New to gardening, hi!

Hi. Ive already posted in the 'trees' forum of the site here: http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/which-evergreen-trees-for-hedgei-t24858.html

Just thought i'd say hi. Im from essex and have recently moved into my first house with a garden. it's 80ft by 20ft approx. Lots to do on it so lots of questions to ask :-)

Thanks, Pete

 

80x20... thats bigger then mine... enjoy your stay with GC..
robert

 

Hi Pete,
You'll find lots of help here

 

Thanks for the warm welcomes

OK, you asked for pictures, but dont say I didnt warn you! :lollol:

We moved in on the 16th of October and hav'nt had a chance to get out into the garden yet, not realy anyway.

As you can see, lots to do!

 

A welcome from me too.

Hmm..

The "blank canvas" is big enough for a mural, though that's not a bad thing.

 

Thanks :-)

The thread in the tree forum has moved towards what I should do with the run down fence.

I'm not sure if you all look at all the forums or not? Should I just post general questions in this thread?

ANyway. :-) The apple tree is to be removed and it seems I will have to replace the run down fence before I can move forward with the 'proper' gardening :o (im sure I'll pick up some correct terminology eventually)

Should I replace all the posts aswell? They are concrete on one side and wood on the other. Is this likely to get very expensive? A rough ball park figure would help :lollol:

Also I'm a bit confused as to the best place to have the veg patch. It seems the previous owners had it at the house end. We plan to have it there to I think.

A small enclosed wildlife pond area is also something id like to have. :-)

All this whilst still leaving a grassy area in the middle for littleun to tare around in.

Do I need a bigger garden? :lollol:

Cheers.

 

I'd suggest making a plan as how you want your garden to look in ten years time (if you intend to stay there) and work to that.
If the posts are concrete, they should be fine, they may have "leant a bit" so it might be worth checking the gap between them top and bottom. If they have it is possible to dig round the base a bit and push them straight, then chuck some quick-drying post concrete into the hole.
Consider asking your neighbour to go halves with the panels.
Come to an agreement about not screwing hooks into the panels to support climbers, drill the posts and stretch wires between some hooks, it makes the panels last longer. If a panel needs replacing after several years, it can be without too much "disentaglement."
I consider wooden posts a waste of money, they always rot.

Treat fence panels as you would tyres for a car. Check out the sheds for prices and get a quote from a direct supplier, then take that quote to another, then another.
Fence panels have gone up in the last year or so, as we're told; "the Chinese are now buying them."

I'd put the veg patch at the bottom, veg patches look "disgusting" in the winter. You can hide it from the house by screening it with a rose trellis or similar, when you can afford it.

As a koi enthusiast with a plus five feet deep pond, I'd caution that kids and ponds don't mix. Kids can drown in two inches of water. If you must have a pond, get a sheet of "weldmesh" to put over it. It won't look too bad from the house and it'll give you peace of mind.

 

Hi Flappinganimal,

There is a "general gardening" section you could start a new thread in or there is a "garden projects" section further down

I would LOVE to have your garden -it's a great size and you could secion it into different areas ie a patio area, a fishpond and plants etc middle section then have a vege plot at the bottom. :gnthb:

 

Hi there and Welcome,

What a nice space you have, and so much potential.

 

Thanks for the comments :-) I cant wait to get started on it!

Is there anything I should definately be doing this time of year whilst I have the chance? Or would it be OK to leave the bulk of the hard work until the Spring when the weather is a little better?

Thanks

 

It depends on what you can afford to do.

Although it's difficult to tell, some of those trees on the left seem to be in the way of any new fence. They may infact have helped cause the demise of the old one and they could in high winds when in full leaf, damage any new fence you build. If they are yours, cut down those that will be in the way when you replace it.
Any you keep, looking at the spread of the branches and not knowing where the sun rises and sets from the photo, look like they can produce a lot of shade in your garden. They could certainly do with pruning. You could hire a long pruner and do it yourself.
If you intend to keep either of the sheds, which would be handy for garden tools, how watertight are they? Does the roofing felt need replacing?
The one on the right looks quite substantial, but the roofing felt "looks a bit iffy from here." Does the shed go right to the back of your garden and if you decide to move it as a part of a garden plan, will you need to buy another panel for the fence on the right? As it doesn't look as if it passes the shed but stops at its front corner. There's a tree (another one!) in the left-hand corner of the garden of the neighbour on the right. How close to your shed is that and would any further growth of it damage it?

Just a few thoughts to be going on with, I hope I've helped and it gives you something to think about.