Front Garden - North Facing - Will veg etc grow?

viks10

Hello
I am really keen to use my front garden for growing some veg this year however its North facing. My back garden is slabbed and decked so I am planning on some pots round there but the front is just grass and i feel its wasted space - husband want to park the car there but that another story....
What does everyone think would be the best idea and what might grow? It gets the sun sort of afternoon till late. We are near Edinburgh so sun can be limited at the best of times. Should I take up the grass and have a patch or should i use some raised beds?
The area is around 6m x 4 m.
Any ideas would be great.
Viks

Frugaldom

Just spotted your post and I was in a similar situation to you last year after moving house in winter 2008. My front garden is practically north facing, so from late Autumn to Spring it only gets partial sunshine in the afternoons, but it does get enough to grow veggies through the summer months. I was surprised at just how much. :j

My back 'garden' is a small poultry farm, so we dug out part of the front garden and converted it into a raised bed that then got split into squares to make it a 'square foot garden'. I tried an assortment of veggies but the ones that did best were cauliflowers, broccoli, lettuce, turnip, beetroot, beans, peas, potatoes and leeks. I also planted some fruit bushes - the raspberries failed completely, the strawberries didn't do well, but the blackcurrants did really well.

We've just finished doubling the size of the square foot garden for this year and I can't wait to get planting. My biggest problem last year was the frost in the ground until well into May, plus the winds sweeping across, uprooting things like courgettes that couldn't be protected with mini cloches made from lemonade bottles - they all landed next door. :rotfl: I blogged a bit about it so I can check back and compare my own last year's notes. Front garden provided us with a lot of fun and plenty veggies, despite a lack of direct sunshine.

viks10

Thanks for that, it give me confidence just to go for it. I have been reading and I think the best bet for me to make the cheapest beds is to cut out beds in the turf and not bother with raised beds this year and to see how it goes.
Do you think you can do the square foot gardening in these cut out beds if I mix in the compost etc that is recommended for sfg? Or doe the beds have to be raised? I wanted to get a cheap greenhouse so money is a bit tight.
Viks

RAS

Viks

I often recommend people go for SFG but it is not necessary to go through all the soil engineering that Mel B recommends.

Stack the turf to one side, upside down to create a good tilth. You could add a little wee. When it breaks down, put it back n the beds.

Dig the ground over well

Get any garden compost you can, any rotted manure, old grow bags etc and dig them in. Then plant stuff.

Yorkshire_Lavender

viks10 wrote: »

Hello
I am really keen to use my front garden for growing some veg this year however its North facing. My back garden is slabbed and decked so I am planning on some pots round there but the front is just grass and i feel its wasted space - husband want to park the car there but that another story....
What does everyone think would be the best idea and what might grow? It gets the sun sort of afternoon till late. We are near Edinburgh so sun can be limited at the best of times. Should I take up the grass and have a patch or should i use some raised beds?
The area is around 6m x 4 m.
Any ideas would be great.
Viks

Raised beds in front would be best - Grow from seed first inside, so that plants don't have to struggle to germinate outside without sunlight in the front.

Suggest corgettes, carrots, parsnips, rhubarb and potatoes in north facing garden. The soil in the raised beds should be well composted. Suggest
pots of tumbler tomatoes, peppers, french beans, mange-tout etc in pots in back garden.

Megansmum

Hi Viks, i hope you dont mind me jumping into your thread and asking a question myself?

I have the same problem, front garden north facing etc, but i can only dig a short way down due lots of reasons, such as having no fence, the garden slopes and has a large manhole on it etc... So, my question is, if i make a raised bed what can i grow in it that doesn't need much depth?