Help for a Newbie

[Ricardo]

Hi everybody - I'm looking for some advice...
I'm about to retire and am looking to start growing vegetables. I have an area that is currently grass and the soil here is chalk. The proposed area is roughly south facing, and will have a fence down one side (so partially shaded).
I'm looking to start with some easy veg, but its now mid january and like everybody else, cold and snowy but I guess I need to start preparing the ground as soon as weather permits.
Just for starters what should I do to prepare this virgin ground for planting and what should I be looking to plant in the first season to give me some confidence?
In fact, with the weather as it is, am I already too late?
I was thinking vegatables rather than fruit, runner beans etc etc.
Any guidance would be really appreciated

[Pete C]

Listen, I'm certainly not qualified to give advice, being about two months old at this lark, but I have two words for you: raised beds.

That's all.

[jayjay giant]

Potatoes are always a good starter, easy to grow, reliable and they have the added benefit of breaking up the soil. I think Wilkinsons have got some cheap seed potatoes on sale at the moment.
Don't worry you are never too late !
I am always amazed by reading the posts of the more experienced growers on here, they manage to put something on the table 52 weeks of the year.
I converted my garden to an allotment and it is great but filling the raised beds can be very expensive in one go !
There is no need to rush to do everything in your first year, once you start this gardening lark you will be hooked for life.

Good Luck

JJ

[Two_Sheds]

South facing is good.
You need to turn your grass over. Sensible people will tell you to take off the turves, stack them and rot them down for a year (it will then become nice friable loam to put back on the soil).

Me, I'm lazy. I've just turned my lawn over, so the grassy side is about a spit (spade's depth) under. Then I've planted into it (seedlings, grown in modules first). A little of the grass comes back, but not too much. Don't however, do this if your lawn has couch grass, dandelions or buttercups in it.

Raised beds are a good idea if your soil is less than ideal (if it's compacted, or poor draining etc). They aren't always necessary.

[Jeanied]

Where raised beds come into their own, I think, is if you only have a small amount of growing space and you want to get as much productivity out of them as you can - so you fill them with really good growing stuff and add manure etc lavishly - being a more restricted area means this can be done more economically. You would need to make sure you put the right amount in for things like carrots and parsnips (not recently manured)- but you can get quite a bit of salad crop from a small raised bed. They also help to lay down a structure which organises the plot for you - and the best benefit in my eyes is that you don't have to bend down quite so far!
It would help if you put your location in your profile, Ricardo so we know what part of the country you are working with. Inner city is a bit different to the Highlands!

[vegnut]

Firstly get yourself a good strong back, cos you are gonna need it . then determine if you are gonna have grass paths or not. First thing i'd do is to take some turves off, where you are to grow runner beans. Dig a trench and lay some of the turf in the bottom upside down then fill with more kitchen waste, until mid january. Then back fill with the original soil. That should help with the runner beans for the summer. Spuds are next. Just do what Two Sheds does. Good luck

[selfraising]

I put my raised beds directly on top of the grass, being lazy and anxious to get going. Layed several layers of newspaper on the grass and then filled with compost and manure.
Spuds are always good to start with.

[Two_Sheds]

I put my raised beds directly on top of the grass, being lazy and anxious to get going.

That's OK if you're soil (lawn) isn't compacted. If it is, your veg is never going to be able to put down deep roots, plus if the ground has a hard pan underneath, the ground may be more prone to flooding

[Pete C]

Raised beds aren't the only answer, but the few people who I know with chalk soil swear by them, having had very mixed results with various things. It's the only type of soil I've yet to find an owner whose happy about it. Indeed, my Old Ma even had me bring a pick-up of my soil when I visted her chalky barren landscape. That said, I had to build her bed as well!

[crazii_c]

i was a newbie last year and i decided to grow veg i liked. i havent got much space so i couldnt fit in a lot but it was a fair little amount to get some experience without overwhelming myself. i just dug in a bag of compost into the soil. i did a row of broad beans and a row of peas, Some beetroot and carrots; which were all planted into the soil. i then grew some tomatoes in pots (unfortunatly blight struck ) i also planted some squash which i was most impressed with as mine didnt require much looking after but produced good amounts (however they did take over my patch more than i was expecting lol). the experience i got from that lot has given me confidence to try more things this year.