How should I start a 'patch' from scratch

[Piglet6]

Hubby says when he starts to re-landscape~ the garden (major works!) will build a little brick outline (flush with the ground) for a tiny little veg patch.

Asked him yesterday what sort of size he was thinking of and he said "Only small, about 8' x 6'. " That is bigger than I had thought. His line of thought is that if this is a "fad" with me growing veg then he can firm down the soil and gravel over it. I'm happy with that, as if a year or 2 later I want another go, I can rake off all the gravel and chuck that in a sack in the shed, and grow veggies again.

Our soil isn't brilliant here, but I'm wondering if I can tip this years used compost (from pots) onto the patch to 'improve' the soil/drainage.

I also don't really know quite when he is planning to do this. It will hopefully be in the first part of the garden re-build, which MAY happen this summer. At least I can get it dug over and get some compost into it ready for the spring. Also, can I dig grass cuttings into the soil to rot down as compost?

This year I'm using mostly pots. I've sown/planted:- 3 varieties of carrot, spinach, potatoes (first earlies), beetroot, radish, leeks, spring onions, shallots. All are doing well except the spring onions. No sign of those yet. Over the next couple of days I'm going to have to prick out some of my spinach into another big pot so they all have enough room.

Hubby was against this from the beginning, so to get this far has been a big achievement in itself! And then for him to voluntarily say about a little veg patch is unbelievable!! 6x8' is 48'square - that is SOOOO much more room than all of my pots put together!!

My plan is also, this year, to plant 3 or 4 runner bean plants up an empy 6' obelisk. Hubby doesn't know this yet and I won't tell him until he asked "what are those little plants doing in there?!?!" Oops, they must have just fallen there

Anyways, I think he is secretly impressed so far, although I have said there is a long long way to go. Achievement #1 is getting things to germinate, but achievement #2 is going to be trying to stop 'things' eating them before we get a chance to!

I hope this is the right place to post this sort of query (sorry if it isn't). I would be HUGELY grateful for any advice you can give me.

Thank you.

[Piglet6]

p.s. I also have 2 Apache chilli plants to go into more decorative glazed pots to live round the front of the house in another little sun-spot. And then 2 tomatoes (which I'll buy when I'm ready to put them straight outside).

Have ended up trying small amounts of lots of crops in my first year (11 in total).

I grew up helping my parents work their allotment, so have a small 'inkling' about it. However, I'm deliberately sticking with easy stuff this year as I want to impress hubby and not have him say "I told you so!"

[longpod]

I am a novice gardener, and do not presume to give you advice, you will get plenty of really good help from the 'real' gardeners. I learn from them continously by browsing the site before I sow or plant anything. But soil preparation is something I have had to do on my clay soil, a vegetable garden created from a redundant garlic field. I took to heart a comment I read made by Dan Pearson, who said 'spend £5.00 on your soil and 5p on your plant'. My soil after four years is now becoming crumbly where I have added and added manure and compost when ever I prepared it for planting. So use the waiting time in soil preparation, and your OH will be very impressed with the results of your efforts

jxx

[The Mouse]

Hi Piglet,

Square foot gardening.

I mentioned this in another of your posts, but wasn't sure whether you saw it or not. If you did, then I apologise for repeating it.

Square foot gardening is a way of maximising what crops you can grow in a small space, and your plot sounds like a perfect size to consider it.

If you want to get an idea of what it's about, go to this site and have a look at 'Basic Method'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_foot_gardening

If that interests you, have a look at this link, which would give you plenty ideas.
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/schools_organic_network/lz_sqfoot.htm

Whatever and however you decide to grow, good luck.

[Piglet6]

Thanks for the help.

Mouse, that is the sort of thing I was thinking of. I've bookmarked the websites. Thank you.

[The Mouse]

If you Google Square Foot Gardening, you will find thousands more useful sites.

The beauty of the method for beginners is that you can try growing all different sorts of fruit / veg, but easily change back to 'conventional' gardening if you wish, as you become more experienced.

And I can't help thinking that those well organised, regimented squares will probably appeal to your hubby's love of neatness!

[Piglet6]

" And I can't help thinking that those well organised, regimented squares will probably appeal to your hubby's love of neatness! "

Mouse, you are SO right on that one!

I will very much enjoy planning all the sowings for the little squares. 48 little squares..... WOW *daydreams*

I shall definitely investigate more stuff about it, for example how much of which crops are suggested per square.

Took some photos today of my 'veggies so far' today:-

http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f227/ ... %20Garden/

[Nature's Babe]

Hi Piglet, if I were you i would add the spent compost in layers in your kitchen waste compost bin let the worms do their magic and it will rejuvenate your compost adding nourishment that will eventually benefit your soil and plants. Also consider interplanting with quick growing things like radish around your slower growing plants.

[Piglet6]

Mentioned to hubby about a raised bed. As expected, he said NO. By the next day it had occurred to me that instead of creating a RAISED bed with good soil/compost, I could dig some rubbish soil OUT, the deptch of a normal raised bed, and top this up to ground level again with the good soil/compost.

So, effectively, it would be a 'sunken raised bed'. That way both hubby AND I get what we are both happy with

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Piglet6, can you leave some gardening magazines with small beds of well grown veg, discreetly left open, laying round the house.
It might help to swing things.

[Piglet6]

OH, subliminal messages, eh? Well, if I'm going to find out how best to start my 'patch' I will definitely be taking advice from folks on here and magazine articles. I may certainly become a little absent-minded and leave one or two lying around

I caught him watering the pots the other weekend!!!!!!! AND, the veg patch idea is TOTALLY his own planning!!! I'm wondering if he's been abducted by aliens, then returned to Earth with a "this garden is Piglet's garden too" gene.

[Nature's Babe]

Piglet if it is the cost of the raised beds that bother hubby, then they can be made without a frame, and you can plant the sides of the bed too check out this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugFd1JdFaE0

[Piglet6]

Hi Nature's Babe, no it's not the cost. He's just a Tidy-Freak!