grow my own challenge

dearme

And a challenge it will be!
I have a small patch of "muck" where I want to grow....food.
Having only planted bedding and hanging baskets before I have no idea where to start.

Can any of you lovely self suffient folk point in the right direction? I have no knowledge of what to grow when, the sowing season etc.

Basically what can I start planting or sowing now?
Do I need to prep the "muck" as such?
Does anyone know where I can find a planner for such goings on?

Very enthusiastic to get started so any help what-so-ever is appreciated (dont expect you to come and dig lol)

Thanks loads
Deb

wigglebeena

My tip: if I can't manage to kill potato plants, no-one can. V. reliable crop. Tomatoes pretty hardy too. Radishes tend to at least come up but end results e.g. size unpredictable.

Pink.

Hi dearme,

It is so satisfying to grow your own food and it definitely tastes much better than shop bought.I grow my potatoes in bags and it's almost planting time for new potatoes at Christmas. At the moment you can sow salads, rocket, spinach, radish, spring onions, beetroot and carrots and maybe think about making a start on your winter veg.


The best place to get help with this is the Greenfingered MoneySaving so I'll move your thread over there.



Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].


Pink

dearme

Thanks for moving me Pink
Thanks for your encouragement too, cant wait to get started. Using some food allowance to buy couple of plants me thinks.

Lotus-eater

How big is the patch?

You start off by making a list of want you want to grow, not much point growing what you don't want to eat.

dearme

we eat all fruit and veg! but cost a fortune to buy and terrible quality. Without getting ahead of myself Im thinking taties, beans,carrots, anything salady,any fruit.

Lotus-eater

If you look at the top of the forum there is a sticky with useful links of what to do now in the garden.

foxgloves

It would be worth you going along to the library and borrowing some books on veg growing. That way, you'll have more information to work with, will be able to get an idea of which crops are suitable for your space & growing conditions & which ones require a greenhouse to grow successfully. When I first started growing veg, I read Geoff Hamilton's organic gardening book like it was my veg bible and even now we're much more experienced now, it is still the book we both turn to if there's anything about growing veg we need to check or we're trying out a different crop for the first time.

snowlady1

The first thing I ever grew was radishes. I had 2 long rows all looking very impressive above the surface. We thought these would last us for ages but it was only when I pulled them up, I discovered there was only 1 radish to each plant. You live and learn

Lotus-eater

snowlady1 wrote: »

The first thing I ever grew was radishes. I had 2 long rows all looking very impressive above the surface. We thought these would last us for ages but it was only when I pulled them up, I discovered there was only 1 radish to each plant. You live and learn

I'm a bit flabbergasted, I mean, had you never even seen a radish before?

Mind you, when my OH first moved in with me she'd never seen a potato grown before and didn't know how they were grown. She was amazed when I first dug them up
Tis a bit like digging up gold though, I still get a thrill now when I dig mine up. :blushing:

dearme

Lotus-eater wrote: »

I'm a bit flabbergasted, I mean, had you never even seen a radish before?

Mind you, when my OH first moved in with me she'd never seen a potato grown before and didn't know how they were grown. She was amazed when I first dug them up
Tis a bit like digging up gold though, I still get a thrill now when I dig mine up. :blushing:

Im so glad you mention taties, just back from garden centre and didnt know which ones to buy. They are £1.99 for fill a bag (like mushroom bags in tesco), is this good value? Any avice on best/easiest to grow winter crop?

I got some Thomas Etty seeds (runner beans, french beans silverskin onions and rocket) for 50p in oxfam! bit more research before planting...any hints?

love this gardening malarky...and thats just after digging compost in my lil plot!
:heart2::smileyhea