vegetables:)

Gmanno1

Hi,

I want to start growing vegetable patch. have loads of space just wondering what important points I need to take in.

thanks

Gmanno1

And whats can anyone recommend to plant?

Technophobe

Where to start?

Can you tell us your level of experience, what veg u would like to grow?
What kind of soil have you? Would you consider a greenhouse for chillis, tomatoes etc?

Gmanno1

Technophobe wrote: »

Where to start?

Can you tell us your level of experience, what veg u would like to grow?
What kind of soil have you? Would you consider a greenhouse for chillis, tomatoes etc?

In vegetables no experience. Lots of gardening experience.

No sure about the soil yet? Whats best?

no cant consider a greenhouse unfortunately. But I was hoping to still grow tomatoes

Thanks

Gmanno1

Gmanno1 wrote: »

In vegetables no experience. Lots of gardening experience.

No sure about the soil yet? Whats best?

no cant consider a greenhouse unfortunately. But I was hoping to still grow tomatoes

Thanks

Oh sorry and I was hoping to grow everything I can as I have the space but if I had to pick a few it would be sweet corn, cabbage, broccoli, sprouts or whatever is easiest to start off with

looksee

Sweetcorn isn't difficult provided you get the weather, if you do not then you will not get much corn. Its worth a try though.

All the brassiccas are easy enough, cabbage, kale, broccoli etc, main problem is keeping the caterpillars off. Suggest you try first time with a few young plants rather than seed. They need reasonably good fertile soil.

Carrots are easy, carrot fly is the problem there. Try surrounding the carrot bed with something like onions - the smell will help keep the fly off. Don't plant carrots in freshly manured soil as they will fork and all you will get is a load of little spiky roots. They need a reasonable depth of soil. Parsnips and beetroot are also straightforward, all need to be sown where they will grow - don't try to transplant them.

Leeks are very satisfactory, sow the seeds in long containers like toilet roll middles, when you plant them out make a deepish hole with a dibber (stick) and hold the little leek in place well down in the hole while you water it in (pour water around it so the soil settles round the root. They grow without much to harm them and sit well into the winter so you will have leeks at christmas.

Grow onions from sets (baby onions you get from garden centres) the first time, easy and rewarding.

Beans - french beans, runner beans are easy and very satisfactory, grow from seed indoors then plant out, keep them watered and pick the beans as they are ready - don't leave them on the plant as they will produce more if you keep picking.

If you have loads of space marrows are great fun, pick them as courgettes or leave them to grow.

Then there is strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, blackcurrents. Just remember these fruit mostly in one go, my experience used to be that they came into glorious fruit just as I was trying to organise to go on holiday. So don't plant more bushes than you need, usually two or three of each will be plenty.

With all these you need to check up growing instructions individually, but don't get too hung up on the complications that some of the information gives. Most things are fairly easy and you just need to take note of whether you grow from seed in the garden, or grow indoors then plant out, what significant pests to look out for, etc.

Oldtree

Have a look here for a few ideas
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057101515

macraignil

Gmanno1 wrote: »

Oh sorry and I was hoping to grow everything I can as I have the space but if I had to pick a few it would be sweet corn, cabbage, broccoli, sprouts or whatever is easiest to start off with

Best to grow the vegetables you like to eat in order to make the effort more enjoyable. Sweet corn does not like our cold spring and summers so would definately benefit from starting indoors. This is supposed to work better if you use peat pots and do not need to disturb the roots when you plant out. Planting in squares instead of rows is also said to help with polination.

Cabbage, broccoli and sprouts can also be started in cotainers and be planted out but I find turnips to be the easiest of this family of vegetables to grow. Cabbage white butterfly love these and your crop will benefit from picking these off before they do too much damage. Pigeons are also a potential problem particularly in winter when other food is not available. Netting is the best way to protect your veg from pigeons but it needs to be secured well to avoid being moved off the crop by strong winds. Stretched audio tape across your vegetable garden also scares off pigeons but this needs to be maintained. Kale is another tasty and hardy brassica to try but this family should not be continuously grown on the same land and rotating crops so there are a number of years growing other crops before brassicas are planted again will help avoid disease problems and nutrient deficiency.

Early potatoes, runner beans, beetroot and parsnips are also reliable crops and if this is a longer term project and you have the space fruit trees might also be worth considering. Happy gardening.

celica00

im a complete beginner and would like to plant veggies on a field which is unused for years...is is suitable or do i need additional soil?

My Potatoes

Gmanno1 wrote: »

And whats can anyone recommend to plant?

The best things to plant are those you actually eat and like to eat. Radish and beetroot are the simplest to grow but personally I'm not a fan of either so I don't bother. Potatoes, on the other hand, I eat a few days a week. I'm still eating my own home grow.
Some people grow their own to save money. If this is your aim then consider, well, relatively expensive plants, such as blackberries, shallots or coriander.