New to growing veg - HELP :)

[DenisCooper]

Hi,

I've got my plot ready - not very big, 4m x 3m in the garden....i've dug it, weeded it, put compost down etc and now looking to see what to plant....

i've tried looking on various sites, and can't really figure out how much and of what to plant, ie down to how many plants, how they grow, when to plant etc.

i'd like to grow a good variety of veg that will last me througout the year...

any advice on what to plant, and how much etc and when would be really good....

i'm keen on growing organic - so not sure if anyone has any experiance with this.

[HappyInWellies]

I, like yourself, am new to growing veg too.
I have a wide variety of books and mags on the subject, but have just this year decided to get a veg patch going and I have to say you may want to invest a small amount in a book called;

The Vegetable Expert by Dr D.G. Hessayon,
it has become my bible. It's filled with most of the information you could possibly need, on all the popular veg you are likely to want.
It covers, crop rotation, Manuring, soil facts, sowing and harvesting, a calender for sowing and harvesting, seed facts ( covering germination time, yield per plant, and approx time between sowing and harvesting) and lots of other relevant information. They have about 36 of them available on Amazon for under a fiver.
My copy is only slightly outdated on facts like, varieties, and one thing that made me chuckle re: Garlic.. " you can try using crushed (not chopped) garlic in meat etc [i] as the continentals do"..[i] bearing in mind that garlic comes from the anglo-saxon garlaec and has been used in this country for centuries...any way..well worth the purchase I think, the ones on Amazon have a different cover so may be slightly more up to date.

The only thing mine doesn't cover is growing organically which I am doing, but that's not really that difficult. Hope this helps.

[Thomas W]

Originally Posted by DenisCooper

I've got my plot ready - not very big, 4m x 3m in the garden....i've dug it, weeded it, put compost down etc and now looking to see what to plant....

Very nice! :-D Where are you from? It's important to know about your local climate, if you want to get the most from your garden.
If you keep your beds smaller than 1.2 m you can reach the middle from both sides, so there's no need to walk on soil intended for growing. The soil will stay very loose this way, which is good for root crops. The beds can be as long as you want them.

Originally Posted by DenisCooper

i'd like to grow a good variety of veg that will last me througout the year...

any advice on what to plant, and how much etc and when would be really good....

Plant seed potatoes when your soil temperature is above 7 deg. C (45 deg. F). They will break out of the soil 2 weeks later.

Other ideas: Beans, peas, squash, radish and carrots.

Originally Posted by DenisCooper

i'm keen on growing organic - so not sure if anyone has any experiance with this.

Me too, I use organic methods only.

[mor]

most of the veggies can be planted now . it would be easy if siad what you have in mind then we can help you from there.

[DenisCooper]

Thanks guys...

I'm in the UK...

I'd like to grow a decent variety of veg and salads....

i'd love to try and grow sweetcorn but have heard this may be quite difficult to grow at first...

Salads:
Various types of leafly salds - round lettuce, gem, romanian hearts etc
Celery
Spring onions
Cucumber / Tomatoes - but think i would need a green house for these in the uk?

Veg:
Beans
Potatoes
Brocolli
Various root veg - parsnips, carrots etc
Leeks
Cauliflower or similar

And some stuff you can't get easily in many supermarkets...

[Adrien]

Denis, this plot of yours..how much sun does it get a day (few hours, more, or is it shady)? Is it sheltered (by a house or a fence)?