Complete Gardening Virgin!

[chellybobs]

H there, I'm looking for ANY tips. Its my first year gardening. I've got a few patio pots for plants etc, but have decided to use all 3 borders in our garden for fruit and veg. I've also got a plastic greenhouse, with the promise that if I keep it up and enjoy it this year I can have a REAL one!lol!
At the moment I've got in the greenhouse, tomatoes and peas. I've just put, today, some well rotted horse manure from a friend who is an organic gardener, also in her first year.
I've got some seeds to plant. Red Cabbage, Colly, Spring Onions, Leeks, Melon, Pumpkin, Courgette, Purple Sprouting broccolli.

I would LOVE to get any tips to help me on my way

Kind regards
Michelle

[Alice]

Hello Chelybobs, good luck with your project. No expert here but I would plant your courgettes now , 1 seed per person in the house per 3" pot. As soon as they have germinated and made first real leaves you should be safe to plant into the ground in an open sunny position.This should give you all the courgettes you can eat . Your spring onions you can plant straight into the ground as per instructions on the packet. You could also plant some lettuce, mixed leaves and rocket. Can't fail there. And some spinach if you like it. Just plant the seeds into the ground. As for the rest, sure someone else will come on and tell you. But not too late for runner beans. Started mine in pots but sure at this time you could plant straight into the ground. Good luck with it all.

[nick the grief]

Hi Chellybobs, welcome to the Vine. See if you can get hold of a book from your library by Geoff Hamilton called "The ornamental Kitchen Garden" this will show you how to have colourful & productive borders.

Also, if you do a search on this site on Companion plants that will give you a few ideas as well.

One thing (well 3) that I think look good are Beetroot ( nice foiliage), Swiss Chard (especially the varety Bright Lights) this has dark green leaves with red, yellow & white ribs on them ver colourful & Carrots - lovvely light ferny foiliage.

[fisherlady]

Just be sure to secure your temp greenhouse. They are fabulous for germinating, growing herbs and getting tomatoes and peppers up to a medium size but if you come outside to find its all collapsed in on itself or toppled over you, too, will feel my pain...

(oh and don't grab courgette leaves - nobody tells you they are spiny til after the event 'oh didn't you know? . . .' !!)

Good luck

[linz]

Welcome chelybobs!!

I'm a total novice too so I can't give you any advice at all except keep a note of where you plant your seeds!!! I got myself in an awful pickle because once my seedlings started to appear, I didn't know which was which and I'm sure I pulled half of them out thinking they were weeds!!!!

But I now have lovely radishes, lettuces and spring onions all growing nicely, and it feels great, something has grown!!!

Enjoy!!!

[Sunbeam]

Hi there Chellybobs - welcome to the vine! I'm in my first year of veg gardening too and am already reaping the rewards of the pea, cauli's and broccoli I planted out earlier in the year - knocks spots off sainsbury's!! make sure you prop up your peas with at least 6 foot canes- I didn't & they have flopped over on top of my cauli's !!! Enjoy your garden