New and need lots of help.

[Small pumpkin]

Everyone else has given you lots of helpful advice. All I can add is enjoy what you're doing and don't believe everything written on the back of the seed packets .

[AkionTotocha]

I win, I was 23 last February!

~congratulations on having such a fortuitous spot of land! If something stylish is needed then I'd think of a two tiered planter, with the bottom tier just being a raised bed. Then you can paint each tier a different colour (these Victorian style colours that are popular at the moment are quite nice, some pinks and greens and blues and creams etc.) Then you could have your beans growing up the fence and some up lighting illuminating the beans - runner beans have some quite architectural leaves (and they feel like a cats tongue)

But maybe avoid brassicas in that space, they will grow crazy and bolt. And beetroot apparently bolt. Basically anything that has a chance of bolting will probably be itching to go ahead and do it the second you plant it in that space.

(Bolting is when things grow flowers in their first year that aren't supposed to do that until their second year. The flowers make them taste gross and ng for eating)

[Jay-ell]

Hello Jason and welcome.

You should be able to make a productive garden that will have visual appeal as well.

Runner beans will give you attractive red flowers, French Bean Cobra will give you Mauve flowers both will climb up the fence if you fix pea/bean netting to it or you could run them up wigwams. Dwarf French Beans Purple Teepee or Purple Queen will give attractive purple pods (turn green when cooked).

Kales can give a great centre piece to a border - scarlet kale with its purple crinkly leaves looks great and tastes better. Black Tuscan kale with its long dark leaves is also quite dramatic. Other brassicas also have coloured leaves (red rubin sprouts, red mustard)

Beetroot leaves look good with the red veins running through the green leaves and there’s other veg which have attractive leaves such as fennel or carrots. Loose leaved lettuce comes in green and red or there’s salad mixes with different leaves in it.

If you can fit it in a small block of sweet corn would give a hight element to the bed and also add a structural element to the layout.

Add a few edible flowers such as nasturtiums (the leaves, flowers and immature seeds can all be eaten and have a mustardy/peppery flavour)

Using square foot gardening would mean you can get a range of different looking plants arranged relatively easily and get the most out of your bed.

[SusieG]

Welcome to the Vine, young Jason
Hope you'll enjoy the veggie growing and eventual eating as much as all your fellow 'Viners'!
Just read this whole thread, and there's some excellent ideas - peas and runner beans would love a spot by that sunny fence!
Also don't forget that most things can also be grown successfully in containers/pots, giving an advantage of moving things about to make things pleasing to the eye for your OH!

Enjoy your new veggie venture

[hamamelis]

Hi and welcome!

For your question for the chard kit, personally, I wouldn't use the fibre pots. They're designed to break down in the soil, which is nice in theory, but in practice they dry out in a fraction of the time normal plastic ones do, and if you do manage to keep them watered enough, the bottoms go all mouldy and fall out before you're ready to plant out.

Oh, and like SarrissUK mentioned, never try and start carrots (purple or any other colour) in pots then plant them out later. Carrots really don't like any root disturbance, and will tease you by looking fine and making you think you got way with it, until you dig 'em up and find the roots have turned into crazy twisted messes that are impossible to clean and fit only for sniggering at. Bung the seeds straight into the place where you want them to end up. They grow fine in big pots or the ground.

Have fun!

[JasonBruce]

Thank you all for your great help.
Yesterday I started off my chard and started making raised beds. Sadly I've been halted by a busy work load but I hope to be out this next weekend to finish my first raised bed

[JasonBruce]

Hey guys just a little update I know they're not he best but didn't really know what I was doing and just went with it.

[vixylix]

They look fab!! Now to get planting

[JasonBruce]

So I'm looking at doing square footing and in he back have
2 squares peas
2 squares tomatoes
2 squares baby corn

And in front
1 square pepper
1 square carrot
2 square lettuce (2 different types)
1 square onions
1 square pack Choi

Is there anything I should change and also how much do I put per square?

[veggiechicken]

There's a good link for number of plants per square in http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...tml#post618391

[JasonBruce]

There's a good link for number of plants per square in http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...tml#post618391

That's brilliant thank you!!

[veggiechicken]

If you have a few days off work its worth having a read of that thread. Give you some ideas!