What can I do with 5'x20' patch?

Tea-and-Cake_3

I would love to grow most of our vegetables in order to save money. In our garden there is a patch of weedy earth with a few bushes (hydrangia, forsythia etc). How would I start preparing this area now to grow some veg next year please? Also, could I successfully grow kale, beetroot, potatoes, onions, brocolli, cauliflower, courgette, green beans, carrots, celery in this area?

I_have_spoken

>I would love to grow most of our vegetables in order to save money.<

A good aspiration, but for the basics of onions, carrots, potatoes, colis you'll not beat just buying from Lidl or off the market in season.

With 5'x20' a raised bed makes sense to improve the soil and get most produce; also Google "square-foot gardening" to see how to get the most from such a space by growing stuff which is costly to buy, i.e. soft fruits.

Cordie

I would definitely grow runner beans they are expensive to buy even when they are in season. Put your canes in a wig-wam shape that way they don't take up much room.

When I use to grow them I freezed the surplus and we always ate the last batch with our Christmas dinner.

SailorSam

This is the time of year that should be collecting all the dead leaves, may not be very good for next year but leaf litter is a great thing to add to the soil.

Rummer

How exciting :j

Sounds like a great space for growing and you can start before the worst of the weather sets in by clearing it, adding food and then covering it to keep the weeds off for the new year.

Invest in or free cycle for some basic garden tools if you do not have them already and a composting area will save lots of pennies in the long term.

As I Have Spoken has said for onions, potatoes and carrots you are just as well getting them for the local supermarket. What is ideal to grow are the expensive or unusual things that you like to eat. The main things we strive to grow each year are:

Cut and come again salads - saves a fortune!
Kale
Courgettes
Spinach
Chard
Peas
Beans
Loads of different herbs
Soft Fruit - Mainly Raspberries with currants too
Rhubarb

alfred64

SailorSam wrote: »

This is the time of year that should be collecting all the dead leaves, may not be very good for next year but leaf litter is a great thing to add to the soil.

Actually, they do not add all that much. I was surprised, too.

May be better to burn them and use the ash.

I_have_spoken

Good for soil structure

skivenov

Dig a sandpit and open a long-jump school

RAS

Try reading Mel Bartholomew "Square Foot Gardening" or run off the teach yourself leaflets from the Go Organic schools section.

Do not get too hung up on the engineering and raised bed stuff, concentrate on the basic idea, IMO.

Cally_Smart

My husband made me an area by our back door ,a raised bed,maybe a little bit smaller than that & this year I used it for the first time. It is between two houses so just gets the sun overhead for a few hours midday.I chose things that didn't mind a bit of shade.I grew quite a few things like mange tout,broad beans,beetroot,chard,lots of herbs etc.I have just picked the last of the green tomatoes to ripen inside.My runner beans were a disaster the slugs ate every batch I put out but I didn't want to use slug pellets & if you want to use the pick them off method you've got to be more vigilant that I was-they sneaked in when I wasn't looking. I wanted to be an organic as possible.It's lovely to pick things to eat that you've grown & treat it as an interesting hobby but I still get my carrots & onions & potatoes at aldi!

welovemarmite

I had a problem with slugs this year and so have been saving marmite jars ready for next year which I will turn into beer traps.