Any advice/tips for a beginner?

[broony]

Hi to everyone!
I am hoping to grow some veg/fruit next year in raised beds but I am not the gardening type(have not got a clue tbh).I have purchased some seeds to start:alpine wild strawberries,red Californian wonder peppers,ponderosa pink and ailsa craig tomatoes.
I live in Scotland (lots of rain,very little sunshine)don't have a greenhouse and don't even know how to test my garden soil,my garden is also infested with slugs!
I really want to get something from my first year(my family were in stitches when I said I want to try and grow some fruit/veg---I really am not the gardening type) anyway I am hoping to get some advice from experienced gardeners like yourselves!

[Shetty]

Hi Broony,
welcome to this site.
I would think the peppers and tomatoes need to grown inside, either in a greenhouse or on the windowsill.
I used to grow my tomatoes and peppers on the window sill for years with good results.

Now is the time to start getting your raised beds ready, depending on what else you want to grow you might want to dig some of the ground below the raised beds for rooting vegs like carrots or parsnips.

I find things like chard or spinch love the scottish climate and don't mind the odd gale .

[Pacey]

I have cherry toms and Tabasco chilli’s on my window sill atm had literally hundreds of cherry toms. chill plant is MASSIVE and just started to form its first Tabasco
Im not as far north as you but i think weather will be similar always wet not a lot of sun i had good success outside with carrots, lettuce, cabbage, LOADS of courgettes, onions. parsnips and corn still growing well.
Way to many blackberries (plant was already established)
like 5 strawberry’s, a few red/black currents, also had grape vine, blueberries and gooseberry's that didn’t fruit however they are just in there first year.

Main thing is don’t be scared or put off just go for it get everything you have space for/ like to eat planted see what works and what doesn’t work

[broony]

thanks all,
I was going to buy one of those cheap mini greenhouses(no space for a real one)will they be okay for the tommys and peppers?
I was also hoping to eventually have the strawberry plants outside but start them off in the mini greenhouse.
I was just wondering what you guys do to get your seeds going and when should I start sowing?
In the instructions for the strawberry seeds it says to start sowing now but I would have thought the best time for me would be the end of february/beginning of march.

[fromthecrowsnest]

I always remember a Scottish lighthouse keeper who used to grow brilliant carrots in his plot near the shore. It was very sandy and ideal for carrots.

It was in the western isles though, so an influence from the Gulf Stream.

GL

[Dave the Gardener]

Don't let the fact that we don't all bask in the eternal sunshine of the southern Counties put you off - I'm 35 miles north of Inverness and can grow most things outside - any of the brassicas, carrots, leeks, peas, beans (though if you grow runners or climbing french they might need a windbreak), salad crops, onions spring onions etc etc . Have a look at some seed catalogues - especially those with what they call a "patio veg" section (Thompson & Morgan have one in their catalogue) or google "square foot gardening" for more inspiration.

[broony]

Hi Dave,
our wet,windy Climate has been kinda worrying me but I am going to give it a try anyway.
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction with 'square foot gardening'.

[Maralyn45]

I think you should go with tomatoes.....

[tonyfuller]

Should I be careful (or do i need to!) treat oak sleepers that I want to use to surround my bed?

Thinking of getting some from iwood timber merchants but before I do I want to check if safe to treat or even if I need to treat!

Any help appreciated, as I want to get started in the new year (snow permitting) so I can get seeding in time.

Tony.

[rachel_nickless]

Hi Broony - get yourself a cheap plastic greenhouse - they are better than nothing. They are ok for the money - you can get them for around £20 at the bargain shops (i got mine from a place called B&M)

I have found strawberries really hard to grow from seed - I'm about to get my third year attempt on the go soon - so let me know how you fair!

[bantiekeeper]

Hi there, Timing will probably be a bit different for you but here in Hertfordshire we sow around end of first week march. Suggest you try all things you like to eat and see what does best. We have had a allotment for 17 years but now only grow what we like.
Tomatoes in your mini greenhouse should be ok as long as you can keep them watered and ventilated in hot weather. Once formed do not overwater as the fruit will split, just keep the surface of the soil damp. Irratic watering also causes blossom end rot which is black blotches on the end of the fruit We grow a cherry tomato called 'Bambino' which does very well here. If you grow indeterminate type tomatoes dont forget to remove the side shoots as they grow.
Also try lettuce, radish, beetroot, french bean, runner bean, pea (a tall snap pea grown up a wigwam of canes is less work and they can be eaten whole or podded as they get older). Some root vebetables can be difficult to get to germinate especially parsnips. We had to sow carrots 3 times this year before we got good germination.
I would avoid brassicas at this stage as they are in the ground for a long time taking up a lot of space that you could use for the faster maturing veg.
Also try courgettes 'Jemmer', a yellow variety is nice.
Sorry I have got carried away bit here! Just crazy about veg growing. Hope this helps.Please contact me if I can be of further assistance. Good luck and do not despair when things go wrong!

[reetzblak]

Try lettuce, radish, beetroot, French beans, beans, peas (peas grow tall unit is less work the cane shack, they can be eaten whole or in pods increased with age.) Some may be difficult to get the root vegetables germination, especially useless. We have planted carrots, 3 times this year, we achieved good germination.

[merky588]

I built myself a DIY polytunnel 20ft x 12ft last spring and the crops of Tomatoes we had were massive. It cost around £250 to construct and is ideal for growing bumper crops of tomatoes and chillies + many other veggies. If you have the space I would highly recommend it.

[Nicola_D]

I would definately recommend one of those cheap plastic green houses to start things off, my chilli plants grew like mad in there, we got ours for £15 for a 5 tier one from Wilkinsons I think, but they sell them all over. I noticed that Wilkinsons also have a walk-in one that didn't look too big, for about £40 with shelves either side - that might be better if you want to grow thngs in there all season. I just used mine for starting stuff off from seed. In spring I would start the seeds off indoors, you can get quite cheap propagating trays with plastic lids which worked well for me last year, I just left them on my kitchen table which is near the patio doors. Or if you have a bit more money to spend, you could get a heater propagator, which are good for starting things off earlier when the weather's not quite warm enough and good for things like peppers and chillies.

I grew alpine strawberries in a hanging basket and they did really well and there's still green leaves on them even now, after all the snow we had in December.

As for what to grow I would use this year to experiment, if you can afford to, try everything you fancy (don't take on too much though cos it can be quite time consuming - unless you have loads of time) and see what works well in your garden.

Have fun and keep us updated on how you get along