New veg grower - advice

[dunny]

Hi, I am new to gardening of any kind but this year I want to have a crack at growing some vegetables. I live in a semi rural area surrounded by lots of farms and the soil we have appears to be excellent. It's well drained and really dark in colour and I assume very good for growing (according the weeds anyway!!).

I have a patch that is bordered by concrete blocks and is about 12ft by 9ft. It was actually built to put the base in for a shed but I didn't get around to it.

I have bought some seeds, carrots, beet root, parsnips etc and want to use this area to grow them. I have prepared the plot by clearing the weeds as best I can and turning the soli over and was about to fork in some compost, if it stops raining!!

However, doing a bit more reading I am concerned the plot won't work due to its location. It's next to a fence on one side and the back of the shed on the other so it's in a sheltered corner that doesn't get direct sunlight for most of the time. Behind the fence is a row of leylandii trees and everything I have read has suggested this is the worst combination.

I have nowhere else so am I just wasting my time??

Thanks

D

[Aberdeenplotter]

Maybe a kind Mod will amend the thread title. (Why can't we change it ourselves before there are any replies if we make a simple mistake?)

Only way to find out is to try. The biggest problem with the trees will be the roots which will leech your veg bed of moisture and nutrients. If you can take out a trench behind you veg plot and insert a barrier of some sort,to keep the roots out, that will be a huge help.

[chris]

Not sure, AP - I always wondered that too - you can change the sub-title but not the thread one.

I was going to suggest either vertical flag stones or similar to keep the roots out and hopefully preserve some of the moisture too. It'd be worth while adding as much organic bulk to increase the moisture too. If it's shady then leafy veg will do alright there. Give it a go for a couple of seasons, and if you're fighting a loosing battle with the shade and trees then you could always try with pots in a more sunny location?

Welcome to the forum!

[dunny]

Maybe a kind Mod will amend the thread title. (Why can't we change it ourselves before there are any replies if we make a simple mistake?

I tried to fix it but as you say, unable. Thanks for the tip.

D

[Two_Sheds]

it's in a sheltered corner that doesn't get direct sunlight for most of the time.

Not suitable for sun-loving veg like pumpkins, sweetcorn then. Leafy veg should do fine, things like lettuce will love it. Carrots should be OK, beets too.

Behind the fence is a row of leylandii trees

They will suck a lot of moisture out of the ground, so you'll have to compensate. Get a lot of organic material into the bed over the years, that will help with moisture, as will a mulch of some sort.

I mulch with grass clippings, newspapers etc but this may not look as tidy as you'd like. I use shallow-rooted limnanthes as a prettier, living mulch.

I've just finished reading One Straw Revolution, and the author grows rice (of all things) in a "dry" field, has done for decades. He mulches with the old rice straw and grows his rice plants straight through it.

[taff]

I've just finished reading One Straw Revolution.

D'you know, I bought that at the same time as Gaia's Garden and haven't actually got round to reading it yet. If you hadn't have said that, I wouldn't have remembered I had it. Thank you

dunny [haha! not the australian thingy?] spinach, chard, spring onions, lettuce, radish etc