Hiya Folks!!!

[garlicgirl06]

Hello from an at last snow free Norton Canes! I decided to join this forum after reading the GYOv mag. What i'm really hoping to find is like-minded newbie veg growers of the destitute variety!! lol.This is going to be my first attempt at growing my own edible (fingers crossed) stuff. Having huffed & puffed at some of the ridiculous supermarket prices i thought it time to actively pursue alternatives. I was also becoming more and more horrified by the number of food miles involved in feeding people. Runner beans - only straight ones mind - from Africa!! Throwing good food away because it doesn't conform to shape tests is the ultimate in craziness. Ask a starving person if they care what shape their beans are. Sorry,enough of that, but that gives you some idea of where my impetus comes from.

My main difficulties are, and this is ignoring all the difficulties inherent to veg growers everywhere, that i am disabled and that i don't have money to buy all the gizmos,gadgets and maybe even essentials that people of average means do have. ie:heated propogator? forget it. I'm struggling to keep myself warm.Cloches,cold frames and wormeries? If i can get the raw materials free and build my own then all in time. For now it's a case of i've got a garden & big plans. Hopefully from reading things in this forum i'll learn alot and have one or two successes.

I think the funniest thing about my situation is that as i am disabled i am going to be heavily dependant on my "other half" who is fresh air & gardening phobic. The price of getting some digging done is horrendous!!!!!!!

Aside from the problems i know i'm sure to encounter, and the problems created by lack of funds and disability,i am EXCITED by this new adventure. I'm loving reading books and magazines and spending hours checking out seed suppliers.

What i am going to need is lot's of practical advice regarding simple stuff like watering plants,where best to put stuff & any advice i can garner on what grows best in this region.

So that's me. I'm really looking forward to your company and glad you're all out there willing to share your knowledge and provide this great community.

Happy Growing

[binley100]

Hi there and welcome, loads of clever people here who are happy to help. I haven't got a heated prop either , just cover with plastic and stick somewhere warm ....

[Jeanied]

Welcome to the vine GG - I'm sure you will find all sorts of ideas and solutions to all your problems. I know what you mean about prices and food miles - I was shocked to see the supermarket price of parsnips today - and stalks of sprouts - and I'm feeling very smug now as I have lots of both on my allotment this year!!

[Glutton4...]

Hello and welcome to the Madhouse!

[Two_Sheds]

you can garden if you're broke, and if you're less abled

welcome

oh, and you'd better pop your location into your profile before RustyLady comes on

[zazen999]

Aye - and before you do anything - take a look at Supersprout's allotment thread in the Growing Techniques board.

I have it printed out and use it in my schools.

And welcome to the vine.

[stella]

Hi and welcome, you can recycle, make do and still have a very good crop. In fact there used to be a thread on here about recycling and growing and some very good advice it had as well. Try the search thread

[Florence Fennel]

Hello and welcome to the Vine. I am sure you'll find lots of advice on here and good luck with it all.
Oh and by the way, do as Zaz advised and check out Supersprouts Allotment, I just have and I am very pleased I did. I am not as physically able as I used to be, so I found this very encouraging. Hope it will be for you too and thanks Zaz!

[Florian]

Hello there

Welcome from one newbie to another. This has been my first year of growing in my yard and now I have purchased pots and compost, I am on a strict budget too.

There's plenty of fun and eating to be had

[garlicgirl06]

Thank you for the kind words and encouragement

Sorry i haven't responded sooner but we've been having pc problems. All sorted now,fingers crossed.

I'll check out everything you have passed on as i'm sure there's some very valuable info there.

I've been busy, inbetween the snowfalls, with prepping the garden for the coming season. We moved to a new home with a good size garden last September but boy is it in a mess.

The first 2 major problems to deal with are the abundance of stones. The people who lived here before us kept fish in tanks & prior to moving they dumped all the stones from these tanks at the bottom of the garden then covered with a thin layer of earth & quickly grew some grass over the top. Its really messing with my plans as this is the area where i planned to grow the carrots & beetroot etc, things i know that will be badly affected by stony ground. It's going to take me & the "reluctant gardener" (my partner) weeks to clear this space.

The next problem is that we've done some soil testing & the results suck. The ph is good at 7.2 but the NPK can only be described as seriously deficient. So i need a bit of assistance. Obviously i'm going to have to do something about the NPK levels but taking in to account my excrutiatingly tight budget where do i start. I have 4 main beds. One is half planted with garlic already and the rest of that bed is for onions and shallots. The next bed is for potaotes & anything else that can be fitted in this 1.5m by 7m plot. The next bed is rearranged for the carrots & beetroot and the final patch (the one presently full of stones) is the brassica patch. Finally i have a patch along what was previously a border where i intend to have blackcurrants & raspberries. I have a selection of pots and growbags for things like tomatoes, cucumber & peppers/chillies.

We have heard the debate for not growing what is reasonably priced in the supermarkets but we have decided to opt for growing only things we will eat & as even getting to a supermarket is difficult for me that arguement is quite frankly mute. Also this project is giving me a reason to get up everyday & i love the hours spent outside so i'm already benefitting before i've grown a thing. But i would really like to be able to have some successes this year so i desperately need advice on increasing the NPK levels.

What i have available to me at the moment are a small amount of manure, about 160l of compost a small amount of top soil & 7.5kg of blood,fish & bone. All xmas presents gratefully received. I also have about £40 which i've set aside to help me deal with this soil problem.

So please my friends,any advice,assistance you can give to help with this situation would be fantastic.

Thank you all,again, for stopping by to say "hi". I look forward to getting to know you all better.

Oh, i live in the Staffs area just outside Cannock before anyone tells me off for not letting you know!

HAPPY 2011 folks

garlicgirl06

[ginger ninger]

Sorry I'm late in welcoming you GG, so...Hello and welcome to the vine from me as well.

[pauco]

Hi from me too, another newbie. Good luck for the new season.


paul.

[garlicgirl06]

Hi ginger ninger & pauco.Thanks for taking the time to welcome me in to the fold. And best of luck with your growing year too.

gg06

[Two_Sheds]

the NPK can only be described as seriously deficient. ...where do i start.

I'm sure that's not unusual. I've never measured my soil's NPK, for all I know it's deficient too.
You may already realise that different plants have different needs. What suits one plant won't suit another. Brassicas do well on my soil, spuds grow well but are always scabby

N - nitrogen - for leafy plants eg greens
P - phosphorus - for root crops eg parsnips
K - potassium/potash - for fruiting plants, eg pumpkins

(the one presently full of stones) is the brassica patch.

Don't fret too much about your stones. My plot is full of them too, I just have a bucket handy when I'm weeding or planting and toss the larger stones into it. When it's full I pour the lot onto my path

this project is giving me a reason to get up everyday

That's a good enough reason - it works for me too.

[ConfusedRhubarb]

Hello GarlicGirl
I suppose i'm a newbie too, but i've been reading without posting for ages so I don't feel it. (I think it's called lurking - sounds awful)
If you've got space and time, a nearby pound shop and a car then you could try making your own "well rotted manure". Phone around some local stables, and offer to help with their waste problem by taking as many pound shop rubble sacks full of fresh manure as you can. Dump in the furthest corner of your garden. Repeat until exhausted. Wait a year. Hey presto!