[egbert]

Well we are starting our home growing this year - 1st time we have tried. We have built 2 raised beds, about 2.8m x 1m, Ive been carting earth into them all week from some piles the other half made last year when putting down bases for his sheds, and we should be collecting some horse manure this weekend. So hopefully it will be sunny for lots of digging in.

My daughter and I have spent today planting some seeds in windowsill propagators - tomatoes, cauliflower, peppers, squash, salad leaves and sunflowers (for her playhouse garden - not eating). Ive got growbags ready to move the toms in when its warmer, pots for the peppers, and my plan is to put carrots, parsnips, peas, beans, garlic, sprouts and shallots along with more the cauli and squash into the raised beds. Ive also got lots of room in the beds that is south facing but under trees where I thought I could try out potatoes - we planted some that had gone to seed by accident last year and got loads in return. Can cucumbers grow in pots in this country - I dont want to go spending money on greenhouses unless we get into this properly.

I have been reading up on growing beds for months, and decided that this year we may as well just try out a bit of everything and see how we get on - maybe a bit more experience will help us be more practical next year. There is only so much we can learn from reading!

But any advice or suggestions for easy grow veg is of course welcome please - Im sure I will be doing something wrong - but right now I just want to get started with the planting - darn this long cold start to the year, Im ready and waiting to grow things!

[HappyHippy]

I'm fairly certain that you'd be best to avoid digging fresh manure into the bed you're going to plant your root crops in (carrots & parsnips) I think it can cause them to 'fork' when growing.
Beetroot and leeks are really easy to grow, but I'm not sure about the cucumbers - think there may be some outdoor varieties that might be worth a look.
Good luck and do let us know how you get on 

[egbert]

Its well rotted manure from a neighbour I believe - does that make a difference? Otherwise I guess I can go and get compost or do I not need anything at all - we do have good soil here?

[HappyHippy]

If it's well rotted it should be okay (I think) but I'm not an expert 
If your soil's good I'd be tempted to either leave your root bed without, or only add a little - just to be on the safe side. But other, more knowledgable peeps may disagree.

[doganjo]

Sounds right to me, Karen.  The only advice I have is to grow things you like to eat or that you know you can barter for other stuff.  I made the mistake of growing cabbage last year, had a good crop and I only like it occasionally.  So my chooks got most of it.

[langdon]

doganjo wat the heck is that thing you put up!

[doganjo]

doganjo wat the heck is that thing you put up!

It's my weight chart.  Symbolic with the mturtle there - slow but sure as they say 

[Hermit]

Good luck, one tip, peppers dont like restricted roots so the final pot must be a good size.Have fun learning, you will get lots of advice but experience is worth more. Hermit

[pottsie]

Hi just started myself last year, my raised beds (16' x 4') were great for garlic, onion, brassicas, potatoes, leeks. I made some old dumpy sacks up and grew all my salad, carrots, beetroot, spinach etc,the only soil i had was really old rotted down muck and it did fine with no forking.

Rob.

[Jakebob]

What is a dumpy sack?

Im new to all this too and thinking that I would like to learn to grown veggies etc for ouselves.

[doganjo]

Dumpy sacks are the big one ton builders bags that sand etc is delivered in.  I have four - found down the back of the garage left by previous owners.  I now have raspberry, blackcurrant, redcurrant and tayberry bushes growing well in two of them, and two others with potatoes.  They are a better height as raised beds for me as I can't kneel down(sliced cruciates in a car accident 22 years ago) and can't bend (arthritic spine from having kids)

[valr]

Aha! I have a dumpy sack left over from a delivery of bark last year.  I never thought of raspberries Anne! Will they be happy in there as a permanent home? Do rasps like manure??

[valr]

Sorry for changing the subject!
I too started last year and it is a good tip to grow what you like to eat.
We also grew loads of cabbages last year and no-one ate them! And don't TALk to me about swiss chard!

[Hermit]

Beware though about dumpy sacks, the plastic woven ones are degradable and crumble to pieces in two years.

[Jakebob]

What about the Gro-sacks in the Marshallseed catalogue?