Newbie Gardeners..

verbyl.belch

Hi.

My girlfriend and I are moving from an upstairs flat with (obviously) no garden to a house with a garden and a greenhouse!

We're moving in at the start of May and the garden borders are empty. We'd really like to grow some of our own veg and make the garden look great for the summer by planting and potting flowers. Since it is a rented house we'd like to plant things that are happy to grow in pots, that we can take with us when we move. (Probably a years time). We don't mind leaving some, cheaper plants behind.

We are newbie gardeners and would like to make full use of the garden and greenhouse, and as such we have many questions.....(sorry)

Is it too late to grow flowers from bulbs/seeds?
Can you suggest any flowers etc that will flower this summer?
Can you suggest reading material, magazines/books/forums and also good places to buy items.

We'll be spending the next few weeks reading the forum and hope we get some good pointers.

Many thanks!

Rummer

Hello and welcome!!

There are loads of existing threads for you to read your way through but at the moment it is the perfect time to be planting things. Best idea is to make a list of the veg and flowers that you like then narrow that down to the ones that are the most expensive to buy ready grown then plant them.

Most veg and some fruit trees and bushes will grow well in pots so you will have a wide selection to choose from. Places like poundland etc sell inexpensive seeds and bulbs and freecycle is a good place to pick up pots and other gardening equipment.

Go to the local library and get a wee selections of books to browse although to be honest the gardening forums on line have offered the best help and support. Any questions just ask, there will always be people keen to help!

Linda32

You can grow pretty much any veg you like as you will eat them all within the year anyway.

Its just the right time to be planting as well, if your in the Midland and upwards then you still have to be aware of frosts, for the next three weeks for Midlands (sorry not looked to see if you've put a location) any plants you buy will say if you need to be aware of frost. But of course you can grow them in the greenhouse. Does that have border like in your garden but along the edge of the greenhouse "walls" if you see what I mean, if so toms can go there.

If your in the south then your pretty much safe from frosts now.

Garden centres will sell baby plants.

Gardeners world magazine is a good place to start and of coure the hour long programe on Friday nights.

Best of luck its quite an exciting and buzy time.

Lotus-eater

You want to grow some of your own food? So make a list and tell us what you want to be able to eat?

As Linda says you can grow almost anything as they will be gone within the year.

If you are moving in at the start of May, it will help if you can start some stuff off now in modules and take it with you. And everything that Rummer says

Interesting name btw.

teachergirl

Lots of things you could do now if you want to get started.
We lived in a rented house for awhile as well and we grow lots of annuals(plants that really only survive for one year. These you could sow in the ground even if the property is rented. Things like marigolds(candula?) or cornflowers or love in a mist will grow really quickly even if you don't sow them untill May. These all have the added bonus that they will self seed and come up again next year , so you will only have to buy the seed once.
As for veg if you wanted to you could start some in pots now and just keep them on the windowsill until you move and then you can put them in the greenhouse. Real easy things that you could do like this would be tomatos, peppers, courgettes and cucmbers. If you want to grow them from seed you would have to start now or they won't have long enough to grow. Or like someone has already said you can get small plants from garden centres.
You can grow potatos and garlic and tomatos and peppers in pots quite easily as we have done all of these. You can also grow small dwarfing apple trees in pots and then take them with you when you eventually get your own home. Gosh I could go on forever.
Finally a real money saver..You could try joining the local horticultural society they often swop or give away free plants to help newcomers and they would be bound to give you loads of advice. When we first started our allotment we were given so many free baby toms,leeks etc we had to start saying noas we just didn't have the time to plant them all.
Good luck I hope this has been of some help.

annie123

Are you sure those borders are empty? there could be bulbs still waiting to just waiting pop out!

olly300

annie123 wrote: »

Are you sure those borders are empty? there could be bulbs still waiting to just waiting pop out!

Good point.

Every place I've lived in with a garden - and some flats have gardens even if they are upstairs - has had some bulbs, self-seeders and a shrub or two in it. (Some of my neighbours whose gardens I can see have acquired some of my self-seeders from last year.)

The only people I know who have found no plants in their garden are people who have brought a new build. Even then the builders lay a lawn.

MrsChips

Can you suggest reading material, magazines/books/forums and also good places to buy items.

Try a Amateur Gardening Magazine you get Free Seeds with Every Issue and lots of Tips - Click here and you can subscribe to 3 Issues for £1 - Just make sure you cancel as soon as you have received the 3rd Issue. You can also do the same for the Gardeners world Magazine but I cant find the Link - Try Google :rolleyes:

fay66

im wanting to start growing my own veggies too, its quite hard to look through all the threads and will be watching this thread.
for potatoes is it seeds or what is chitties
would be great if we could have a sort of hand book forum for beginners for tips, ive got a lawned garden but its so bad the grass being new build nearly 3 years old im going to do some raised beds so do we need plants and too late for seeds?

Rummer

Fay 66 plant the seeds up now indoors or get your beds made over the next couple of weeks and plant direct. I was going to buy them but was convinced by people on here to build my own and is was straightforward and saved me a fortune!

The book I use is Food from your garden and allotment by the readers digest. I has a whole host of information and is suitable from beginners to the most experienced gardeners.

Chitted potatoes are those that have small root starting to show although you can plant potatoes without them and they usually grow well. If you have any questions at all there are always people on this board happy to answer and to help.

Lotus-eater

Rummer wrote: »

The book I use is Food from your garden and allotment by the readers digest. I has a whole host of information and is suitable from beginners to the most experienced gardeners.

That's the first gardening book I ever bought! Got it in a charity shop when I was on holiday somewhere, great book, years old though and I don't think they ever made a more up to date organic version, which is a shame.