Newbie from St Helens

[manic665]

Hi i am 24 years old and i am on my second year of growing my own fruit and veg. I have to admit my first year did not go very well so i am seeking advice from everywere to get me off to a better start this year.
I love growing all sorts from seed i have just planted tomatoes 3 different types and some onions as well as 2 different types of chillies to go with my other 1 i am hopeing will come back out of its over wintering soon.
I have a 8ft x 6ft veg bed and a 5ft x 6ft greenhouse to grow in so as you can see not a massive amount of space but just the right amount for me

[ginger ninger]

Hello and a very warm welcome to the vine from Yorkshire. You'll fit in just fine with tomatoes and chillies. I don't think there's many of us who's aren't addicted to growing them. If you pop your location into your profile it make's it much easier to give advice (if needed) thanks. xx

[Two_Sheds]

Hi i am 24 years old

That's when I started too. hello and welcome

[Glutton4...]

Hi - welcome to the Madhouse!

[Florence Fennel]

Hello and a very warm welcome to the Vine.

[Mrs Dobby]

Welcome to the madhouse Manic! I'm not too far from you, in East Manchester, and work in Widnes, so just down the road (so to speak).

Hope you find that the 'Vine is a friendly and knowledgeable place to visit, tho be warned, it is addictive (to say the least)

With a small space are you trying the 'square foot' gardening method that they showed on GW last year, or growing in another way? We're fortunate to have an allotment, so space isnt so much of a problem (although we still run out of room, lol)

Anyhows, welcome

[manic665]

With a small space are you trying the 'square foot' gardening method that they showed on GW last year, or growing in another way? We're fortunate to have an allotment, so space isnt so much of a problem (although we still run out of room, lol)

No i have just set a veg bed and have a greenhouse if you can call it that as its one of them plastic walkin ones you can get from wilkos but i am looking into a bigger greenhouse or even a polytunnel. i do have a big garden but the girlfriend wont let me have a bigger space as she says the kids need the room but there never out there lol so i might just keep nickin more and more of the space lol i know i am evil lol

[Mrs Dobby]

Our first year we had one of the plastic walk in thingies in our back yard, we planted cukes and toms in there early, and had a great crop from them, just using growbags, so they are better than most folks think! Unfortunately it 'died' in the winter last year, down on the allotment, but we used the frame to improvise a 'hothouse', which sheltered our peppers, chillies and aubergines, it worked well too!

We've now got 3 greenhouses and a polytunnel (plastic tent type from ebay for about £60, 10' by 14'), and we still run out of room in them, this year we've also got 2 3' by 6' coldframes (plastic tent type) which are going to be used as hothouses for our peppers and chillies, they came from Argos, reduced to £15 each in their end of season sale!

If you are desperate for growing space, then think about planting a few crops into the garden borders, Alice Fowler did it last year (Edible Garden on BBC2 Fridays), it basically is what our Ancestors would have done in their 'cottage gardens', and you may get away without her noticing, if you are lucky! Lol!

[stella]

Hi and welcome it is possible to grow lots in a very small space.

[manic665]

Hi and welcome it is possible to grow lots in a very small space.

This is very true but the only problem is i seem to over do it with the seeds lol oops

[Two_Sheds]

i might just keep nickin more and more of the space

when we moved in here it was laid to lawn and I was reprimanded for putting flower borders in (I have left a keyhole-shaped lawn which mysteriously keeps getting smaller every year)

Then Himself wanted a trampoline for the Little One. I knew she wouldn't use it, it was up for one summer and killed the lawn underneath. I put it in the shed for a year and it was never mentioned, so I quietly gave it away

[Currysniffa]

Hi Manic,welcome to the vine

[manic665]

when we moved in here it was laid to lawn and I was reprimanded for putting flower borders in (I have left a keyhole-shaped lawn which mysteriously keeps getting smaller every year)

Then Himself wanted a trampoline for the Little One. I knew she wouldn't use it, it was up for one summer and killed the lawn underneath. I put it in the shed for a year and it was never mentioned, so I quietly gave it away

That is so funny its like what is happening here lol the girlfriends got a trampoline for the kids and also a swing and slide set for them as well but oops trampoline is on the decking doing nothing lol

[Two_Sheds]

oops trampoline is on the decking doing nothing lol

ah, maybe it's rusted over the winter? some screws have come loose making it unsafe? best to get rid of it then, don't want anyone getting hurt

[Scarlet]

Then Himself wanted a trampoline for the Little One. I knew she wouldn't use it, it was up for one summer and killed the lawn underneath.

I thought the same with ours but they even use it in the winter! They wipe the wet off with my clean tea towels and off they go!