Need Advice on starting vegetable garden
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Finality99
Hazel Tree
Joined: 28 Apr 2008
Posts: 5
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 Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 11:21 am Post subject: Need Advice on starting vegetable garden |
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I've got a 5 metre x 3.4 metre or 16'5" x 11'2" plot. [17 sq. metres or 183 sq. feet]
So. I dunno. Is that enough for growing anything? I'm going to put a metre wide path down the centre. So I'll have two little 2 metre x 3.4 metre plots. The whole plot itself isn't the only land available. It's surrounded by grass and dirt. So it's not completely encompassed by walls or hedges so it'll get plenty of sun.
Right now the seed packets I have as follows:
Unwins:
1x Lettuce - Crisphead - Webbs Wonderful
1x Broccoli - Organic - Waltham 29
1x Broccoli - F1 Hybrid - Lord
1x Cabbage - Summer - Primo
1x Cabbage - F1 Hybrid - Stallion
1x Onion - Cocktail - Paris Silverskin
1x Carrot - Chantenay Red Cored 2
1x Carrot - Autumn King 2
1x Parsnip - White Gem
Thompson & Morgan:
2x Pea -Greensage
2x Strawberry - Sarian F1 Hybrid
1x Lettuce - All Year Round
1x SweetCorn - Conqueror F1 Hybrid
1x SweetCorn - Honey Bantam F1 Hybrid
I have no idea what the quantity of seeds in these packets are. They cost like €1.90 - €2.50 each and there seems to be a palm full in them.
So with all that information what do you think I should plant, given the space and what seeds I have. Soil seems ok.
Also do you have any tips? I read that gardening tutorial thing. So I'm going to put a path down the centre of the plot because it says in the tutorial that walking on the soil will make it water logged.
But that's really all I know. Any other tips/advice will be appreciated
Last edited by Finality99 on Mon Apr 28, 2008 1:15 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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verge
Chief Moderator
Joined: 04 Jun 2006
Posts: 305
Location: Ireland
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Finality99
Hazel Tree
Joined: 28 Apr 2008
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 12:02 pm Post subject: |
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I have changed it. Now back to your cave my precious. |
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verge
Chief Moderator
Joined: 04 Jun 2006
Posts: 305
Location: Ireland
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| Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 12:16 pm Post subject: |
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| I added a vegetable to the title on my way back to the cave. |
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BlackBird
Silver Birch Tree
Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Posts: 157
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| Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 12:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Finality99 wrote: |
Now back to your cave my precious. |
You may find it hard to get replies to this thread, but here goes.
Create raised beds in your two plots to the dimensions mentioned in the "Veg garden piece". The soil is okay you say. Have you tested the PH to see will it suit the veg you propose. there is a link to a soil testing video in the post as well as the relative PH required for each veg.
How is it for nutrients, was there compost or manure added? Was the manure fresh, because if it was this can cause forking in carrots.
Are you hoping to grow veg in this area in the future? If so consider rotation, also written about in the article.
The quantities of seeds in each packet are written as an approximate on each packet (by law I think). I always have too much anyway and I am sure you will be the same.
Sweetcorn and Broccoli are quite hard for the new veg gardener to suceeed with, the others should be ok.
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medieval knievel
Rowan Tree
Joined: 03 Sep 2007
Posts: 107
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| Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 1:34 pm Post subject: |
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| BlackBird wrote: | | Finality99 wrote: |
Now back to your cave my precious. |
You may find it hard to get replies to this thread, but here goes. |
i think it's fair to assume that that was a response to verge's gollum avatar, not to his request. |
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BlackBird
Silver Birch Tree
Joined: 25 Jan 2007
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| Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 1:40 pm Post subject: |
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| medieval knievel wrote: |
i think it's fair to assume that that was a response to verge's gollum avatar, not to his request. |
Noted, thats why I offered a few pointers.
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Hi, my name is Blackbird and I am trying to raise awareness about irishgardeners.com
I need more gardeners to talk to.
So if you like the site or my ramblings please link to it.
Gardening Ireland, one plant at a time. |
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Finality99
Hazel Tree
Joined: 28 Apr 2008
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 1:50 pm Post subject: |
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| verge wrote: | | I added a vegetable to the title on my way back to the cave. |
Strawberries are a fruit though... So shouldn't it be "fruit and vegetable garden"? But isn't that redundant since the sub-forum is ONLY about fruit and vegetables? But whatever you want man. Be pedantic all you want.
| BlackBird wrote: | Create raised beds in your two plots to the dimensions mentioned in the "Veg garden piece". The soil is okay you say. Have you tested the PH to see will it suit the veg you propose. there is a link to a soil testing video in the post as well as the relative PH required for each veg.
How is it for nutrients, was there compost or manure added? Was the manure fresh, because if it was this can cause forking in carrots.
Are you hoping to grow veg in this area in the future? If so consider rotation, also written about in the article.
The quantities of seeds in each packet are written as an approximate on each packet (by law I think). I always have too much anyway and I am sure you will be the same.
Sweetcorn and Broccoli are quite hard for the new veg gardener to suceeed with, the others should be ok. |
I'm using packeted compost now so I guess the forking with the carrots won't be a problem.
Regarding crop rotation, could you tell me what which is what. Like which of them is a "brassica" and which are "roots"? From the diagram embedded in the tutorial I gather that cabbages are "root" vegetables, carrots are "brassicas" and lettuce/sweetcorn don't need to be rotated, but what about Broccoli, parsnip, peas?
Are peas legumes? Broccoli a root vegetable? Parsnips a brassica? Just need to know to work out the rotation. Am I correct in my guesses? Also while I have onions to fill in that part in the cycle, I don't have potatoes. Is leaving out one part of the cycle ok?
Also about soil Ph, would 6.5 be the best to aim for? I'll buy one of the tests. Let's hope it's already 6.0-6.5 so I don't have to bother changing it. |
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BlackBird
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Joined: 25 Jan 2007
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| Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 2:28 pm Post subject: |
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| Finality99 wrote: |
Regarding crop rotation, could you tell me what which is what. Like which of them is a "brassica" and which are "roots"? From the diagram embedded in the tutorial I gather that cabbages are "root" vegetables, carrots are "brassicas" and lettuce/sweetcorn don't need to be rotated, but what about Broccoli, parsnip, peas?
Are peas legumes? Broccoli a root vegetable? Parsnips a brassica? Just need to know to work out the rotation. Am I correct in my guesses? |
No need for guesses, the different groups are in that article if you read over it.
For example
"The final vegetable group is the root vegetable group, which we can call group R. This is a group which contains carrot, parsnip, beetroot, parsley and celery. These plants especially carrots prefer soil which is not freshly manured, which in the case of carrots can cause forking."
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Hi, my name is Blackbird and I am trying to raise awareness about irishgardeners.com
I need more gardeners to talk to.
So if you like the site or my ramblings please link to it.
Gardening Ireland, one plant at a time. |
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Finality99
Hazel Tree
Joined: 28 Apr 2008
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 3:30 am Post subject: |
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Good Good.
So taking one spot in the plots as an example, I'll plant peas now, then broccoli and cabbage next year, onions the next year and finally carrots and parsnip the next. I'll mix in lettuce and sweetcorn in between here and there.
Hmm and I'll get a Ph soil testing thing and hopefully it'll be 6.5 already. That seems to be the best mean Ph for everything.
Anyway thanks for the help. Happy gardening. |
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crosseyedsheep
Rowan Tree
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
Posts: 136
Location: Northwest
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| Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 11:50 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | So taking one spot in the plots as an example, I'll plant peas now, then broccoli and cabbage next year, onions the next year and finally carrots and parsnip the next. I'll mix in lettuce and sweetcorn in between here and there. |
Thats the idea, but just to add something of interest regarding the spot next to this, wherever you plant peas/beans never plant onions right next to them, the peas won't do well at all, I've seen this first hand, If you want more info on this aspect of things do a search on "companion planting", good article here:
http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/companion.htm
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Finality99
Hazel Tree
Joined: 28 Apr 2008
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 3:20 am Post subject: |
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| crosseyedsheep wrote: | | Quote: | | So taking one spot in the plots as an example, I'll plant peas now, then broccoli and cabbage next year, onions the next year and finally carrots and parsnip the next. I'll mix in lettuce and sweetcorn in between here and there. |
Thats the idea, but just to add something of interest regarding the spot next to this, wherever you plant peas/beans never plant onions right next to them, the peas won't do well at all, I've seen this first hand, If you want more info on this aspect of things do a search on "companion planting", good article here:
http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/companion.htm |
Ok thanks. |
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