Complete novice advice for planting

Icey77

I'm in Hertfordshire, but I'm not convinced about a grape vine, feels a bit adventurous at the moment!

RAS

If you have to get everything through the house, think about lasagna bedding http://organicgardening.about.com/od/startinganorganicgarden/a/lasagnagarden.htm

It is a lot of work and claims can be over egged but it allows you to bring stuff in piecemeal. Old cardboard is very useful as is wee. Add any other material you can get. Any local micro breweries keen to get shot of their hops? leaves, neighbours' grass clippings?

It may be better this year to concentrate on getting one bed really going well and maybe put green manure (phacelia, fengreek, field beans etc) on the rest?

RAS

Icey77 wrote: »

I'm in Hertfordshire, but I'm not convinced about a grape vine, feels a bit adventurous at the moment!

Well I am half way to IHS and get some fruit of Lakemont (white seedless grape) in a slightly north facing open and very windy allotment.

Mojisola

DaftyDuck wrote: »

Just a word of warning about getting soil conditioner from the recycling centre, from my experience of four different counties. It's made up of all the dross we dump there in the first place, and they are on rather a tight schedule to get it out again. It tends not to be heat-treated, will have viable seeds - and possibly viable weeds still alive in it.

From the four areas I've seen it sold, I wouldn't accept any of it for my garden. It's also pretty pricey at some. 60 litres for £4 is, in my opinion, daylight robbery, especially as they get the raw material for free!

I'm very surprised that you've had such a bad experience of compost. My OH inspects these sites and any that were producing such a poor quality end product would be stopped immediately.

Icey77

Morning, thought I'd give you a little update.

I had a mooch through Wilko and picked up a pack of 3 raspberry canes - Malling Seedling (Early), Glen Ample (Mid) and Polka (Late) and an English Hedgerow Blackberry - thornless Rubus fruticosus.

These are now planted in the garden as per their instructions so I will watch them closely and hope they decide to grow. I also have 5 Nicola salad seed potatoes chatting on my kitchen windowsill and I hope to plant these in the potato bags I was given by my sister tomorrow

Nothing as yet from my rhubarb but perhaps it's still too cold!

I've really enjoyed this so far and I'm really learning that gardening and growing things in general is not an instant gratification thing!! :rotfl:

Mojisola

Icey77 wrote: »

I had a mooch through Wilko and picked up a pack of 3 raspberry canes - Malling Seedling (Early), Glen Ample (Mid) and Polka (Late) and an English Hedgerow Blackberry - thornless Rubus fruticosus.

These are now planted in the garden as per their instructions so I will watch them closely and hope they decide to grow.

One cane of each variety isn't going to produce much fruit. Any chance of getting some more?

Icey77

Mojisola wrote: »

One cane of each variety isn't going to produce much fruit. Any chance of getting some more?

Ahhh, didn't know that!!
I can go back tomorrow, how many should I get?

Mojisola

Icey77 wrote: »

Ahhh, didn't know that!!
I can go back tomorrow, how many should I get?

How much room have you got?

Icey77

Mojisola wrote: »

How much room have you got?

i planted the raspberry canes 18" apart but now I can't see where I read that on the instructions. Can I plant them closer than that?

The bed is 6' long by 2' wide and 3' high.