Starting to grow your own?

Here are a few interesting tips I found online to help anyone who might be interested in starting to grow their own.

Information taken from - www.gardenaction.co.uk 

A well-placed vegetable plot will be positioned so that it is in full sun for most of the year, especially from early March to late November. Some vegetables such as Brussels Sprouts continue to grow and need sun in the winter so take this into consideration as well.

Many vegetables are hungry feeders and almost all need a constant supply of water. So don't start your vegetable plot next to trees or hedges both of which will take the lion's share of water and nutrients.

Many vegetables are hungry feeders and almost all need a constant supply of water. So don't start your vegetable plot next to trees or hedges both of which will take the lion's share of water and nutrients.During the summer months a constant supply of water can only be guaranteed by hand watering, either by a hosepipe or watering can. So make sure the plot is near a supply of water. You may also want herbs to be near the house so that they can easily be harvested when needed.Shelter also needs to be considered. If your area suffers from strong winds it will be necessary to create a windbreak to protect your vegetable patch. A low hedge (not too high or it will take water and nutrients from the soil) can be effective. Strong shrubs such as potentillas will provide some shelter and summer colour.

Consider also using raised beds, they are ideal for beginners to gardening.

 Clearing The Site
Before planting vegetables you may well need to clear the site. Existing weeds can be a big problem and there are several ways to clear them. Chemicals such as glyphosphate will kill most weeds dead within three or four weeks but the effect on the soil is not fully understood. The best method is digging the soil well and pulling out all the weeds as you go. Destroy the weeds, do not put them on the compost heapAnother "green" method of clearing weeds is to cover the ground with old carpets for a couple of months. This will kill most weeds but not all.

As well as clearing weeds, other objects on the proposed site need to be cleared as well. This includes rubbish and large stones.

 Digging The Vegetable Patch
All that is required are a fork and lots of effort. Dig the soil to a spade's depth with a fork, turning the soil and breaking it up as you go. Remove any roots and weeds in the soil.

If the vegetable plot is large, a good compromise is to dig half of it in the first year, and cover the other half with old carpet. Leave the carpet on until next year and then it can be dug over when all the weeds are dead.

 Soil Fertility
Some vegetables are difficult to grow if the soil is too acidic or alkaline. You need to test the soil with a pH testing kit which can be bought online or in most garden centres.  All soils appreciate being fed and being kept in good condition. Chemical fertilisers will give a quick feed to your soil but it won't last. The best solution is to dig in some well-rotted compost or manure. A spade-full per square yard is about the minimum, twice that amount is best. Compost and manure will decompose in the soil encouraging worms and bacteria. This will feed the soil and keep it in peak condition.

So what's the solution if you have no compost? Adding bonemeal or blood, fish and bone (available at almost all garden centres) at the rate on the packet will give the soil a feed which will last for much longer than any chemical feed. Digging will improve the structure and condition of the soil.

Compost Heaps
One of the very first things to do when planning a vegetable patch is to start a compost heap. Initially it will take about a year to produce good compost so start one now.

 Planning
Nearly finished! The next stage is to draw a plan of your vegetable patch and work out what to grow where. What vegetables do you want, how many, do you want fruit as well and what about some herbs? And don't forget the compost heap, where will that go?

This stage of the process is important and is very similar to planning an allotment. You must rotate groups of crops on a three year (or more cycle) to avoid the build up of disease. We have a few pages on crop rotation for allotments, and the idea is the same for a smaller vegetable patch. Don't get obsessed by crop rotation, but do your best.

 Sow and Plant
You have decided a site for your vegetable patch, you've dug and weeded it, done your best to feed and improve the soil, and finally planned which vegetables, fruit and herbs you want to grow on it. Now is the time to plant and sow.

One of the key rules in sowing seed is to do it little but frequently. This will avoid a glut of produce at one time. Difficult to practice but do your best.

Visit this link to see when you should be sowing and planting out your vegetables –

http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/veg_planner.asp

Raised beds are simply areas of soil at a higher level then the surrounding soil. The easiest way to do this is to erect wooden or plastic edges to keep the soil contained at the higher level.

There are many advantages to raised bed gardening, the key ones are listed below.

1.
You have greater control over the type of soil in a raised bed. A good mixture is half normal potting compost and half John Innes Number 3. The addition of John Innes to the normal potting compost gives the soil some "body" because John Innes is loam based.
 

2.
You are able to water more accurately and with greater effect. The soil mixture above will result in a soil which is water-retentive. But because the soil is in a raised bed it will not become water-logged. This combination of a moisture retaining and free draining soil gives the ideal conditions for many vegetables and top fruit.
 

3.
Feeding of the plants is more accurate for their needs. Most plants will thrive on a fortnightly feed of general purpose liquid fertiliser diluted as recommended on the packaging. But some plants such as tomatoes and strawberries do better when fed with liquid tomato fertiliser. The use of raised beds will ensure that the feed is contained within a specific area.
 

4.

The solid edges of a raised bed give an excellent opportunity to erect netting to protect your valuable crop from insects, birds and wild animals. Be aware though that fruit and vegetables which produce flowers normally need insects to pollinate them. Without insects, you may end up up with no crop.
Choose netting with the correct width of mesh if you want insects to gain access to the flowers. 

5.

Raised beds require far less digging, and their height above ground level makes gardening easier for less agile gardeners.

Why Plants Need Food

Just like humans, plants need a balanced diet of nutrients to ensure they stay healthy and have a long life.In a garden or allotment plants will use up the nutrients in the soil far quicker than they can be replaced by natural means. Dead plant material and rain water will provide some nutrients but not sufficient to maintain healthy plants in a well-stocked garden.

The Major Plant Foods
The major plant foods are nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. But in addition to large quantities of these three nutrients, all plants require a wide range of trace elements.Nitrogen is essential for healthy leaf and stem growth, too much nitrogen can lead to plants which produce too much foliage at the expense of flower, fruit and root growth. Potassium is required for healthy flower and fruit growth. It is also essential for good disease resistance. Phosphorus is needed for good root growth.

Which Fertiliser?
To assist plants to grow we must feed them with fertilisers. There are two main types of fertiliser, organic and inorganic fertilisers.Organic fertilisers come from living organisms which can be animal or plants. Typical organic fertilisers are manure, blood, fish, bone and decaying plant matter (e.g. compost heap). In general, organic fertilisers break down slower than inorganic fertilisers and provide a safe source of food for a longer period. Well-rotted compost dug into the soil for example, will provide plant food for several months. Organic compost generally has a low risk of scorching plants because they release the nutrients slowly. There are some exceptions to this however, poultry manure can cause scorching if too much is applied.Inorganic fertilisers do not come from plants or animals. The majority are created from man made chemicals although a few, such as Chilean potash nitrate, derived from naturally occurring minerals.

Inorganic fertiliser releases nutrients much quicker than organic fertilisers normally and they provide nutrients over a much shorter period of time. They have other disadvantages as well. They pollute the soil, they are easily washed away by rain, they can scorch plants if too much is applied and they require frequent applications

 Forms of Plant FertiliserOrganic and inorganic fertilisers come in a variety of different forms. The best are the most natural - well rotted compost and manure being obvious examples. They feed the plants and at the same time improve the texture of the soil (see below).Other forms of fertiliser are dry and liquid fertilisers which can be organic or inorganic.

Dry Fertilisers
There are three main types of dry fertiliser available in shops, powder, granules and pellets. Powder fertiliser (such as Miracle Gro) is normally added to water and then applied to the soil with a watering can. Pellets and granules are applied to the soil directly.All dry fertilisers, especially inorganic varieties need to be applied exactly according to the pack instructions. Over dosing plants will kill them. Dry fertilisers, organic or inorganic, will not improve the structure of the soil.

Liquid Fertilisers
Liquid fertilisers are normally inorganic and are diluted in water and applied to the soil using a watering can. Like dry fertilisers, they need to be applied very carefully because overdosing can kill plants.Liquid fertilisers can be applied to plant foliage as well as the soil but should not be applied to the foliage of a sick plant.

Natural Fertilisers
As discussed earlier, this is generally well-rotted compost or various manures. They have not been treated at all and as well as feeding your plants they will improve the texture of the soil.

Soil Improvers
As well as lack of nutrients, plants can also be affected if the structure of the soil is not correct. This prevents them from taking nutrients that are in the soil. Good soil improvers include manure, well-rotted compost, wood chips etc. Beware though of adding materials which are not well-rotted though such as wood chips. They will definitely improve the soil texture but in the initial stages of decomposition they will rob the soil of nitrogen as part of the rotting process. Once decomposed they will then add nitrogen back to the soil.
How To Harden Off Your Plants

Hardening off plants is much easier with a cloche (cold frame)

Using a Cloche To Harden Off
Place the cold frame facing south or south west to receive maximum sunlight, against a fence or wall to provide protection from wind. It is a good idea to examine the garden on a frosty morning to see which areas are relatively free from frost - this will help you decide where to place the cloche.The hardening off process should take about two weeks before planting outside. For tender plants (like tomatoes, runner beans, sweetcorn, geraniums, salvias, buzzy lizzies, begonias and petunias) start the process around the last frost date. Some plants can withstand a degree or two of frost (alyssum and antirrihnums), these can be hardened off a month before the last frost date and planted out a week or so before the last frost date.For the first week, ventilate the cloche only on warm days, and always close the cloche in the evening and night. During the second week, gradually increase the ventilation period, leaving it off in the evening where no frost is threatened. No Cloche Available?
Examine the garden on a frosty morning to see which areas are relatively free from frost - choose these areas for your plants. Any protective barrier you can provide against the wind chilling the plants will greatly help. During the first week, place the plants outside during the warmest part of the day (a few hours at first) bringing them back indoors / under cover after this time. During the second week, leave them outside for the day, bringing them back in during the evening.Covering the plants with horticultural fleece during this process will greatly increase your success rate and is very cheap protection. 

Here is another useful website - www.mytinyplot.co.uk