                        10 lbs a year

Sweetcorn               100 a year

Spinach                   5 lbs a year

Spring onions          150 a year

Swiss chard            100 stalks a year

Courgette                30 a year

Zucchini                  30 a year

Turnips                         50 a year

Peppers                  100 a year