Moving to North Cumbria next June... help!

Hi everyone,

I currently live in London and very much enjoyed container and raised bed gardening this year (1st year of gardening). I grew enormous numbers of courgettes, and also had a fairly successful crop of french beans and carrots.

I'm moving to North Cumbria next June, and am trying to get my head around what that means in terms of what I can garden. Aside from e.g. local soil conditions, I'm expecting that it will get less hot in summer (so all plans to try to grow okra again now abandoned), but that there might be longer hours of sunlight?

Can anyone give me any tips / recommend things which are good / less good to grow?

Many thanks

GK.

 

Welcome to GK gk, we have some veg growers on here in the Cumbria area who may give you some advice, I can't I'm on the South coast!

 

Welcome GK.

You might be pleasantly surprised by the climate ooop north. London typically is only a degree or two warmer than up here.

It really depends on so many factors though. Cumbria is a diverse county, running from the west coast where it rains from time to time but isn't so different to other parts temperature wise, going east all the way up into the penines, where you can expect some pretty nithering conditions in winter.

The thing that is going have the biggest impact though is not the Cumbrian climate, but the microclimate in your little bit of it. If your garden there is sheltered and south facing, you're onto a winner. If its exposed and north facing, you might have to be a bit more selective about what you try to grow.

I'd so don't rule anything out though. If conditions seem to suggest that a certain plant wont do well, but you like that plant, then give it a go. You might be pleasantly surprised. And if it doesn't work, then at least you know for next time.

 

Good evening GK and welcome to the site. Gogs is the lady you want, a Cumbrian lass who used to show prize winning Leeks.

 

Hi there GK , thats me from the wilds of N. Cumbria . Welcome & will get back to you .

 

Cumbria.......One of the most beautiful places in the world,Mrs Roders has suggested living there but I just just could't because it is the wettest place in England.....Hosta's should do well.

I would be closer to Gogs though.....:WINK1:

 

Hi Kate,

Here in Cockermouth all my crops did very well despte the poor summer we had this year, whilst most of the country suffered with drought we where overcast and wet, the only two crops that failed where Melons and Aubergines. The aubergines where my fault and probably the melons too.

As clueless rightly says though location will be the key, my allotment plot is less than a mile from our garden, but it's definately warmer down there than in our garden and both get as much sun as the other. Where about are you moving too?

Our last frost date is later than most and I reckon we are about three weeks behind more southerly points in the country so it's not so bad. You might consider getting a small greenhouse which will help you overcome most of what the weather will/can throw at you, and it will be your engine room powering your garden on.

Congratulations on escaping the Rat race and the very best of luck in your new home and garden.

Steve...

 

Hello all,

thanks for the warm welcome and advice.

I think that the garden will be South East mostly - there'll be room for containers at the front as well (so North West). We're a few miles from Brampton, so nicely inland. Thanks for the advice about later frost... roughly when does that happen? (I was *far* too eager this year and started growing seedlings in my heated propagator in February - which is too early even for London....)

Am also planning on a few chickens ;-)

Many thanks

georgianakate

 

A south-east facing garden should get plenty of sun, especially in the mornings, when the sun does shine that is. If its sheltered from the wind it should be a real heat trap.

North-west isn't so bad, it'll get the evening sun in the summer time.

 

Hi Georgiana,

I get my seedling going in February, in a heated propogator too, but then I have a 8 x 6 greenhouse to transfer seedlings too, so they have protection untill it's time to plant them out. Some of these, for example tomatoes will stay in the greenhouse or go into the Polytunnel at the allotment.

We used to have a member here called Kristen (anyone know whats happened to him?), who worked out a relativily easy way for people to find their last frost date in their area. You can view an article about it on his blog here When can I put my plants out? « K's Garden

Its important to remember that areas 5 miles apart can be different weather wise in Cumbria, so check out Kristens article.

I work on the start of May as last frost, but when I do plant out I watch the weather forecasts daily in case a temperature drop is predicted and I'm ready to run outside and cover plants with fleece to protect them as we can have frosts and snow in late June here (not for the last two years).

Steve...