Preparing for 2020 Grow. First Grow Ever.

[MichaelD]

Hi all, as some of you know from my intro thread I am planning on growing some vegetables and fruit for the first time in the New Year.

I have narrowed the veg and fruit down to the following. Sweet potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach and lettuce.

I have decided that I'm not using a greenhouse yet, and I am growing to grow straight into the ground.
Some have mentioned using the no dig method but I fear this may may that I don't learn as much in the process? I may be wrong however as I don't know anything but traditional growing and preparing seems to appeal to me at the moment. I also wish to grow organically.

What I need need to know is what do I need to prepare my garden for, and how do I do it? Does each veg and fruit need different soil?

What equipment will I need?
Tools, composts, feed etc. I literally know nothing.

I will section my beds off to keep things neat and tidy, how can I protect them from pests including my cat and dog?

All advice, tips and tricks appreciated.
Mike

[MichaelD]

Also the ground is uneven. Do i need to level?

[veggiechicken]

Hi Mike, some of your questions are really difficult to answer when we have no idea what your garden is like!
I'll be honest with you, I've never been able to grow sweet potatoes or tomatoes outdoors as they succumb to blight. There are some tomatoes that have been bred to cope with blight so you will need to look for those seeds - Crimson Crush F1 is one but there are a couple of others.
Similarly with cucumbers, make sure you buy varieties that are suitable for outdoor growing as many of them are for greenhouses.
There are some growing guides for various veg and fruit at https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/how-to-grow that tell you what to do when. They're a good place to start.
The best way to keep dogs and cats off your beds is fencing them off.

[veggiechicken]

IMO the easiest veg to grow, whether you're a beginner or not, are climbing beans, courgettes and onions from sets and lettuce/salad leaves in pots away from pests. Fruit would be strawberries and autumn raspberries.
Just a thought!!

[Snoop Puss]

If you have a search for sweet potatoes on this forum, you'll find that not many of us have had much success with them. I don't want to put you off if you've got your heart set on them, but starting with something a bit more likely to be a success might be worth considering.

Lots of us still do the traditional thing of digging. I do, though I am moving gradually over to less digging. Whether you learn more or less with a dig or a no-dig method, I wouldn't like to say. I imagine it's about the same, as the plants still have the same requirements.

As for the ground being level or not, you need to think about how water will behave. Will rain water or irrigation water run off as your land is at the moment? If so, you need to think about how you can remedy that.

Some fruit needs acidic soil, some plants benefit from soil slightly on the alkaline side. Some veg like loose soil (think roots), whereas others need firmer soil (cabbages and the like). VC has mentioned the useful grow guides. They'll give you some basic info. People on here are really friendly and happy to share info and knowledge. So ask away, as well.

As for tools, I've got a few I love (everyone is bored of me talking about my Japanese trowel and Japanese hoe). But if you want to try the dig rather than the no-dig route, you'll likely need a fork, possibly a spade. I don't use a spade much as I find a fork much easier to use. Some people like mattocks (also called azadas it would seem, though I have no idea why a Spanish word got picked up by allotmenteers). After that, there are all kinds of things you could buy. But at this stage, a fork is your best friend if you like digging. When it comes to planting things in the ground, then you'll be looking at things like trowels, and when the weeds start to come through, you'll be wanting a hoe.

Are you proposing to plant stuff to over-winter in your beds or are you just preparing in readiness for spring? If you're waiting till spring to plant things out, you won't need feed at this stage. One thing you will be glad of is something to cover your beds once you've dug them over. This could be cardboard, newspaper, hay, compost, even some kind weed membrane. Do this and you'll protect your soil against erosion and nutrient depletion over the winter, plus you'll deter any weeds from opportunistically starting to germinate and grow.

Good luck.

[chillithyme]

You don't have to level out the whole area, you could do a bit at a time. If you are on a steep hill, then you can't level that, but if it is uneven ground then it will even up as you work section by section
I'm assuming you have or will be acquiring tools like a fork, spade and rake
Depending on where you are you may be able to grow tomatoes without a greenhouse, but not sweet potatoes.You could grow normal potatoes instead, they are good for breaking up the ground and making it more workable, and also taste delicious
Check out the growing guide, it is super helpful.
As for growing organically, yes do it have a go
Dig or no dig, both are good, its all a learning curve, but a fun one

[Small pumpkin]

You’ve already had lots of advice so there’s not much more I can add.
Growing sweet potatoes in a greenhouse/polytunnel is optimistic (I’ve tried, I got thick pencils ). Outside is fantasy . Don’t let that stop you though. We all try silly things just to see what happens. I tried growing some chillies outside this year. My first thoughts were correct, bl@@dy stupid idea .

Good luck with your first growing year. Sure you’ll have a brilliant harvest.
Keep us up dated with progress & photos, we like photos.

[Babru]

Hi MichaelD. I'm a fruit and veg beginner too, and I'd have a think about trying some of the crops recommended by veggiechicken. Some quick wins make a novice gardener happy!

I grew strawberries in pots this summer and they were fabulous. I've potted some runners to get more plants and should get them in the ground in my new fruit patch next year. (Plants for free!) I was also successful with outdoor tomatoes, though a lot depends on the sort of summer we get next year. I'd recommend both of these to you.

[Snoop Puss]

I'm assuming you have or will be acquiring tools like a fork, spade and rake

Well thunk, CT. A rake, how could I forget that! Mr Snoop is of the view that you can never have too many rakes. One ought to be enough, but (I think) we have three, but there's never one to hand when I want it.

[chillithyme]

You can never have enough rakes SP!I often forget about the rake and the hand trowel, they are currently wondering about with the mice somewhere when I took on my allotment I found the previous owners tools also having a wonder about

[bikermike]

OK, I appear to have written a bit of an essay here, apologies...

I have narrowed the veg and fruit down to the following. Sweet potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach and lettuce.

They are some pretty challenging veg there.
Sweet Potatoes - I've never had success with them
Cucumbers - I only grow mine in a greenhouse, but they can (AFAIK) be grown outdoors
Tomatoes - pick outdoor varieties (Outdoor Girl and Marmande are two I've had success with). The more heat and sunlight you can give them the better
Spinach - no idea, should be fine
Lettuce - You may well end up growing slug food.

I would suggest looking at some more robust easy to grow stuff like french beans, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage as well as the ones you list.

I have decided that I'm not using a greenhouse yet, and I am growing to grow straight into the ground.
Some have mentioned using the no dig method but I fear this may may that I don't learn as much in the process? I may be wrong however as I don't know anything but traditional growing and preparing seems to appeal to me at the moment. I also wish to grow organically.

I'm not quite sure about not learning as much. You will learn plenty in your first year whatever.
There are quite a few other options between "in the ground" and "greenhouse". Try in big pots/growbags etc. I'm not sure what you mean by traditional - most of those crops are not traditionally grown outside in the UK or at all.

What I need need to know is what do I need to prepare my garden for, and how do I do it? Does each veg and fruit need different soil?

- some things grow better in some soils than others (which is why diifferent regions grow different things). But also sunlight, watering, feeding etc makes a difference. in terms of prep, at it's simplest it's clear a space and put things in it. Generally, remove competing plants/weeds, and then dig and/or mulch to improve the soil. pull out stones as you find them, they can make carrots bifurcate.

What equipment will I need?
Tools, composts, feed etc. I literally know nothing.

In terms of tools, the things I use most are, spade, fork, trowel, hand fork, rake, pruning shears and hoe. I also carry a folding knife. Gardneing gloves are a good idea, as are a pair of wellies/boots and a hat - it is an outdoor hobby after all. The first upgrade I bought was a barrow, but if you don't need to move large volumes of compost etc about, I wouldn't bother at first. Somewhere to keep it all is good (can even just be a space in the house that has a floor covering you don't care about)

The first thing is a compost heap. Doesn't have to be expensive - you can buy daleks for £30ish in most DIY shops, or make it yourself (my first was some chicken wire held up by the pole that held the "for sale" board for my house). But start it now, and get it brewing.

some small pots/trays to start your seeds off in are handy. If you like yoghurt, then try too stick to one brand over the next few months, and you'll have a set. Plastic meat trays are good - if you mix and match your supermarket you can get lucky and get matching black and clear trays - instant propogator. Also, save loo roll cores - you can fill them with compost, plant seeds in them and then they can be planted out without disturbing the growing seed.

In your first year, I'd start small with one or two beds, some tomatoes in grow-bags against a sunny wall and see how it goes.

[greenishfing]

My most used tools are fork, hand fork and rake. If you are wanting a "dalek" compost bin check with your local council first. We got ours very cheaply via the local council run recycling centre.

[MichaelD]

Wow. Thanks so much. That's lots of wonderful advice.

Ok so it seems like I've picked some difficult veggies to start with, looks like I might have to change my ideas a bit.

So sweet potatoes out, potatoes in? How do new potatoes do?

Tomatoes - outdoor variety, I really like cherry/baby plum types, can any be recommended?

Spinach for cabbage.

Strawberries for fruit.

Ok so that sounds good.

I've got some tools. Definitely a spade and a fork. If I dig two 3x6 beds, for potatoes and cabbages, then cover them is that a good place to start?

[chillithyme]

New potatoes are lovely and very easy, lots of varieties to chooses from, I'm a fan of Charlotte potatoes, others are just as nice too.
Outdoor cherry tomatoes sungold are reliable and easy (pick just before ripe or they can split), and also tumbler tomatoes(these are suited to containers as they bush out)
Sounds like a good place too start with the beds. What are you covering the beds with, if you want free then cardboard from supermarkets is good

[MichaelD]

New potatoes are lovely and very easy, lots of varieties to chooses from, I'm a fan of Charlotte potatoes, others are just as nice too.
Outdoor cherry tomatoes sungold are reliable and easy (pick just before ripe or they can split), and also tumbler tomatoes(these are suited to containers as they bush out)
Sounds like a good place too start with the beds. What are you covering the beds with, if you want free then cardboard from supermarkets is good

Yeah I will probably cover cardboard. Does it have to be biodegradable? I can use mail sacks aswell or coffee sacks

I love Charlotte potatoes too. I also love Jersey Royals. Other veggies I like are Radishes.