My Little Wonky Lottie - Complete beginner!

[helenbun2005]

Thank you all so much!

Ive found the most brilliant online tool: www.growveg.com

and its allowed me to make out and plan my patch.

Im going to use the fence with different trellis-type-structures to add the other things i want to grow:



and it tells me how much i can fit into each bit...heres hoping!

Extra excited now!!!!

[helenbun2005]

Thank you all so much!

Ive found the most brilliant online tool: www.growveg.com

and its allowed me to make out and plan my patch.

Im going to use the fence with different trellis-type-structures to add the other things i want to grow:




and it tells me how much i can fit into each bit...heres hoping!

Extra excited now!!!!

[Noosner]

Hello Helen and welcome!

Might be fun to grow some french beans on canes at the back of your raised beds, too (you could hold them up by attaching them to the top of the fence with some stiff wire). They won't take up too much room and beans like Blauhilde, which grow as purple but turn green when you boil them might get the kids interested!

[Fleurisa]

These smallish pumpkin/squash can be grown as climbers; Squash festival, Squash potimarron, Squash red kuri which are available from Seeds of Distiinction Seeds of Distinction at Plants of Distinction - Finest Collection of Flower Seeds and Vegetable Seeds
Also Kabocha squash

[SammieB]

Ive found the most brilliant online tool: www.growveg.com

Hi Helen, I use this too, tho if u have an ipad and haven't yet paid for an annual subscription I think the app is cheaper and is a one-off payment.

[helenbun2005]

Hi Helen, I use this too, tho if u have an ipad and haven't yet paid for an annual subscription I think the app is cheaper and is a one-off payment.

Yes thanks Sammie!
I don't have an iPad...so I use thee PC. I think the 30day trial will be fine for me this year! But it certainly s a brilliant bit of software!!!

[Two_Sheds]

My pumpkin idea was only to please the children

As you've found, they take up a LOT of space

My drwam grow list is:
potatoes, carrots, ... and broccoli

But you only have two of the one-metre beds? These are all pretty cheap in the shops, so aren't really worth the space, imo

However: you can't beat early spuds as an easy, quick, satisfying crop: for the first timer, or old hands. The excitement of digging new potatoes never leaves you

red onions, red peppers, cucumber, salad

that's more like it, although peppers need to be in a GH
You can get GH or outdoor cukes: the ones you get in shops are GH ones, nice & smooth skinned

Red onion sets might still be in the shops now, if you're lucky

[Two_Sheds]

I see you've started a leafmould bin, but the leaves must be wet & packed down in order to rot (it works faster in black sacks, but doesn't look as nice)

covered them with some bin sacks to stop the weeds

absolutely perfect slug hotel Actually it's not a bad thing, because you know where they are: they'll all congregate under the plastic, you take off the plastic & kill the slugs with a tiny pinch of salt each (salt kills plants, so don't use loads)

Should i put compost on them? Or manure?

By compost, do you mean shop-bought? No, it's too light & fluffy for mature plants (OK for starting seeds though).
what you need is topsoil if you want to fill the 20cm

If you don't have that, you could make a lasagne bed

... but remove the plastic first

What do i do first and when?!?!

this forum is great for answering specific Qs, but for general advice for a beginner, you need this: The New Vegetable & Herb Expert: Amazon.co.uk: Dr D G Hessayon: Books

(there is an older, cheaper version too)