So I realised I haven't posted here in a while and now its a new year and spring is coming! I thought I would update how my first fruit and veg growing went this last year! There are a few things I would certainly do differently this year.

First thing, I am not going to grow runner beans. They grew and grew and grew and did incredibly well. We also got a lot of produce from them. We had the 4 bean poles climbing up a wigwam in a large deep tomato grow bag (the reusable kind). They were very thirsty so drank a lot of water but that was not the issue. We just didn't eat them, Im not a huge fan of runner beans. The main reason I grew them was a) they are easy first time vegetables to grow b) did I mention they were easy.

The tomato plants were really strong too, we had so many tomatoes from them and I still have around 40 in my fridge. I didn't seem to get many issues with these guys which I was surprised at because I expected them to be easy to catch blight etc.

The pepper plants were ok, however they did not grow to a very large size and none of them turned red, so were all green. They tasted nice but this year  I have bought a sweet red bell pepper to grow, it does say mini so they may still be small?

The chilli pepper plants did really well, I cook alot of spiced food so we were constantly cutting them off and using them in so many different dishes. These guys also turned red and had such a nice kick to them.

Carrots! after the first batch being a bit of a disaster - I replanted them which they didn't like! so ended up throwing it away. I decided to grow a second batch, after around 12 weeks of waiting I did get around 2 - 4 meals worth of really yummy baby carrots. They did not grow as big as I expected however I think this was due to them a) being two crowded and b) not on the full sun side of the garden. So this year less seeds planting and more sun! Im starting to sow these next month!

Managed to get some nice strawberries, but not that many? I may buy a few more this year in addition to last years plants (which have survived and are growing!)

Overall I was happy with my small crop of vegetables I did make the mistake of not feeding them enough tomorite so this time I will follow the labels directions and stick with it.

I have started them indoors again which is the same as last year, around end of Feb. I have cut down on the amount of the same vegetables and im trying a smaller tomato variety this year. I will get 2 different types of peppers growing and perhaps the one chilli plant. I have replaced growing beans for a squash and courgette which I will start next month indoors. A new addition to growing veg I am sowing some marigolds and petunias. In the hope of repelling the nasty pests.

If you have anything you think I should try to grow - let me know! I am a container gardener and have a small garden - but happy to try anything else you would recommend!