Complete Beginner

[Hazel at the Hill]

Is it expensive to buy the pots etc needed for outside growing?

You will start to look at anything that you would otherwise throw out in a different light - yoghurt pots/cream pots make excellent pots for growing from seed; ditto ice cream containers, mushroom containers, butter/spread containers...

For larger pots, you can use those flower buckets from supermarkets - ask and they might give them you; or for a nominal cost.

The £shops are also brilliant for lo cost netting/pots/seeds/onion sets/potatoes; or Wilkos.

[markrobert30]

WOW bit overwhelmed with the feedback folks.

Got a few good garden shop etc beside me I can have a look at does anyone recommend buying stuff online or is that a no go just now lol.

[Bigmallly]

It's personal choice Mark, a lot of members buy from various online seed suppliers whilst others, buy from local shops i.e Lidl, Aldi, Wilko £land etc. Others prefer to save their own seed..............Don't be overwhelmed by the feedback, you will quickly learn that the Vine in the most friendliest, helpful forum you will come across.

[Kristen]

does anyone recommend buying stuff online or is that a no go just now lol.

Online is fine, but the cost of carriage can mean that if only buying a few cheap items it works out expensive.

What were you thinking of buying? people will no doubt then give recommendations

[Kristen]

Is it expensive to buy the pots etc needed for outside growing?

I would grow in the soil if you can - easier to look after / go away for the weekend without having to arrange someone to water the pots!

Is this for your Blueberries? or something else perhaps?

[markrobert30]

I only have grass in the middle of the garden as we put chuckies around the outside lol
In reference to blueberries when would be the ideal time to start or can they be done year round?
To be honest I don't really know what to buy to plant in would raised beds be a good idea with a cover over them?

[Kristen]

In reference to blueberries when would be the ideal time to start or can they be done year round?

If they are container grown then anytime is fine. You might prefer to buy them in the spring when someone else has had to look after them for the winter or, conversely, wait for a sale / discount offer

I don't grow Blueberries, but I believe that they benefit from having a pair [at least] of different varieties as they pollinate better. A pair (or more) would allow you to choose varieties for Early, Mid and Late fruiting

To be honest I don't really know what to buy to plant in would raised beds be a good idea with a cover over them?

Raised beds (as in just a few inches) are helpful on heavy soil as they help drainage. On light land they are probably a disadvantage.

For folk that have difficulty bending down etc. then much taller raised beds are beneficial; downside is that they need a LOT of soil to fill them, and that is heavy so the sides of the structure need to be strong.

You can make "lazy raised beds" without any rigid sides - dig out the path one spade's depth and put the soil on the bed. The edges / "shoulders" will slope, and the soil will spill down them over a couple of years and need tidying up once in a while, but it costs nothing and gives the drainage benefit of raised beds.

Another reason for raised beds is 'coz they look smart More important, I guess?, for a garden than an allotment.

Personally I wouldn't rush to have raised beds; once the structures are in place they are rather permanent, so might be better to grow for a year or two before being sure where you want paths / beds.

Max width for a raised bed is 4' - wide enough that you can reach the middle from either side. If you have raised beds it is best to have a rule NEVER to walk on them - that way the soil remains fluffy and works well for a no-dig system.

[Guest]

Hi and welcome to the vine.

The only thing I think that hasn't been mentioned is time. The first year I think is usually the hardest and most time consuming as it is a massive learning curve. If you don't have much time just consider one or two beds and see how you go.

Good luck

[hamamelis]

Welcome to the vine

If you are itching to get something started, and your ground's not frozen, you can plant fruit bushes and rhubarb now- currants, raspberries etc. These are all better planted while dormant, so before about March.

The only downside of it is that you should prune the bushes heavily on planting to help them establish, and rhubarb should be left unpicked for the first season, for the same reason- which means you won't get fruit this year (except from autumn raspberries, which fruit on new season wood).

The plus side is that they're very low maintenance once established, and can live for ages, and nothing is quite like home-picked fruit.