First year growing

[sarah_rance]

Loving the ideas - Thank you everyone.

I could cordon off part of the garden to keep the mad dogs off it and do the black plastic thing. It would be almost impossible to dig the actual ground so the raised bed idea is great.

I have also started thinking about turning the front garden into a veg plot - Its only a very gentle slope and there are no evil conifers. Does a front garden have to lawn and flowers? Plus it gets more sun. Question is can I trust the local "wildlife" (2 legged kind) to leave my stuff alone?

At this count I have about 15 containers all potted up, the raised flower bed converted (its still dreadful clay but has decent amount compost in it too), and I havent even got the tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, beans, aubergines, courgettes or squash out of the greenhouse yet.

Mmmmmm ......I think I might need more compost

[Sanjo]

For the past couple of years I have grown potatoes in the front garden in large tubs. The neighbours were a bit startled the first time and of course they look quite good with a lot of fresh bushy green and pretty flowers.
Not to good near the end though because they tend to look scruffy. I try to remove the top growth as soon as they are finished to tidy it up.
I leave the spuds in the tubs until I'm ready to harvest. The neighbours like that bit!
I spread a sheet, the OH helps me tip the tub onto it. A lovely delve in the soft compost and out come my Charlottes. !

[donnakebab]

Wouldn't be able to trust the local two legged wildlife here.

[Two_Sheds]

thinking about turning the front garden into a veg plot - Does a front garden have to lawn and flowers?

I hate lawns, and have dug up most of mine.

You can do a traditional potager style for your front garden, it doesn't have to look all allotmenty and scruffy.





^ that isn't mine, it's a random google image



I have flowers on the edges of my veg beds ~ the untrained eye only sees the flowers, not the veggies

[donnakebab]

Looks great TS.

[Bren In Pots]

I have also started thinking about turning the front garden into a veg plot - Its only a very gentle slope and there are no evil conifers. Does a front garden have to lawn and flowers? Plus it gets more sun. )

Sarah have a look at this link its full of ideas for growing in your front garden. plus a downloadable Manual.

Back to Front

[Peas'n'Kews]

Use that front garden! Ours is nearly as big as our back so....

We designed our front garden to give us maximum growing space along with room for cars. We have a plum/hazel/hawthorn hedge (fledging style), backed by gooseberries and blackcurrents (we went for prickly here to deter the unwanted). This bed is then filled with wild strawberries, aubretia, bulbs, wild flowers etc.

Down each side we have raspberries.

In the bed in the middle we have a mature hazel tree (resucued from the builders and drive makers!) surrounded by black and redcurrent bushes. I then plant other veg in there - currently peas, broad beans, onions and the very last of the kale.

We also have quince (pretty, and I make quince cheese), and in the "thug" bed mint and horseraddish along with borage.

Oh, and we have also had pots in pots there too!

[sarah_rance]

Thank you so much everyone. Love the ideas for the front garden - I have actually got lots of tubs to plant up so I could dot some about the front garden too and see what happens - The front gets the best of the morning sun so it might be well worth it.

Right - where's that graph paper and my spade.......