new veg garden

what do i need to do before planting ? how do i choose what plant variety ?when do i start planting?

 

Hi Max

Could you give a little more info please.

1. What does the area look like now? Lawn, weeds, wilderness?

2. How big is the area and what is your soil and drainage like?

3. What do you fancy growing?

Cloudy

 

area cleared of big stones etc, good quality top soil added. area quite exposed on one side. house and garden on a farm. area 6 yards x 8 yards might extend later. fancy growing broccoli potatoes carrots strawberries .rest of garden has some mature plants and trees,some lawn and its own well.

 

Hi again Max.

It sounds like the sky is the limit. I moved into my house about four years ago and it is the same as yours, a farm house garden.

The first year i dug in a heap of FYM kindly donated by the farmer to about a quarter of the area and put in tatties which really helps in opening up the soil and makes it really easy to dig fork over the second year.

Year 2 I put in peas where the tatties had been and put the FYM and tatties into the second quarter.

Year 3 i moved up another quarter with the FYM and tatties, peas where the tatties had been, onions, brassicas and swiss chard where the peas had been.

Year 4 was FYM and tatties into the last quarter and etc. I put carrots where the onions were last year. This autumn i will dig in more poo to the first quarter and start with the tatties again next year

I know that sounds complicated but it is just a basic rotation which reduces the chance of disease and keeps nutrient levels up. Basically tatties like lots of fertiliser, and carrots dont so that is why i started the way i did.

You can put in anything you want and it is always good to experiment.

Start sowing ASAP. It is the perfect time for most things but you still have time. Staggered sowings of things like peas and carrots will let you pick sweet little veg for more of the season. Put fleece over early sowings to keep the cold and beasties out.

Keep an eye on what the surrounding farmers are up to as that will give you a general idea of the right time to do things. If you are anywhere near me that means they are sowing like mad with the lights on in their tractors :D

Cloudy

 

Thank you mrs cloudy
like you all the local farmers are going daft inbetween the rain showers/sleet hope to get planting this weekend .have had thaughts about totaly encloseing an area for soft fruit.Should i leave this for a while or just go for it.

 

The stock answer is to take a bit of time to sort out any perennial weeds that you might have before enclosing an area. It can be hard to get in to an area once it is enclosed.

On the other hand the best way to learn is from your mistakes so go for it and have fun. I grow strawbs, rasps, tayberries and black curants and ive always had some fruit. The weather makes the most difference and there isnt a lot to be done about that. Id love a polly tunnel.

Again dig in the FYM for the best results. Happy digging

Cloudy

 

Just had a thought. You can buy fruit plants in pots at any time but they are much cheaper if you buy them bare rooted in winter. There might still be time to get rasp canes and berries but im not sure.

Southern nurseries sometimes have sales of stock that is too late for their area but is perfect for up here. Trees that have been kept in cold stores etc. Check your local auction mart for details of sales. Thainstone nr Aberdeen does them but that may be too far away for you.