Hello! Another Newbie

[Vegifuture]

Hi All,

Newbie here (and I mean newbie) never grown anything in my life but I'm really looking forward to my new challenge.

I have just sorted a plot so hoping to get going next week. Not overgrown or anything so ready to start digging (or not???) so I can prepare for my first year of growing.

My plot is 14m x 4m and I'm starting to think about how best to use it. I have taken advice from another post I started and I have made a list of things I like and will work out what / how / when to plant.

My list of possibles is:

Potatoes
Carrots
Green Beans
Peas
Onions
Garlic
Cabbage
Sprouts
Bell Peppers
Tomatoes
Strawberries
Raspberries

Now I'm not looking for masses of any of these items and I'm sure I wont be able to grow them all but they are all things we like to eat so will see what takes me where.

Anyway wanted to say hi and will chart my progress on here somewhere and definitely be around to ask lots of questions

Cheers
John

[Bill HH]

Welcome, do you have access to a green house? it doesnt matter if you dont but it does change any advice you may be given.

[Tripmeup]

Hi and welcome!!
As Bill says an indoor growing venue will be required for best results on peppers and tomatoes...
Onions and garlic could be got going now if u get a move on...

[Vegifuture]

cheers for reply, no don't have a greenhouse at the moment.

[Martin H]

Welcome and good luck with your new plot. I bet you're itching to get going and willing for spring to come already!

In the meantime, you can get garlic in if you get a wriggle on, overwintering onion sets too as TripMeUp says.

Also work out where your raspberry canes are and get them ordered for planting this winter. If you don't need many, get autumn ones and (after the first season) leave a few fruited canes on to get some summer fruit as well. I suggest variety Joan J: great flavour and heavy crop.

Take pics, let us know how it goes!

[Bill HH]

Ok well my advice is to search on u tube or google for each thing you wish to grow, wonderful advice from experts. also look for the allotment blogs on U tube. Steer clear of American blogs as they have different conditions and the advice doesnt always suit the UK.

I particularly reccomend this one

http://www.youtube.com/user/thehortc...?feature=watch

I am no expert but here is what I think you should be doing with some of the stuff.



Potatoes
I do mine in 40 litre buckets but you can also grow them in the ground of course, time to plant is march ish, best use proper seed potatoes.

Carrots
Sow seeds in the spring, avoid having them to thickly planted, sow some every couple of weeks to get a succesion.

Green Beans

Peas
You can plant peas now using the right variety, but also in in the spring, most peas need a net to climb up.

Onions
If you buy sets (small bulbs) you can plant them now, or in the spring, its easier than sowing seeds.

Garlic Same as onions only you break up the individual cloves and plant them.

Cabbage
Sprouts
These are brassicas and very prone to being attacked by cabbage white butterflies, they lay catterpillars that munch away at your plants, best to usse nets.

Bell Peppers
I buy the plants and plant them out when all danger of frost has passed. You can grow them outside but a GH is better.

Tomatoes
Sow seeds in feb/ march or buy plants in april, make sure you get outdoor types. gardeners delight are nice small tomatoes, look it up on \you tube.

Strawberries buy plants and plant in the spring. or plant now to get a head start.

Raspberries

Here you buy dormant bushes and plant them now, learn how to prune them from You tube.

Each plant has various ways of cultivation but you will soon pick it up as long as you ask lots of questions here and do some reading.

Learn how to make compost, thats most important.
keep on top of the weeds.

Good luck

[Bren In Pots]

Hello and welcome to the vine John you're doing the right thing in growing what you like to eat rather than growing just for the sake of it.

[Two_Sheds]

ready to start digging (or not???)

You choose.

Read up about "no dig" and see if you fancy it.

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/scho...gGardening.pdf

No dig gardens - how to grow vegetables by gardening without digging or tilling

www.charlesdowding.co.uk | No dig gardening

Onions
Garlic
Cabbage
Strawberries
Raspberries

All of those can be started now. Onion sets (mini onions) are in the shops right now, garlic you can buy special sets, or just plant the supermarket stuff.

Strawbs & rasps can be begged off other plot holders, they always have spares (I've just dug out 48 strawb runners, which are going to my schools and new plotholders on our site)

[PyreneesPlot]

Hello and welcome from down here.

My advice would be to stick to growing stuff you like to eat, and that you can't buy easily or cheaply, or things that are best eaten very soon after harvest.

Have fun

[Mikey]

When I first started, I made a list aswell of everything I fancied growing then I got a bit carried away on the Thompson & Morgan website and bought things I'd never tried before.

Then I came to some sense and looked at my shopping basket from the supermarket over the course of a month, and saw what I was buying and in what quantity. I multiplied up the staples for the course of a year and subtracted some for holidays etc to give me some idea of quantities. This was ok but did give me an awful lot of potatoes and carrots...

Finally I have learnt to view my basket with an element of suspicion, now I grow what is expensive in the supermarket when in season and what I love to eat. As a result I have far more salads than I ever thought I would naturally grow, I grow far less potatoes except for earlies. I grow lots more fruit and peripheral veg like sweetcorn and PSB and pumpkins which I use for carving and eating.

However big your plot is, you could easily fill it twice over with what you'd like to grow so my simple advise would be enjoy it and have fun. You'll find it incredibly hard work to start with, but its worth every little bit of your sweat.

[Guykp57]

Hi All,

Newbie here (and I mean newbie) never grown anything in my life but I'm really looking forward to my new challenge.

I have just sorted a plot so hoping to get going next week. Not overgrown or anything so ready to start digging (or not???) so I can prepare for my first year of growing.

My plot is 14m x 4m and I'm starting to think about how best to use it. I have taken advice from another post I started and I have made a list of things I like and will work out what / how / when to plant.

My list of possibles is:

Potatoes
Carrots
Green Beans
Peas
Onions
Garlic
Cabbage
Sprouts
Bell Peppers
Tomatoes
Strawberries
Raspberries

Now I'm not looking for masses of any of these items or and I'm sure I wont be able to grow them all but they are all things we like to eat so will see what takes me where.
Loll
Anyway wanted to say hi and will chart my progress on here somewhere and definitely be around to ask lots of questions

Cheers
John

Hi Newbie, welcome from another newbie well 6months old now. Great list you have there but noticed no Runner Beans, I had great harvest from them this year, grew them on wigwam frame and it worked great very little room needed unlike when they are grown along a run of canes. Hope you get as much pleasure as I'm getting from my allotment. Keep us informed how you get on.


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[WendyC]

Perhaps that's what he means by "green beans".

[Guykp57]

Very true, maybe I wasn't reading it properly.


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[vegboi]

Hi All,

Newbie here (and I mean newbie) never grown anything in my life but I'm really looking forward to my new challenge.

I have just sorted a plot so hoping to get going next week. Not overgrown or anything so ready to start digging (or not???) so I can prepare for my first year of growing.

My plot is 14m x 4m and I'm starting to think about how best to use it. I have taken advice from another post I started and I have made a list of things I like and will work out what / how / when to plant.

My list of possibles is:

Potatoes
Carrots
Green Beans
Peas
Onions
Garlic
Cabbage
Sprouts
Bell Peppers
Tomatoes
Strawberries
Raspberries

Now I'm not looking for masses of any of these items and I'm sure I wont be able to grow them all but they are all things we like to eat so will see what takes me where.

Anyway wanted to say hi and will chart my progress on here somewhere and definitely be around to ask lots of questions

Cheers
John

Hi John , welcome to Vine, everyone is very helpful and very friendly.

I've just got my plot too and I'm in same boat as you.

Very exciting


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[Glutton4...]

Hello, and welcome to the Madhouse!