Plot/Container planning help required please :)

[Peek-A-Boo]

Hi All,

this is my first year of growing veg and i could really do with some help!

I have a large amount of patio and 6ft x 8ft square of soil, although the soil doesn't get all that much sun.

All my plants are currently growing in my very toasty conservatory and it was thinking of planting everything out into containers on the patio really.

Currently I have:
1 x 10cm high Tomato plant
1 x 10cm high sweet pepper
1 x 8cm High Strawberry (I plan to buy two more to keep him company!)
4 x 5cm high sweet corn (F1)
10 or so 5 cm high garden peas.

Then still waiting to pop up through the soil:
4 x Cucumber
2 x Jalapeño chillis
3 x Perpetual spinach
4 x Sweet corn

Plus a ton of violas, so candytuft seed and some mint!

I've got a 3 of those huge checked laundry bags people take to the laundrette, I have no idea how many litres it is but I can get in it and zip it up! (I was thinking of using them for the sweet corn as they are so deep, three in each bag then have a block of the three bags) I also have a couple of the large Ikea blue bags I was planning on planting a few things in those after lining them with black bags to keep the light out (maybe put my peas in here then against my trellis?) Also should I keep anything inside?

Can anyone help with which plants I can plant together ... If you think my bags will be big enough etc.

I'm sorry this is such a long post ... I have so many questions! Tehe. Thankyou so much for your thought and your time!

[Mchanen]

Hi there,

Your conservetory must be pretty full , the strawberries will be fine to plant out on the patio (Somewhere that gets plenty of sun) but i think you should wait a few more weeks to put the chilli and pepper plants outside- don't know about the sweetcorn though.

I found this on the following site about companion planting : Companion Planting
"A classic example is to grow climbing beans up corn while inter-planting pumpkins. The corn provides a natural trellis for the beans, pumpkins smother the weeds and helps corn roots retain moisture. Corn is a heavy feeder and the beans fix nitrogen from air into the soil. The beans do not feed the corn will it is growing but when the bean plants die back they return nitrogen to the soil that was used up by the corn. A win-win situation. Keep corn away from celery and tomato plants."

[Peek-A-Boo]

I would never have thought of that! i have juts done a quick bit of research and have found that Peas are more than Ok to be trained up corn too. Thats such a massive space saver! I may try and start a couple of pumpkins too now ... i;m off to the seed swap to see if anyone has any! tehe

[Mchanen]

Ooops looks like i've given you more ideas of stuff to grow lol- i don't need any more ideas i've already got too much on go as it is- probably won't stop me though lol

[Peek-A-Boo]

You have Indeed! What harm could a couple more pumpkin do in my already heaving conservatory?!

[Mchanen]

Haha you're slowly but surely taking it over- sounds like my living room

I've just ordered 5 more packets of herbs that the OH doesn't know about, and i already struggle to tell people what i'm growing cause there's so much- at least i know i'm not the only one