Newbie veg gardener! MERGED

olly300

The only tips I can give are grow what you like to eat and is worth it for the amount of effort you put in. Also one seed = 1 plant.

KE7285

Hi everyone!

Me and my partner have made a promise that next year, we will start to grow our own veg - seriously thought about it this summer but by the time i got my head into gear, it was too late to do anything!

We have quite a small garden with not a lot of ground space left to grow things but i know i can grow a lot of things in containers.

In the very limited amount of ground space that we have (Approx 1 metre wide and 3 metres long) - is there anything that i can be doing with it at the moment to ensure its ready for growth next year? And do I have to build up the sides or can i just plant straight into the ground?

And, is there anything that i can start growing in October?

Really sorry - the term 'newbie' was not being used lightly here!

avantra

As a newbie I would wait for next season (As early as March) as it will let you prepare the soil and learn the skills needed during winter.

http://www.vegetable-garden-guide.com/

http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/

http://www.rhs.org.uk/vegetables/a-z.asp

The link above will teach you everything you need to know (no books needed).

Get mini veg seeds, these are veg that grow to compact size with good cropping so will fit well in your small space , some info in this article below.

http://www.nvsuk.org.uk/growing_show_vegetables_1/mini-vegetables-1.php

You can get mini veg seeds from the Thompson and Morgan catalog or other seed suppliers. some samples below.

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/743/1.html

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/217/1.html

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/625/1.html

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/131/1.html

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/218/1.html

terri72

Hi there.
Like you I only have a small patch in my garden for growing veg. My plot is approx 1 foot by 6 foot. In this I have grown courgettes and tomatoes.
I have managed to grow potatos and carrots quite succesfully in "bag" containers this year. I have also grown tomatoes in a grow bag.
It really is quite amazing what you can go in such a small area.
At this time of year, you can look to plant broad beans, garlic, mixed salad leaves, radishes and onions. Have a look at the BBC's Gardening website at http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/, I always find it helpful. Alternatively, pop to your local library and check out the gardening section.
I have sown my radish and salad leaves in the last two weeks.
I would also recommend that you get your name down on your council allotment waiting list if you are interested in growing your own. I have only just got mine after waiting for 18 months. Visit your local council website for more info, I'm sure they will have some info on there even if it's to provide a phone number to call.
Anyway, good luck with what ever you decide to grow.

Looby_Lou_7

Hi,

Even though me and OH have an allotment we grew a lot of things in the back garden in pots.I bought those black flower tubs from Morrisons 8 for 99p and grew carrots and potatoes in them, they turned out good.

I have tumbeling tomatoes in them at the moment in the green house.We also grew tomatoes outside in growbag and I grew runner beans in a big pot and they were fab, our one pot did better than most on the alloments. I have bought some of the mini veg from Thompson and Morgan to grow next year as we cant get to the allotment everyday.Going to also try strawberries in tubs next year.

There is lots you can grow in a small space, grow the things you like and enjoy.

Looby Lou x

angelavdavis

Looby_Lou wrote: »

There is lots you can grow in a small space, grow the things you like and enjoy.

My word of wisdom would be to grow things that are pricey in the shops or taste much much better when home grown. I like trying out different tomato varieties, growing yellow courgettes and patty pans, rainbow chard, bok choi, cut and come again salad leaves, runner beans, baby veg, fancy peppers, etc.

Jake'sGran

I am a gardener but don't grow a lot of veg, just tomatoes - picked one of the last today. Can you tell me, what are patty pans and pok choi? If they are easy to grow in a small space I might have a go next year.

avantra

Jake'sGran wrote: »

I am a gardener but don't grow a lot of veg, just tomatoes - picked one of the last today. Can you tell me, what are patty pans and pok choi? If they are easy to grow in a small space I might have a go next year.

Patty pans:


Pakchoi

maman

I'd like to grow some herbs indoors over the winter.

• Which would be the best ones to use?
• Can I use those pots from the supermarket or do I need to go to a garden centre?
• How much heat/light do they need? Must they be in the kitchen or would they be happy in an unheated (south-facing) conservatory?

Farway

maman wrote: »

I'd like to grow some herbs indoors over the winter.

• Which would be the best ones to use?
• Can I use those pots from the supermarket or do I need to go to a garden centre?
• How much heat/light do they need? Must they be in the kitchen or would they be happy in an unheated (south-facing) conservatory?

The supermarket ones will be OK, but do not bung them into the conservatory at once, they will need acclimatising from hot supermarket to cool conservatory at this time of year, leave them in kitchen, indoor window sill for a week or so

The Mediterean [sp?] ones, like basil, will need to be indoors, other tougher ones, like mint, sage, thyme, rosemary will be OK in conservatory