Key Post: Vegetable plot

... I plan or should I say plot to create a vegetable plot in part of my garden this year. I hope to have three or possibly four beds ... approx 4ft X 10 ft with a space of approx. 2 ft between beds ... any suggestions as to what material to edge the beds and lay the paths between in would be welcome ... I'm looking for something that I can do myself ... have not done paving or cobbling before ... the rest of the garden is grass.

Vegetable plot

It might not even be necessary to use any material for edging the beds.Go for a little bit less the width of your lawn mower when you build the paths .You will save a lot of weeding when you can use the mower on them.For the edges of the vegetable beds buy a good hoe,one that can be sharpened with a file or a stone.Use this hoe like a razor,only cut of the growth of the weeds,do not try to dig out the entire root of the weed,these hoes are not made for that job,to lightly build.The weeds will die down sooner or later once they have no access to energy/sunlight/chlorophyll."Gardena" manufactures some good ones,expensive,but you might find a cheaper (good) no name product in the farmers coop.Once or twice a month (when you are weeding the vegetable beds anyhow) would be more than efficient.And since the weeds growing next to the veggies are full of nutrients don't dump them,the compost heap would be the right place.

Veg plot

Thanks for that heinblood1 ... that seems like a good idea ... I don't have a hoe but I will invest in one ... the weather has been so unseasonably warm lately I'm dying to get back out into the garden ... at least if I dig now, the plots will be ready for spring.

Re: Veg plot

Hi Henny Penny - another thought. If you dig over the area of the beds now (just very roughly will do - leave the soil in big clods), the frost over the next couple of months will break down the soil into very fine, good quality soil. By digging now you will also expose pests and slug/snail eggs to both hungry birds and the frost. Likewise the frost may kill any nasty infections in the soil.

If you have any spare wide planks of wood you could use them in between the beds. It's handy when it's mucky and when you're using the wheelbarrow.

Some other posts

sinead76
Registered User
Growing your own....

veggies, that is!

I would like to start a small veggie plot in my garden, have plenty of room but haven't a clue where to start. How far away from the septic tank/soakpit area should i keep it? what month should i start planting? what veggies are easiest to plant and maintain and will there be many weeds and how to kill them, would like to be all organic but if thats too labour intensive i'll compromise and use weedkiller

kerinsp

Hi Sinead,

I started growing myself this year for the first time but I get myself a polytunnel.

To get started I dug up all of the ground and mixed in some manure then made some beds. I got way too many seeds to start off with. (the organic center do mail order).

I had great success with tomatoes. The seeds take a few weeks to get going and all you have to do is whack them into some grow bags. I have a few varieties of them.
The successes I had were with
tomatoes
lettuce (easy)
spring onions (easy)
cucumbers
courgettes (these will grow enormous if you let them)
runner beans
(I also experiemented with cabbage/chard/spinach which I didn't like. Peas and calabrese were not worth the effort. Peppers were a disaster.)

Start small. There will be loads of weeds and loads of slugs to deal with. I found that seedlings dissapeared overnight if planted at the edges of the tunnel. The slugs hide in there. I didn't use any weedkiller so can't advise you on that. I just picked out the weeds when I could no longer see my plants! I reckon its worth the effort, I will be keeping it up and making a few changes for next year.

Green Fingers
Veg plot

Hi Sinead,

Dig over the garden anytime from now until the New Year - Just dig and turn over the sod (try to dig down about 9 to 12 inches) there is no need to break up the sod as the frost will do that for you.

Around late Feb or early March when we get a bit of dry weather dig it all again this time try to take out as much weed as possible - break up the sod this time. Try to dig in farm yard manure if you can or use old mushroom compost if it's available. If you can you try to rotavate (spelling?) the garden.

Try to plant cabbages and potatoes as these are very good at cleaning a virgin garden.

I plant lettuce, tomatoes, onions, shallots, beetroot, cabbage, broccolli, cauliflower, turnips, peas, carrots. You should try to rotate the position of growing these over a three year period - reduces the risk of pests.

Buy a cheap gardening book - the vegetable gard expert

Spud
Growing your own

Hi,

Say the house side of the septic tank if possible but be careful not to damage the sewer pipes etc. It is a good idea to dig the ground now as the frost will kill off some of the weed roots, seeds etc. Also leave the soil stacked up in lazy bed type ridges to allow for drainage.
As posted before introduce farm manure (if available locally) This is best put in as you are preparing the drill / ridges to sow the seed. Also apply some 7.6.17 or similar fertilizer , if your soil is the brown, heavy and very sticky when wet type you will have to mix in some peat moss again like the manure mix in the peat moss when you are forming the drills / lazy bed to avoid wasting it. After two or three years of crop rotation your whole garden will have the right mix of soil for planting.

Start off by sowing lettuce (all the year around variety)
Don't sow the whole packet at once - just two or three drills every two or tree weeks that way you'll have fresh lettuce all summer through.
Also onions are very easy to grow - you can buy them in bulb form and plant them from Feburary/March onwards.
As mentioned before carrots, parsnips, beetroot radishes,
are easy to grow you don't need a greenhouse or tunnel.

Good luck.

FruitDog

As regards where you do it ....

If you have a sunny ( south facing ) sheltered area you might reserve that for things that need to be warm / frost-free-ish

Spuds dont need nice corners like that - find somewhere that catches any breeze going for them -

If you have a lawn how about some apple / pear trees ? ( Be sure to get a mixture capable of pollenating between themselves )

Gardens actually need a lot of planning. Head for your local library to help you think it through before you get stuck into the hard work. If you become a really hard case you will want a greenhouse. Where would be a good place for that ?

Have you got somewhere for a compost heap ? You will need one.

Steer clear of the TV shows. They are not real gardening !


FruitDog