Complete gardening newbie, comments so far??

[Scubabe]

G'day all,
As per my intro post, 2 weeks ago we moved to a beautiful country house and we're trying to bring the gardens back to a useful state.

So far, I've cleared the two small patio beds of weeds
BEFORE SHOT


and planted one bed with strawberries


and another with herbs


More post/photos/and some questions in a sec...

[Scubabe]

The veggie garden has been a whole other headache...

Back corner under the tree
BEFORE


AFTER


Bottom End
BEFORE


AFTER


More post/photos/and some questions in a sec...

[Scubabe]

Middle patch
BEFORE


AFTER


Yesterday we forked and dug up a 2m x 2m section in the middle of the veggie patch area, and planted the following
2 x peppers
3 x cherry tomatoes (donated from neighbour)
2 x tomato "Sweet Millions"
2 x tomato "Money Maker"
6 x iceberg lettuce
12 x sugar snap peas around the bottom of the stake pyramid
1 x mini cucumber "Delta Star" in the middle of the stake pyramid
12 x mini sweet corn "Mini Pop"
and 1 x Butternut squash "Sprinter" off to one side away from the main veggie patch (you can just see it in the top left of the picture above).

We've also got some carrot and onion seeds to sow when we finish clearing to the fence boundary either today or tomorrow.

So, have I done the right thing in just strimming down all the horrible weeds? Most of them were taller than me! No veggies had been cultivated there for at least 2 years the last owners just gave up.

I really, really wanted to just get something small in now, for this year, so we only forked through/dug over a small section. Now, what do I do with the rest of the patch?

My neighbour has volunteered to bring me a bottle of super-strength industrial RoundUp home from work to clear the remainder, but I don't know how I feel about using chemicals on a veggie patch?

We have loads and loads of packing boxes left from the move, I have read on here that others recommend just breaking the boxes open and putting straight onto the weeds, will this really kill them all? Do I just put bricks on top or do I put horse manure on top? And I take it that this would then be ready for planting next spring?

My parents were huge gardeners when I was a kid but they're in Australia so I can't really call on them for help. I've never grown a thing in my life so have no idea if I've done the wrong thing here and would really appreciate some advice on getting the weeds out of the rest of the veggie patch!

Many thanks for any/all replies!

Ness

[KellsSimon]

It looks like you've been busy!
We had an area we couldnt work at the end of last year, and rather than letting the weeds run rampant we put carpet down.
This acted as a mulch blocking out the light, but letting water through. Come this year when we were ready to dig and plant we rolled it up and almost all weeds were dead or really weak and blanched so easy to remove. We gave it a dig and pulled out roots as we went and then planted, no worries so far.
Not tried the cardboard method, but it does sound like it makes sence.
I'm sure someone here will be able to advise.

[Scubabe]

G'day Simon,

Thanks for the tip about carpet, but since I don't have any old stuff laying about then fingers crossed the cardboard works

Can someone who knows about such things advise if it really is as simple as whacking down some cardboard and covering that in manure and letting it all rot together for 6 months??

Thanks!!

Ness

[zazen999]

Hi Scubabe.

As you've strimmed and not dug out the roots; you will have to do that someday. You'll possibly be on weed duty for the veg that you have put in already; but if you are only going to grow that piece of land for now, then it's easily controlled.

To be honest, it really depends on what's been growing on the ground. Stuff like mare's tail, couchgrass, bindweed etc does need digging out but if you cover with cardboard you effectively smother them, and when you dig it over next year [esp if you have put manure on them for a few months], you can pull the weak dead roots out as you go. You will only know what you have if you let them grow, so covering now and trying to stop everything will give the soil a chance to rest and will give you time to prepare for either winter crops or next spring's sowings.

When you are planning your patch, don't forget you will need somewhere to walk on; and if you are planning beds rather than rows then I would put down something more stable; and don't waste the manure on these bits! You can use card for now, and use bricks/stones to hold it down for the first few weeks, and mark out on the card your layout and just pop manure on the bits that you will be turning into beds - if you see what I mean. The beds don't have to be raised of course. I prefer beds as I don't like digging and like clearly defined 'walking' and 'growing' areas.

Don't forget if you run out of card that alot of supermarkets will give it to you for now't.

[Scubabe]

Thank you! Some great ideas there.
I did dig out the roots in the cultivated part of the patch which we're growing in now.
Well, I'll do the cardboard trick now and see where that gets us for next Spring's sowings. Will give me loads of time to research crop rotations and companion plantings too!
Thanks very much
Ness