NEWBIE - looking for advice

[Safhyre]

After visiting a friend who put me to shame, I thought it was time to try and grow flowers and vegetables...I have to admit that it was time, work and children that got in the way....also my complete lack of knowledge!
I now have time and garden big enough for me to try and make a difference....so i thought I would try veg....so I mail here asking for recommendations on what I should grow first....I am not in arush to buy anything as I have alot of work to get the plot ready....which is involves cutting down an old tree ( which I will recycle for my fire)....soooooooooooo all suggestions will be gratefully received

[trebellangeminired]

First thoughts, salad leaves. Dead easy. Then trawl through the vine for loads of good ideas and advice. Will post more when have time.

[Capsid]

Potatoes, very easy to grow and they help to break the soil up for following crops.

[Flummery]

I always advise people to grow their favourite things, whether fruit or vegetables. You will try harder when you really want the produce! I love new potatoes, and as Capsid said, easy to grow and earthing up and digging them will break up new land for you.
Onions from sets are easy - if you use lots of onions in your cooking, go for it.

Fruit bushes want hardly any attention so if you are partial to gooseberries or blackcurrants put some in your garden.

However, if you are addicted to mangos, you might have to move!

[SlugLobber]

As above, really. Salad leaves, potatoes and courgettes if you like them. Sow more than one courgette plant, as sometimes you get too many male flowers and therefore not enough courgettes from one and protect against pests BEFORE you even plant them out!!

I've also found tomatoes very easy, although some people seem to attract blight to their crops, so research that before you buy or plant them, then you know what you're looking for should it all go t*ts up!

[bluemoon]

Definitely potatoes. Onions from sets are dead easy and a veg garden just looks wrong without them. Climbing French beans will give you a huge crop from a cane wig-wam and don't need much attention really. I'd also think about soft fruits, people often shy away from them as they think they are difficult, but they're not, so a few Autumn raspberries, strawberries in pots, currant bushes or gooseberries will be very productive with minimum effort. And always remember that if you don't have much success with something it's more likely to be the fault of the weather or a variety that prefers different conditions, so just try again. If something fails all you've lost is the price of a packet of seeds.

[Demeter]

What do you like to eat?

Make a list of whatever you fancy growing, then find out a bit about each crop so you can rule out anything that sounds too hard or not suitable for your garden, then go for it. Grow some things from seed but don't think you have to grow everything from seed there's no shame in buying in a few plants. Also, you can learn as you go so don't worry too much if you don't know what you're doing when you start

This year was our first "proper" year and so far we have grown loads, with mixed success it must be admitted, but we've learned from our mistakes and most things have produced a crop worth having.

Peas & sugarsnap peas - yay
Asparagus - died, but have sown some seeds and will plant more next year
French beans, runner beans, broad beans - all grew well
Potatoes - brilliant
Tomatoes - pretty good once I worked out what to do!
Sweetcorn - fabulous
Carrots - looked weird, tasted good
Broccoli - failure
Cauliflower - failure
Cabbages - don't like them but allotment partner says they are great
Brussel sprouts - still waiting!
Swede - had a few so far, pretty good
Leeks - still waiting
Pumpkins - slightly disappointing but we have at least 1 big orange one
Butternut squash - only got one and it isn't ripe yet
Courgettes - very good, got mildew though after a while
Cucumber - same as courgettes
Chard - ace
Perpetual spinach - keeps going and going, the name's the clue!
Sunflowers - kids loved them
Salad - sowd too much and it all went to seed
Raspberries - had a few, will get more next year
Sweet peppers - ripening now
Beetroot - grew fine
Lots of herbs as well

And probably some other things that I have forgotten about. Oh yes, turnips, kohlrabi, kale, radishes...