Starting from Scratch - All advice gratefully received!

catewithers

DH and I have recently moved into a rented house with a lovely sized garden. Unfortunately, it's been neglected for quite a while and is somewhat overgrown but we've made a start at reclaiming it.

The top half of the back garden looks like it used to be a vegetable garden in the past and I plan to make it into one again. I have two plots approx 6'x6' and 6'x8'. I also have a greenhouse in between the two plots. The garden is - I think - NEE facing and the smaller plot has sun for longer than the larger plot.

At the moment, both plots have random flowering plants growing in them and a few weeds, but nothing too awful. I'm not sure of the quality of the soil although it appears to be light rather then clay.

So the question is, where do I start?! I'm aware that I need to spend some time and effort preparing the soil before attempting to plant anything. But what is the best way to go about this? Please assume I know nothing - mainly because I don't! - and tell me what you would do. Also, please bear in mind that as it's a rented property, I'm not intending to spend a lot of money on it. I have access to some plants for free and our local freecycle is very active so I'm confident I'll be able to make use of that too.

All replies gratefully received! :beer:

Solomon_Broad

Ask around, and get a few students in to clear the area for you. Cheaper and easier than doing it yourself. Mark out where you want doing, and pay them in beer. Make sure they dig the weeds out. You might have some perennials in there, that will just love the lush new conditions you'll be creating.

Once the area is totally clear, get some compost, and dig it in. Ask on Freecycle for it. Get as much in as you possibly can get. You cant OD on compost. While you're digging it in, keep an eye out for any roots, and fetch them out. Or, if you can trust them to, get the students to dig the compost in. Anything like compost, manure, etc, will do the soil good. Be careful about adding too much mushroom compost, though, as it will make your soil alkaline, though this can be a good thing if your soil is acidic.

I'm recommending students because you have a rather large area, and it's going to be heavy hard work if you aren't used to it. If you want to do it yourself, set off a small section, and do just that. Don't try to do the whole bed at once, because you will knacker your back in.