new gardener

[Mr Potato Head]

Oh, and you might contact your local council to see if they can offer you a discount on a 'dalek' compost bin or similar...

[Chantal]

You can order a compost bin direct from Blackwalls £6 including delivery

0845 073 2001

[alan refail]

Hi again courgette
If you are a vegetarian keen on Mediterranean crops you have a bit of an advantage. Plenty of time (well, enough) to get the ground ready for planting after the frosts have gone.
If you want to grow potatoes, first of all try some early salad varieties such as Belle de Fontenay, Linzer Delicatess, Charlotte, or - easiest to find - Nicola planted early and dug as soon as ready.
You might also be interested in Seeds of Italy
www.seedsofitaly.com
or e-mail for catalogue [email protected]
With a South facing garden you should succeed with the smaller varieties of tomatoes in grow bags, possibly peppers and chilis too.

Cofion gorau/Best wishes
Alan

[Wapentake]

Hi Annettecourgette and welcome, I'm new to the vine, and will let the more experienced ones advise you about what to grow.
Are you home throughout the summer, as some things will need watering every day.
I learned that the hard way during the last - too hot - summer , especially for whats been put into containers.

Good luck with your crops for this year.

[King Carrot]

Tigger was saying that the
cheap seeds will be in Lidl, Aldi and Netto in a few weeks time. What's the situation with these seeds? Where do they come from?

I'm just a bit suspect after trying out their F1 courgette last year. Only year I've not had a decent crop of courgettes over the last 5 years.

I don't think I would risk the time and effort with bargain seeds again.

[Chantal]

I use a mixture of seed companies, mainly Seeds of Italy and Kings but I've also used Lidl and Aldi seeds and had good results. I grew Lidl gherkins last year and had more than I could cope with.

I think with any seeds, occasionally some are not going to work for you; just bad luck but for the price of the Lidl/Aldi seeds (mainly 49p per pack) it's worth a go.

[alan refail]

Chantal says
for the price of the Lidl/Aldi seeds (mainly 49p per pack) it's worth a go
I would take issue with this. If you succeed it has been worth while - if they fail, where's your crop.
I notice she also mentions Seeds of Italy. Most of their seeds are much better value when you look at the massive seed counts. Keep your unused seed cool and dark and they will last for future years.
For a first year with a new garden or containers (pots, growbags) you might like to think about their mixed packets of Lettuce, Endives and Chicories - sow thickly, cut and come again. Each of these has 4,000 or 6,000 seeds in a packet for £1.49.
If you have any queries about Seeds of Italy varieties, I'm sure a Private Message to me or Chantal might get you the answer.

[Jenny Green]

Regarding seed merchants, can I also recommend www.alanromans.co.uk Their seeds are about 50p a packet and are mostly tried and tested varieties, ideal for a new gardener.

[Chantal]

I have to admit that I do usually grow more than one variety and have a lot of space so the odd failure doesn't bother me much. If you're ony growing one sort then I would have to agree with Alan.

[Tigger]

I can only go on my own experience and I've used Lidl's veg seeds as my basics (peas, beans, courgettes, lettuce, carrots, kohl rabi, turnips, gherkins, and more) for tha past 15 years and have always found them to be reliable. Because they're such good value for money, you can then go a bit mad on the special varieties and I usually use Kings and Seeds of Italy for these, although I often buy from others too.

Last autumn I bought lots of seeds at Wyevale's sale and there's a chance that some of those won't germinate, but there's always enough time to replace a failed sowing.

[madasafish]

I started growing when we moved to our current house some 20 years ago. I started with the easy things and being a simple soul have continued on that way.

I can recommend raspberries: minimal work all year but delicious fruit which is much better than bought and much cheaper. Glen Ample - mentioned before are very good as are Tulameen.
A dwarf apple and pear tree - self propagating - are also excellent (can be grown in pots or garden. pot are more work.)
Dwarf plums are great.
A few strawberries - in a sunny patch are good - but slugs may be a battle .

Recycling all kitchen waste for compost and eggshells (crushed for slug deterrent ) does your bit for the environment.

Rhubarb requires no work - if you like it.
Dwarf French beans are great and require little work..
And of course you can grow the odd flowers.


Try your local council for subsidised composting bins...

And a waterbutt helps in drought areas...

[Primrose]

Good luck Annette. I'm sure you'll get a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction from your efforts. If you live alone there's a tendency to grow more than you can immediately eat, so if you have a freezer it will be economical to grow climbing beans (runner or French climbers)and tomatoes (which are delicious cooked down with onions & garlic to make a puree which can be used in all sorts of sauces). If you're a salad eater, grow some loose leaved "cut & come again" varieties. Peppers & chillies grow better in pots & mini cucumbers will also grow outside in sunny borders. If you have only limited space, grow things which are more expensive to buy and if you like courgettes, grow some & pick them when they're tiny as they cost a fortune this small to buy. It will be much cheaper too to germinate your tomatoes,beans & courgettes from seeds than to buy them from garden centres. They will germinate quite happily on window ledges. Keep us posted on your progress.

[Primrose]

Forgot to mention about your shady patch. Thornless blackberries will even thrive on a north facing fence. Every year I get an enormous crop. One plant will be enough for you. They freeze beautifully. You can throw a handful into breakfast porridge made in the microwave or simmer them down, add sugar and strain them through a jelly bag to make blackberry syrup.

[retropants]

Hello and welcome, Annette!
I started this veg growing lark about 16 years ago, when I was the same age (ish) as you are now!
I knew not a thing, but have successfully picked up tips and tricks over the years from many sources, long before the internet and excellent forums like this one were available! So ask away, and don't be shy, no question is too daft, you may well discover a tip that we haven't yet thought of, and you can pass it on to us!
The very best of luck to you, it will be worth every ache and pain.
I now make jams and pickles etc during the summer, it's really great fun.

[Compo]

I have been going for a few years now and looking back to what I would have done if I had the knowledge I had know when I had a small home plot.

I wouldn't have bothered with spuds, they are cheap enough and take up most space, but maybe you could grow a few earlies of a nice variety like swift just for the pleasure of lifting them and eating them half an hour later. The ground can then accommodate another crop once pulled.

Definitely small successive sowings of salad, try the varieties from seeds of Italy, because I have found the varieties to be slightly different and although dearer than Wilko and Lidl / Aldi seeds you get a large quantity per packet, so cost is comparitively as cheap.

Decide whether your soil is fine enough to sow direct to soil or use trays. A simple cold frame with a polythene top will get the seeds going early. Dont sow carrots or parsnips in trays they dont transplant.

Stick to easy toms like moneymake or Gardener's delight although some of the continental beefsteak varieties are also easy. But grow what you want rather than what you think will impress mates etc.

Good luck

Oh and by the way, keep coming back here!!

Compo