Help for a newbee

[simon13]

I am new to the art of vegtable growing. Having got fed up with the state of my garden I have decided to do something about it. I am in the process of constructing two raised beds 1- 2.5m x .6m and the other 1.8m x .6m. Not a very big garden. The soil is mainly made up of builders rubble hence the raised beds. I plan to use a mix of screened top soil, sourced locally and compast.
I have two questions, please bear with me.
First any advice on what to look for with top soil and the mix/type of compost.
Second, I have a garage but no natural light, can you start seeds this way and once the shoots show move to a plastic greenhouse before replanting in the final position.

Many thanks

[Flummery]

Welcome to the grapevine Simon13.
Firstly I would just go with whatever topsoil you can get. After all, you don't get a choice when you get a garden! Most of us would add home made compost but you can't do this when you first start. Maybe get hold of some pelletted chicken manure (available from garden centres) which is clean and adds some nutrients. I would think seeds would be ok started off in a garage, though remember that it will be cold in there. You would also have to check VERY regularly or they will become leggy and pale and far too tall. You'd be better with a light windowsill somewhere with a bit of warmth.

Good luck with it. It's addictive!

[Nicos]

Welcome to gardening...and welcome to the Vine!

I like your idea of raised beds


There's not much worth starting to grow at the moment- chillies and tomatoes mostly- but they need warmth.
If you were to start some seeds off in the garage, I would think they'd be likely to rot in the cold damp soil.
Do you have window sills you can take over????

You'll not need much topsoil for those sized beds-what are you planning to grow?

Consider using pots too- (spuds in pots do well pushed up against the house wall, or fence amongst the flowers)

[Beanie]

Welcome!
Raised beds are excellent, I use them on my allotment.

I got loads of topsoil free that someone was offering on my local Freecycle site (The Freecycle Network)
The only thing I'd say is, if it's come from someone's garden it might contain more than soil - mine had a lot of bindweed roots. Perhaps sieve the first bag to see what it's like, if there's nothing nasty in it then you probably don't need to sieve the rest (Easy way to sieve soil: put a large piece of wire mesh over the wheelbarrow, shovel the soil onto it, then rub it through the mesh with a trowel - discard any stones, weed roots, shopping trolleys etc left on the mesh).

The other thing I'd advise, is find out if anyone nearby keeps horses - they may have a large pile of well-rotted manure they're desperate to get rid of. Look on Freecycle again, or on local Post Office / shop noticeboards. This will be ideal to mix in with the topsoil, and usually free to boot. Make sure it is well-rotted though - IE at least a year old - or it will do more harm than good, in far too many ways to mention here!

But whatever you do, don't worry about it - plants will grow in almost anything, so almost anything you put in will be good. Just have fun!

[simon13]

help for a newbee

Thats for all those responses, it seems i may have a little more time then before i plunge in.
I mentioned a garage, the garage is integral to the house and does have frequent visits, it houses a tumble drayer, freezer and various work benches so does not really suffer as much with damp and cold, i was more concerned with lack of daylight. might compare with some on window, its just that the windowsill is limited in our house with only a small one in our kitchen the others are upstairs in bedrooms.
Any recommendations for beginners veg. Carrots, brocli, cabbage, beetroot garlic are all family favorites which we tend to use weekly and would seem a logical place to start.

[shirlthegirl43]

Hi and welcome to the vine.

Definately grow stuff you enjoy eating - you will find the flavours so much more defined in home grown veg. Make sure you do successional sowings so that you don't enjoy the first lot of veg then realise you don't have any more growing (guess how I learned that one )

[bobleponge]

Stuff will germinate in a place with no light but would need to be moved pretty soon afterwards. Upstairs windowsills are just as good as a downstairs one.
Welcome to the vine and enjoy your gardening.

[Two_Sheds]

Any recommendations for beginners veg. Carrots, brocli, cabbage, beetroot garlic are all family favorites which we tend to use weekly and would seem a logical place to start.

Absolutely. Grow what you want to eat
Plus some French beans, because they are my favourite crop (eaten as kidney beans ... spot the Veggie)