My back garden. Before and After

[OllieMartin]

Having been made redundant in April I decided I needed a project to keep me motivated while looking for a new job, so I decided to dig up half my lawn and create a vegetable patch.
Thanks to a little advice from my Mum and a lot of advice from you 'Grapes' I'm over the moon with the look of the patch now.

All this hot weather has got it looking extremely healthy. And I'm even more impressed as it's my first time growing anything beyond some standard window-sill herbs.

Before: Just after I'd removed the turf, 29th April '09

After: As it looks today, 6th July '09

I've had lots of delicous rocket and radishes from it, and have just started harvesting the spinach.

Can't wait for the other veg, it's all so exciting!

Clock-wise from the back-left
Tomatoes - Unknown Variety
Squash - Butternut
Potatoes - Unknown Variety
Peas - Kelvedon Wonder
Lettuce - Salad Bowl
French Beans - Tendergreen
Lettuce- La Foglia
Runner Beans - Enorma
Shallots - Unknown Variety
Carrots - Early Nantes 2
Spinach Beet - Perpetual Spinach
Beetroot - Boltardy
Radishes - French Breakfast 3
Parsley - Moss Curled 2
Broccoli - Early Purple Sprouting
Cabbage - Primo II
Cauliflower - All the Year Round
Swede - Best of All

[Rabidbun]

That looks great! You've got me eye-ing up my lawn now, lol!

[Bren In Pots]

Does look good, and I'm feeling a tiny bit jealous because I'm still growing in pots.

[Pumpkin Becki]

Fantastic work Ollie, you'll be amazed how productive a plot that size can be!

[Flummery]

That looks different! I see you still have a bit of lawn left - chickens?

[seasprout]

That's tremendous, look at all that extra growing space just under the remaining lawn.!

[teamladd]

Looks great, cant wait to get my allotment all sorted now.

[OllieMartin]

That looks different! I see you still have a bit of lawn left - chickens?

I had considered that, all the eggs and chicken meat, but then I really can't stand chickens, they freak me out!

Was thinking rabbits! What do rabbit eggs taste like?

EDIT: Oh, and thanks for all the positive comments. Suggestions also welcome

[bramble]

Brilliant gardening and in such a short space of time. looks so professional as well.
Don't get rabbits if you want to keep your garden looking like that in the future, they will tunnel their way out of anything.

[Lemon]

WOW! That look super Ollie Martin! So neat and tidy! (& weed free!) I have netted panels round my growing area to keep cats off bare soil and also our chickens out. I throw netting over them which this time of year is handy to keep Cabbage White Butterflies out!

I'm thinking of getting some cheapy net curtains or making use of some voile curtains I bought as a butterfly inhibitor as I have mixed stuff in my beds and the peas and sweetcorn will grow taller than the panels and I if I take off netting I fear I will get lacy pakchoi.