New To Growing

[Divinity]

Hi all, I am new, and also new to growing vegetables, and I was wondering if anyone could offer me some advice.

I am turning my bottom end garden into a patch for growing vegetables, the area will roughly be 40ft x 40ft. I was thinking on the lines of growing, Onions, Potatoes, Carrots, Cauliflower, Peas, Strawberries, Cucumber, Garlic, Tomatoes, Lettuce, and Capsicums.

I don’t know when you plant the seeds to do this, as my Garden is not ready yet for planting, I am hoping to start after xmas.

What would I need to do prior to planting? Do I need to grow some of these veg in a greenhouse first, and when should I plant them?

A lot of people locally seem to have vegetable patches, so the soil must be good. I just don’t know where to start really.

I do a lot of healthy cooking using fresh vegetables, so I would like to grow my own if I can.

Any help appreciated.

[Willonthewall]

I'm a newcomer myself and you'll no doubt get a lot of advice and tips about preparation and cultivation. But the one piece of advice I've been given which I think is the most valuable is to look at the shop prices, and don't bother with the stuff you can buy relatively cheaply as a main crop. Concentrate on the stuff which will put a hole in your pocket if you decide to buy it.
Even amongst the more mundane products, some can be expensive if bought out of season so plan for that.

[paulsherwin]

Courgettes are a good choice if you like them, as they are easy to grow and usually quite expensive in the shops. You can chop them up and freeze them if you get a glut.

A greenhouse isn't essential but is useful for starting seedlings off before you plant them out. Chillis, peppers and tomatoes grow better inside a greenhouse though you can grow tomatoes outside if you choose an early variety. The cheap mini greenhouses sold for about £15 (basically, a big plastic bag over a frame with some wire shelves) are better than nothing but you need to support them or they'll blow over.

Lots of people grow potatoes and you can't beat that fresh from the ground taste, but it must be said they are very cheap in the supermarkets when in season.

There's very little planting to be done now. Most veggies are germinated in April for planting out in May, though there are some varieties that grow through the winter. It's probably best to concentrate on getting everything ready for next year though. Start on a relatively small scale and learn from your mistakes during the first growing year.

Paul

[timbrenn]

First things first. Make 100% sure you have good soil. Here's some info for you Great Garden Soil: Why it Matters - Making it Great

[Maggie3454]

I agree. Knowing about your soil is important. It might seem like the boring part of gardening but it's definitely worth getting it right. I recommend doing a soil test using a kit from a garden centre.

[The Idiot Gardener]

Have to agree about the soil; it's back-breaking but I figure you've only really got to get it right once. From there on in, it's all tweaking.