Just getting started

[uptomyeyesindirt]

I have recently moved into a new house with a North facing rear garden which I have promptly dug over a big chunk of. (two plots 2.5m x 4m each with a path in between) I am bombarded by books with suggestions on what to plant first. In short, help!!!!

I am going to dig in some compost (bought as the composter has only just been put up) this weekend but I'm not quite sure where to go from here.

If any one has any suggestions I would be really grateful.

[OverWyreGrower]

What do you want to grow?

I try to decide what I want to grow and whether I need to plant straight into the ground or not.

You could check out the internet, or the back of seed packets to see when to sow/plant etc

If you don't need to plant out in your newly dug beds yet, you could cover them with old cardboard or black plastic (weighted down!) until you are ready.

[Birdie Wife]

Hello uptomyeyesindirt, welcome to the Vine! You'll find all the advice you need here, I hope. First things first, you should decide what you really like eating. Pore over the catalogues and make a wishlist! Then start crossing things off, using these guidelines. There are some things that need a lot of space to grow, are cheap in the shops and basically lots of grow-your-owners don't bother with in the veg patch for those reasons. Eg. maincrop spuds, onions, cabbages, parsnips. Salad veg is good if you've got a smaller patch as it's easy to grow and expensive to buy. You may also be limited with a north-facing garden too because of lack of sunlight, so work out what will do okay in more shady conditions. Don't be afraid to experiment a bit! Do you have a flower border as well as your veg patch? If yes, then there are some veggies that don't look out of place, freeing up space in you allotted veggie patch.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on!

[uptomyeyesindirt]

Thanks for the suggestions, all help is gratefully received at this stage. Especially as the other half as taken the "your garden - your problem" approach, great to get some encouraging words.

[buttercup]

hi there!

hello, and welcome! ive recently just got an allotment.
ive never done anything like this before so i was quite daunted!
you'l get so many helpful tips on here,and everyone is so nice!
my plot is quite large and the best advice i could pass on is to prepare one section and cover over the rest! decide what will be the most useful thing to grow and what will grow well in your gardens conditions!
dont get too stressed!
ive got a few bits of veg germinating in propogators at the mo, most probably too early but the weather is so bad and i work untill dark its the only thing i can do at the mo!
you'll be in good hands here, but watch out it becomes addictive!

good luck, and enjoy it,buttercup

[nick the grief]

HI UTMEiD,

Welcome to the vine.

OWG's right. When I decided on a lottie I called a family meeting ( usually called Sunday dinner) and I made a list of all the things we all liked then sorted them into

1. Imoral, Impossible or Illegal
2. Well worth the time and trouble

Then it's just a case of sitting down with a good book and sorting them in to the appropriate groups for crop rotations and there you have it - a cropping plan. Then you have to work out what you need to grow from seed etc. If you only want to grow 10 cabbages it's probably not worht the hassle of growing from seed, it would be easier to by in the plants this year - the main seed comapnies like Marshalls sell seedlings or Deflands are a good source as well.
If you 've only got a small ish area I wouldn't bother with maincrop spuds either as they will take up too much space. Early tatties would be OK but you could always grow these in the old compost bags or the black plastic buckets from florists.

Hope that helps

[plot apprentice]

hi ya u.t.m.e.i.d

just a short line to say welcome and best of luck...me and thee is in the same boat.some advice given to me was....if you like it and its expensive down the shops give it a bash on the plot.

P.A.

[NEWTO THE PLOT]

Just been down the plot and even though my autum onions are ok i have noticed that they have grown a lot closer together than they should have no idea why do you think it would harm them if i spaced them out abit

[Lesley Jay]

I would leave them alone NewTTP. They will have already formed a good root system so it's best not to disturb them.

[rustylady]

I have recently moved into a new house with a North facing rear garden which I have promptly dug over a big chunk of. (two plots 2.5m x 4m each with a path in between) I am bombarded by books with suggestions on what to plant first. In short, help!!!!

I am going to dig in some compost (bought as the composter has only just been put up) this weekend but I'm not quite sure where to go from here.

If any one has any suggestions I would be really grateful.

Take it easy, decide what you want to grow and take it from there. I live in Lowestoft too, we don't have too many problems with frost here on the coast so you can probably grow most things. Are you wanting salad crops, beans, spuds, or what?

[uptomyeyesindirt]

I.ve decided on early and second early spuds, some salad crops, red onions, beets, raddishes, leeks.. generally stuff i like and eat lots of.

[vicki lorraine]

Its important to grow what you enjoy eating.
I always do a list of the things we like to eat
Things i would like to try
And finally seeds ive aquired and need to see if i have room for.

[nick the grief]

Another thing you can do is grow some things in tubs. Every year I grow 2 varieties or early, 2nd early & maincrop spuds up the allotment, but I usually buy a few tubers of different ones to grow in tubs to try them out for taste & Yeild etc.

[Nicos]

Always grow some flowers too!

[Birdie Wife]

Have you considered growing some legumes too? I notice your list above has none of these, and they are beneficial in a crop rotation system for fixing nitrogen in the soil. They are also very tasty and worth growing if only for the reason that you'll never find them as fresh and sweet in the shops!