The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: Part time dabbler on September 07, 2016, 02:08:16 pm
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Having moved to the new house I am planning on putting in a vegetable plot and am starting from a blank canvass so to speak. I want to get this right so have been trying to think of all the factors I need to take into account. I also dont want to do my normal of jumping in with both feet and then thinking afterwards I should have planned things better.
I have a reasonable amount of space although the sight is on a slope so am thinking about putting in raised beds (also helpful when I am getting older and wont like the bending so much).
As a starter I amk thinking I need to incorporate:
Greenhouse
Water supply
Three seperate veg beds for rotation purposes (do I need a fourth?)
Soft fruit area
Compost
Leaf mold container
Sheds
I dont need to worry about fruit trees (already have 51 of those) and flower beds as I can incorporate them elsewhere in the garden.
Ok what would you add to the list of things I should incorporate into my planning?
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Sounds good, I would add think about the pathways. When I first marked my beds out I was so busy thinking about that and what to grow I didn't think about the paths which then became full of weeds and I spent more time trying to weed the paths than I did the beds. Which really dented my motivation. I have since laid membrane down for the paths so I can concentrate on only needing to weed the beds and has made it much more manageable. :thumbsup:
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It's a myth that you have to bend less with raised beds. The edges catch your knees so you have to bend and stretch just as much, or I do.
As well as all the stuff you want in the veg patch itself, there are other more general points to consider:
Aspect - does your slope face N,S,E or W? Best of course is south facing, but least good is north facing. Long beds are best running N-S so the sun can get to both sides. The same with a polytunnel, although ours runs W - E to catch a through breeze, and the more shade-loving plants go on the north side, which gets sun in the summer anyway.
Frost - is it in a frost hollow, or can cold air drain downhill?
Shade - are there close overhanging trees - these will cause shade, especially as they grow, their roots will steal moisture and nutrients from your plot, and they will drop leaves all over your patch in Autumn (not so bad as of course you can use them to make leaf mould)
Soil - do you need to improve the soil before you start? Do you need to arrange water drainage? Will you be bringing in soil from elsewhere for the beds?
Local climate and weather - you can't change that much, but if you are in a very wet area, then a less sandy soil is best. If you are in a very cold area, you need to think more about frost protection.
Wind - a very windy site needs a windbreak of some sort. We began with a 2m high green mesh windbreak, while the hedge grew in, far enough away not to shade the beds, but close enough to slow the wind. It's amazing the difference in microclimate you can create with good thick wildlife hedges :tree: :tree: :tree:
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Previous posts make very good points. As for the raised beds I'd have a 4th myself if there is space. I use one each year to rot/turn manure and then grow courgettes on it which are very greedy feeders but also take up a lot of space. Leaves 3 beds in use for brassicas, roots and others in rotation, tho you may eventually work out what you actually use a lot of and change the divisions accordingly.
I spent a few years growing things only to decide I couldn't bear them any more even tho they grew well (broad beans/perpetual spinach), and some I rarely use or can't grow well (caulis, cabbage) so wasted space. More overwintering brassicas like kales, PSB and sprouts and an extra row of beetroots works better for me than giving houseroom to more than an odd box/pot of tatties or carrots as I can get them by the sack from local farms at a fraction of the cost. The few I do raise are lovely treats but not worth a lot of time and effort to grow my entire supply.
Definitely a separate and fortress edged bed for soft fruits - the suckers are ridiculous and need containment and hacking back to get at fruit. And they and currants need netted so think of structures both for support and for protection. My beds were netted way too low for my back when I get in to weed or pick - needs a complete rethink to let me stand up a wee bit more inside. Might be worth addressing from the outset.. esp if you're tall or likely to have backache from too much digging/weeding before you take the net heights into consideration!
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At the allotment we have six raised beds (aprox 6'x6' - blame OH ).
One has rhubarb and asparagus and salady crops.
One has flowers the rest are: peas, brassicas , beetroot and onion, potatoes.
We also have a long narrow one for the rasps.
All beds are lined with weed control fabric as the plot was a new one and the ground a grass field. The beds were bulk filled with good old council compost, free, and topped up over the past two years with bought compost and some of our own.
Paths also have weed control and topped with bark clippings, again free - from the local tree surgeon.
Put the shed up last year and got the water butt and guttering attached this spring
Have a huge composter plus a smaller one
Don't have a green house .......... yet
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Thanks again, I guess I had thought that I would have a specific patch for the rhubarb as I love this lovely jubly plant and look forward to it coming back every year.
A fourth bed is a good idea as it will allow the even number which is easier to use in the design.
I will put down weed control on the paths for definite
I can't think of anything else at the moment
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My neihbours wife is disabled but ambulatory. Their raised beds are table height and only some 2.5 ft across with a total run about 20feet and sectioned off.
Think power to the area too.
As to greenhouse... consider 2.. one smaller for starting off seedlings and double glazed for heating/entilation unless you have a big enough conservatory.
How ever big you make anything it'll be too small....
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To add to what others have already said.
If you combine the water source and the beds you can make an aquaponics system, I am currently building a duckponics system.
Aquaponics combine fish culture to grow beds so the fish waste feeds the plants. the plants and bacteria help clean the water for the fish. It is however a little complicated to keep the PH just right.
Duckponics/quackponics uses the ducks pond to circulate the water around the beds. the duck waste feeds the plants. :&> :bouquet:
Also if you are in the market the green house people are having a sale on at the moment
https://www.greenhousepeople.co.uk/categories/clearance/ (https://www.greenhousepeople.co.uk/categories/clearance/)
Use the most shadiest spot in the garden for the shed. You don't want to waste a good spot for keeping tools instead of plants.