New gardener - just planning first veg/herb garden

[NicolaD]

Hi,

I have already seen how nice the people are on here when I posted a thread about needing seeds (which I understand now is premature as I have not been on the forums for the required time).

Today I finished building my first raised veg patch (two of them 1mx2m each) and a vertical herb garden which I made from a large reclaimed pallet. We finally had sunny day in Manchester so the ground was dry and I was able to make use of an early finish at work to get into the garden. I am now in a position where I have two empty veg patches and a large vertical herb garden to plant. Very exciting but also a step into the unknown as I have never had this much space before.

My experience only goes as far as growing herbs indoors (which has been a success) and last year I had strawberries in the garden which were enjoyed mostly by the family of Squirrels I spent the Summer feeding peanuts too (at great cost) as they were frequent visitors to the bird feeders I have.

I am mainly interested in growing things I cannot buy in the supermarkets easily. Any choices I make will also need to be easy to grow.

I look forward to reading up about my new hobby and getting the new patches started!

Nicola

[Bigmallly]

Heyup Nicola & welcome again.........check out http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ing_44388.html it maybe just right for your 2 beds.

[NicolaD]

Hi again. I found that really useful especially to see how the thread grew over the years. Its great to see it working for people over the years! Its new to me as you were right to think, so I have saved the PDF and see no reason why this isn't the way to proceed with my two new veg patches. I think it is really good for beginners too as by dividing the plot up into manageable squares its easier to plan and deal with.

I have gardening wire already so will be able to divide the plots up when I am next in the garden (hopefully tomorrow!)

Thanks for this!

[KirstieSparkle]

Hey!
Fraid I can't be much help as I'm a complete noob and never even done any form or gardening before, but hi from another newbie also very excited to be growing stuff :-)

[PyreneesPlot]

Hello and welcome to the Vine, Nicola

Love to see some pictures of your vertical herb pallet some time

[NicolaD]

Hello and welcome to the Vine, Nicola

Love to see some pictures of your vertical herb pallet some time

Hi PyreneesPlot, I updated my thread about my vertical herb garden with pictures of the project so far, I'd love it if you checked it out!

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...-garden-2.html

Also Hi to Kirstie! I am a newbie too but really want to get into veg and herb gardening this year. Seems like there is a lot to learn! I've just been reading up about what herbs cope well with shaded areas as I think this is what I would class my herb garden as having as it only really gets sun in the morning and then waits all day to get a little more in the evening. I'll look forward to seeing how you get on. Hope everything goes well for you.

Nicola

[NicolaD]

I have taken Bigmallly's advice and will be doing sq. ft. technique with my two veg patches. I have measured them today and now know that they are 3ft by 4ft each (not 1mx2m as I put in my first post). This means I will get 12 squares in each patch.

I am seeking advice about my plans on Bigmallly's thread but thought I would share my initial plans here (see picture).

I will update as the project goes on.

[NicolaD]

Quick update.

I have done some indoor sowing (tomatoes, herbs, courgettes/squash, peas) but the majority of my seeds say sow outdoors. I'm just following the instructions on the packets. I will take some pictures when they start to grow.

My veg patch area is nearly finished now I just need to fill the patches with compost and then I can sow outdoors when the time is right.

[KittyColdNose]

Welcome to the vine Nicola

I have been growing my own for a couple of years since moving to a house with a garden. Still learning and occasionally fertilising myself with stinky nettle tea. Hope you enjoy it all as much as I do.

[Luke6]

I'm a noob aswel and I'm thinking of growing potatoes carrots onions in a raised bed I'm making. Any help would be appreciated


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[Luke6]

Also my raised bed is 8foot by 7foot is that to big or to small


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[Florence Fennel]

Hello and a very warm if somewhat belated welcome to the Vine

[NicolaD]

Hi Luke6 and Florence Fennel!

Im new to all this Luke but I am doing square foot gardening on my rasied beds now that I have been told about this. I think most people use 4x4ft beds for this just so they can reach all the plants from all the sides easily. If you can reach your veg I'm sure you will be fine. Check out this thread by Bigmallly and connect with him for more info http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ing_44388.html

I like the idea of sq ft gardening but one thing that stands out for me is that it is easy to understand from a newbies point of view. It makes sense and it has easy steps to follow. There are also youtube videos if you want to look them up. My beds are 3x4ft so I get 12 squares per bed and have two beds. Im still working out what to plant in each square and am changing my plans as I learn more.