Starting a Veg Patch, need some advice

[Wyrdlight]

Hello!

I am after some advice in regards to growing vegetables and other tasty morsels.

I have spent a some time over the last couple of afternoons digging over and clearing a patch in my parents garden to use a veggie patch. The patch is south-facing with a fence on the north side and tall shrubs on the east and west so the position is fairly sheltered though it does get a goodly ammount if sun. The soil is on the acidic side though is rich and dark from the 3 large sacks of manure enriched compost i dug into it last year. It also contains huge number of earth worms which i assume is a good thing?

The plot is only small, around 18 sqaure feet but i do have at my disposal a large patio with enough space for a large number of grow-bags and assorted pots.

I tried to grow veggies last yeah on the patch described above, spring onion and salsify but they failed miserably, mostly due to ( i think) the mini bio-degradeable grow-pouches i planted the seeds in to give them a head start, they turned out to be not so bio-degradeable and served only to strangle the plants and prevent root growth i will never buy such a product again!

My question is... what should i plant in the veg patch?
Idealy i would like something fairly easy to grow, yield is secondary to flavour.

I have decided to grow beans on the patio in grow-bags, can anyone suggest some good varities? What else would you recomend i should grow on the patio?

I am reluctant to grow tomatoes, the ones i grew last year bore many fruit, but the fruits were tough-skinned and almost completely tasteless.

[DavidT]

Basically, grow whatever you like to eat, with the guidance of the site members you shouldn`t come to too much harm. Outdoor tomatoes do tend to have tough skins especially if they`ve not been watered properly. What sort of beans are you growing? You could also try peas, onion sets, garlic, cabbage, cauliflowers, and, if you want to try something a little different, Kohl Rabi.

[madfoxdog]

Turnips, beetroots and most lettuces are pretty easy with good yields. I always grow broad beans, runner beans and dwarf french beans without trouble too. I would recommend growing things that you enjoy eating. Fresh lettuce and herbs are impossible to beat in terms of flavour picked straight from your garden.

[rhs]

what about sweet potatoes?

[realfood]

Sweet potatoes are really for the expert to try. Many have tried and failed to get a worthwhile crop.

[DavidT]

They need a long, warmish season to get good results. So not worth it really.

[kiwi]

Hi Wyrdlight.
One plant I would recommend, providing you enjoy eating them is Zucchini. They grow quickly. One plant produces decent yields (basically enough for one person over the season) so grow one plant per family member. I have one growing in a pot on my patio and it's almost hard to believe how often I can go out a pick zucchini off it. They don't seem to be bothered by and pest insects (in New Zealand anyhow) but expect powdery mildew cover the plant late in the season. I'm usually sick of eating them anyway by that stage!
Have a go, they are fun to grow!

[patchninja]

I'm a but confused as to why you don't want to grow tomatoes. Garden tomatoes are like eating sweets! Warm from the sunshine and juicy!
Try varieties that will be ready early and not need a heatwave to ripen. I've had good success with Red alert and there are some lovely pear-shaped yellow ones worth trying.Not leathery at all!

[rachel_nickless]

dont grow "moneymaker" tomatoes - yes they are easy but they are dead tasteless and watery - try "Alicante" - pretty much as easy but a bit nicer. I also like "gardeners delight" for a smaller variety. If you believe your books - greenhouse crops of tomatoes are always better than outdoor ones - as David T says outdoor tomatoes gain tough skin. I have one of those plastic tomato greenhouses - they work a treat! £10 i paid for mine

[PottyPot]

Originally Posted by patchninja

I'm a but confused as to why you don't want to grow tomatoes. Garden tomatoes are like eating sweets! Warm from the sunshine and juicy!
Try varieties that will be ready early and not need a heatwave to ripen. I've had good success with Red alert and there are some lovely pear-shaped yellow ones worth trying.Not leathery at all!

I agree, the yellow pear tomato is wonderful and sweet with good flesh. What I hate about growing toms outdoors is, is if you get a lot of rain and warmth the blight takes over The greenhouse enables you to control it a little better if you have good ventilation.

[airconednightmare]

Originally Posted by Wyrdlight

Hello!

I am after some advice in regards to growing vegetables and other tasty morsels.

I have spent a some time over the last couple of afternoons digging over and clearing a patch in my parents garden to use a veggie patch. The patch is south-facing with a fence on the north side and tall shrubs on the east and west so the position is fairly sheltered though it does get a goodly ammount if sun. The soil is on the acidic side though is rich and dark from the 3 large sacks of manure enriched compost i dug into it last year. It also contains huge number of earth worms which i assume is a good thing?

you're looking for soil which clumps together when you squeeze it, but then falls apart without much effort. ph is is critical in my experience - having it more than 0.5 either side of 7 starts to cause all kinds of problems with nutrient 'lock out' - invest in a decent ph metre and work from there with various ph altering agents, be aware that some of these also contain plant nutrients. compost will have added nutrients as well as more raw soil components which will is all good. you might want to think about adding a mix of slow and fast release nutrients to the soil - there are plenty of choices here, both organic and non-organic - personally i try to stick to organics.

Originally Posted by Wyrdlight

The plot is only small, around 18 sqaure feet but i do have at my disposal a large patio with enough space for a large number of grow-bags and assorted pots.

I tried to grow veggies last yeah on the patch described above, spring onion and salsify but they failed miserably, mostly due to ( i think) the mini bio-degradeable grow-pouches i planted the seeds in to give them a head start, they turned out to be not so bio-degradeable and served only to strangle the plants and prevent root growth i will never buy such a product again!

small can still be productive if you put in the hours and do your research. patio space is still free light and ideal for those not so hardy crops you might want to have your parents bring in at night what kind of 'bio-degradeable grow-pouches' were you using? i have used peat pellets since day one without a single complaint - bar the questionable sustainability of the peat source. they have a cotton mesh which just rots if i remember correctly.

Originally Posted by Wyrdlight

My question is... what should i plant in the veg patch?
Idealy i would like something fairly easy to grow, yield is secondary to flavour.

I have decided to grow beans on the patio in grow-bags, can anyone suggest some good varities? What else would you recomend i should grow on the patio?

I am reluctant to grow tomatoes, the ones i grew last year bore many fruit, but the fruits were tough-skinned and almost completely tasteless.

like david says, plant what you want to eat

[PottyPot]

Originally Posted by Wyrdlight

Hello!

I am after some advice in regards to growing vegetables and other tasty morsels.

I have spent a some time over the last couple of afternoons digging over and clearing a patch in my parents garden to use a veggie patch. The patch is south-facing with a fence on the north side and tall shrubs on the east and west so the position is fairly sheltered though it does get a goodly ammount if sun. The soil is on the acidic side though is rich and dark from the 3 large sacks of manure enriched compost i dug into it last year. It also contains huge number of earth worms which i assume is a good thing?

The plot is only small, around 18 sqaure feet but i do have at my disposal a large patio with enough space for a large number of grow-bags and assorted pots.

I tried to grow veggies last yeah on the patch described above, spring onion and salsify but they failed miserably, mostly due to ( i think) the mini bio-degradeable grow-pouches i planted the seeds in to give them a head start, they turned out to be not so bio-degradeable and served only to strangle the plants and prevent root growth i will never buy such a product again!

My question is... what should i plant in the veg patch?
Idealy i would like something fairly easy to grow, yield is secondary to flavour.

I have decided to grow beans on the patio in grow-bags, can anyone suggest some good varities? What else would you recomend i should grow on the patio?

I am reluctant to grow tomatoes, the ones i grew last year bore many fruit, but the fruits were tough-skinned and almost completely tasteless.

If you like spinach I highly recommend Swiss Chard. Its iron rich with a beautiful flavour and crops for 9 months of the year. Its one of those that you just take the outer leaves and it keeps growing back. I was also converted to white flowering varieties of beans after watching bluetits devouring the flowers and young pods of the runner bean painted lady which has red orange flowers. I now only grow white lady which crops heavily and has good smooth straight beans. I like growing the large leaf mustards too which appear to do well even in freezing conditions, but the pigeons also like to eat it

[ginger]

One of my favourite things about my veggies is the amazing smell of freshly pulled carrots/parsnips/beetroots - all which did well in my first year.
My newbie mistake was planting too few (esp. carrots) and not planning on thinning them out - so be generous!