Help for beginners start growing their own vegetables

Greenside Up

Hi everybody. I'm based in the Carlow/Kilkenny area and my aim is to help anybody who wants to start growing their own fruit and vegetables get growing.

I've been growing my own for about 6 years but as I didn't have anybody to turn to myself, in desperation took a year out of family life and undertook a full time course in Horticulture. Hallelula! It all made sense.

You never stop learning though, particularly in this field, and although will gladly answer any questions I can in relation to fruit and veg (my passion) I also look forward to picking up new tips and experiences from other grow your own'ers.

Dee Razz

forest flame · Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 4:17 pm Post subject:

hi dee
i have recently started growing veg and had mixed success.looking forward to the spring

Greenside Up · Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 2:22 pm Post subject:

The main thing is not to give up! Sites like this are great for swapping experiences. Hope this year goes well for you.

forest flame · Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 11:21 pm Post subject:

cheers
and a good one for you too.

paul5000 · Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 12:46 am Post subject:

Hi. Love the pics on your web page. looks so healthy. Nice site.

Green Duffer · Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 11:31 am Post subject:

Hi, I am going to try and grow stuff in my tiny back yard for the first time this year, I got "Square Foot Gardening" for Xmas and it makes it all look very exciting, common sense and easy. I got a plastic greenhouse, trays and seeds from Aldi yesterday and will start construction of raised beds this weekend all being well. I will have about 40 square feet plus pots/containers and hanging baskets to start from. Any hints and tips would be very very welcome, as I really dont have the first clue.

Sive · Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 1:40 pm Post subject:

HI Green Duffer, start with herbs in pots.....the most ordinary of meals tastes that much nicer with fresh herbs. Your supermarket will have a stand of herbs growing in pots and they're a great way to start. Chives are the easiest of all and you can keep picking them all summer...and add the flowers to salads even.

Green Duffer · Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 1:46 pm Post subject:

Hi thanks, I put some rosemary and chives in a pot last summer, and the rosemary has gone quite spindly, whilst the chives sort of went "grassy". Do the chives respond well to hard cutting back (Love love chives in mash), would the rosemary do better with more fertiliser. It got some granules on planting and some more a couple of months later. Both seemed to resist the devastating human(!!??) wave attacks of snails and slugs last year, I had helicopters dropping slug pellets daily, but whilst the body count was impressive, they wore me down in the end.

Sive · Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 5:05 pm Post subject:

When the chives' flowers start fading, cut them right down and in a few days you'll have lovely fresh growth coming up.

Foxylock · Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 8:38 pm Post subject:

You could spread some crushed eggshells around the more vulnerable plants, snails hate that, it cuts their soft little bellies.