first time gardener and a little veg patch

solongmarianne

hello , moving on from my compost dilemma :rotfl::rotfl:

i have for the first tme got a little veg patchin my garden aout 3m x 3m

i am going to grow runner beans and peas as i love these

I already have cherry tomato plants and cucumbers growin in little pots and also strawberrys in large garden tubs on my patio

but im sort of lacking ideas for anyting else,

I am wonderin about carrots and onions, i tried to grow a brussel sprout plantbut it died last week?? it looked like a strand of cress???

I also think im going to try and grow rhubarb and lastly radishes and lettuces.

i know i have only a little plot so wnt be growing masses of each, but if i grow onions can i keep them in the shed?? i remembr my grandad doing this with apples and onions but it was years ago and i may have got it wrong??

its lovely seeing my little seeds sprout! well....apart from the sprout one lol

also horse poo, my friend offered me some as she has a horse, do i accept it?? sounds odd to me to put in near veg?

thanks all

Orange_King

Wish mine was 3m x 3m! With that space, if you section it out you should be able to experiment with quite a lot of different veg to see what works and what doesn't - trial and error and learn from it!

If you want to grow onions, I have found that it is much better to put in shallots rather than starting from seed. Mine have been in since February and are sprouting nicely now. They can be kept for a fair while in the shed and use as you need them. Last years seeds only produced onions no bigger than marbles.

Horse poo, well rotted, is very good for a lot of different things - was looking for some for my raspberries to no avail!

solongmarianne

horse po it is then, will take my bucket and get it fom under the heap, that should be well rotted. then i just dig it in i suppose.

im happy to just go with the flow and see what works and what doesnt.

i wil do shalots as you advised. im finding it realy excitin being in mud and watching all my efforts start sprouting ,i find gardening really relaxing. im also growing sweet peas jut because they are so beautiful.

I will post pics as and when of my triumph and err my faliures lol,

the one annoying thing is , when i got unde the mountain of stinging nettles i found a hidious layer of thick concrete about 2 m x 4m maybe the old owners had a shed there? anyhow my veg patch could have been mahoosive .

i will still use the concrete and put tubs on it so all is not lost.

Chimera

Onions are quite easy and cheap to get hold of, and can also take up a bit of space. I could never grow enough for the amount we get through. Depends if you have the space to take up. Best advice I was given was to

1. Grow stuff you like to eat
2. Try something new every time
3. Grow stuff that would be expensive to buy from shop


Salad leaves are really easy and will save you a fortune, Radishes are good too, easy to grow and quick growing. I have a trough with some in and plant seeds wherever I ahve a bit of space (love radishes)

Rhubarb I believe takes a few years to establish (I could be wrong - never grown it myself), but I think I would be well worth the wait..

Hope i've been vaguely helpful, only really started this lark myself..

Good luck with it all!

Orange_King

solongmarianne wrote: »

the one annoying thing is , when i got unde the mountain of stinging nettles i found a hidious layer of thick concrete about 2 m x 4m maybe the old owners had a shed there? anyhow my veg patch could have been mahoosive .

i will still use the concrete and put tubs on it so all is not lost.

It isn't an old air raid shelter is it??

Chimera - I tried rhubarb last year and the instruction was that the first growth shouldn't be consumed. It has come on again this year and have a few crowns well sprouted already.

solongmarianne

radishes definatly, i love them! and beetroot! not sure if i have time or if im too late , but am off to the city to go gardening shopping. ill happily wait for my rhubarb, im going to grow a pumpkin too, only for hlloween.

i will pop and see what else there is in the shops.

i go by what it says on the plant/seed packets but still cme away confused!

Chimera

Orange_King wrote: »

It isn't an old air raid shelter is it??

Chimera - I tried rhubarb last year and the instruction was that the first growth shouldn't be consumed. It has come on again this year and have a few crowns well sprouted already.

Ooo, that's good to know, I might well get some this year after we've rejigged garden, so i can give it a permanent home.. love rhubarb

solongmarianne

i have no idea if its a shelter, the house/land is old enough to make that plausable. the kitchen has a old fireplace ( sadly some git stole the beautiful prt of it) and an old fshioned pantry with the cold slab, my nan said it was to keep butter/meat?? i dont have the money, or resources to rip the concrete out sadly.

Chimera

solongmarianne wrote: »

radishes definatly, i love them! and beetroot! not sure if i have time or if im too late , but am off to the city to go gardening shopping. ill happily wait for my rhubarb, im going to grow a pumpkin too, only for hlloween.

i will pop and see what else there is in the shops.

i go by what it says on the plant/seed packets but still cme away confused!

I was silly overwhelmed at first, stood for a long time in front of seed packets not knowing what to get, it soon starts sinking in, and this forum is an amazing help!!

In the end I just decided to go for it, and see what happened

solongmarianne

never knew that about rhbarb, but am i right in thinking th leaves are poisonous to us?

SailorSam

Orange_King wrote: »

Horse poo, well rotted, is very good for a lot of different things - was looking for some for my raspberries to no avail!

Orange King, if you have a riding school near to where you live, give them a ring, often you find they're glad to get rid of the poo. They may well say come and take as much as you want.