I have just moved to Southern Ontario from the UK , I am not ( untill now ) a gardener but i have just brought the most fantastic garden with a lovey fenced off area for a veggie garden.please see photos attached At the moment it is full of overgrown raspberry bushes I have taken half of them out and would like to plant potatoes, carrots, onions and anything else that would be recommended as a easy grow for a total beginner what do i do with the soil, i am thinking of rotavating it and turning some kind of manure in to it, I would like to try and keep this veggie garden as organic as possible ANY ADVISE would be very welcome , I am like a sponge right now ......... Also when do I start planting ???? I look forward to becoming a green finger wizard .... thanks Deb x
Welcome Deb! In general, for beginners, carrots, radishes, and beans are "easy". And of course...peppers! :O) Before doing anything, you need to assess a few things. 1) What direction does your garden face, and how much light will it get. 2) What kind of drainage does your soil have now? (i.e. Is it clayish, sandy, etc.) 3) What do you really want to grow yourself? You might consider a soil analysis. As well, before fertilizing anything, I would suggest adding compost/composting soil.
Hi Captin this is a south facing garden and has sunlight all day, the soil looks clayish it is very fine and not many rocks at all the last owner was a expert gardener and i have been told the soil was shiped in and is of top quality . but since she died the raspberry bushes took over. I think she had beans and definitely rhubarb. I have now taken them all out and in the process of digging any fine roots out, so the soil gets back to beeing free of anything ( phew what a job ) I think the drainage is not bad..... our house has flooded twice since we brought it, so its draining into the house !!!! she has got an irrigation system in the rest of the garden, would this be any use if i was to extend it to the veggie patch . I would like to grow Potatoes,Carrots, onions, and the Rhubarb again , the young lad next door said he would like to grow some hot peppers there again as he used to grow them with the other owner, I am happy to have his help. everything is set out ready for me ( so lucky really ) the back wall facing the sun all day has trellis ready for something to climb up it ... what would you suggest Once again thank you so much for your help, I have never done anything like this befor but loving every minute of it, and i so want to get it right and not let such a lovey cared for garden go to pot
Don't forget about tomatoes! : O Here are some of my "Red Currant" cherry tomatoes that I grew in a hanging basket. It's getting pretty cold in Ontario now, so I've brought them inside to ripen in my south window. Also, the second pic shows my "Aurora" hot peppers - an appealing, colorful, and edible variety for beginners... : )
HollyBerry, suggest u post links to information rather than clog up the thread with info that can be easily googled. http://gardening.about.com/od/vegetables/p/Potatoes.htm Also, anyone can easily search for this type of info on internet...on forum, more useful to provide personal information applicable to their unique situation. Deb, for the trellis on the wall, you can grow grapes. Pretty easy, and the heat off the wall will do wonders for the fruit!
Potatoes are easy to grow, long lasting if properly stored, thrifty, nutricious, heartily satisfying, and wonderful to eat, especially with butter and sour cream! Like it's relative, the tomato, the potato produces an abundance of sprawling, bushy vines above the ground. But, unlike tomatoes, potatoes fatten up under the soil as tubers (swollen underground stems). In the home garden, potatoes aren't likely to trouble you with many pests and diseases that a commercial grower might have to deal with - as long as you can start with certified disease-free seed potatoes. Best soil: Fertile well-drained, sandy loam, pH 4.8-5.4 (may get scabby in higher pH). When to plant: Cold Winter climates ~ For Summer crop, plant cuttings of early maturing varieties in Spring (4-6 weeks before last frost date). For Autumn crop ~ plant late maturing varieties in late Spring. Mild Winter climates ~ For Summer crop, plant in late Winter or early Spring (4-6 weeks before last frost date). For Winter-into-Spring crop, plant in late Summer or early Autumn. How to plant ~ Use certified seed potatoes (specially grown disease free potatoes). Cut seed potatoes into blocky chunks, each with two eyes (growth buds) Allow chunks to callus for 2 days. Plant in furrows 4" deep, 12"-18" apart, in rows spaced 2 &1/2 - 3 feet apart. Cover potatoes with 2" of soil - add 2" more when sprouts appear. Yield: 10-20 pounds per 10' row. Care: Keep soil uniformly moist. Weed regulrily. Mound up the soil around the vines as they grow to keep tubers protected from sunburn. : ) More on potatoes... You can begin to harvest potatoes when the tops begin to die down, but it's best to let the tops die back completely, and then wait a week or two. It's legitimate to sneak a few potatoes when the blossoming is in full swing, if you do it carefully. The small new potaotes are delicious, but don't get greedy, or you won't have a main crop! : O Dig potatoes when it's cool, but avoid digging them right after a rain. If the soil is fairly dry, the potatoes come out cleaner. It's best to store potatoes in a cool place - dig them in the morning when the potatoes are already somewhat cool. If they do get rained on, let them dry under cover, in a single layer rather than piled up. : )
Here is some of my information from another thread that you may find interesting about carrots... Harvesting actually starts with thinning. Finger-long carrots thinned from the garden, taste wonderful. Try chopping them up, tops and all, to add to tossed salads for a fresh surprise. Keep thinning until the remaining carrots are about 2 inches apart; then wait until they reach your favorite eating size. Before harvesting the entire crop, pull up 1 or 2 roots to see how large they are. In very cold climates, harvest all your carrots before hard frosts occur; if they are left in the ground, they'll become hard and woody. Where winters are not severely cold, you can leave carrots in the ground for storage; after the first hard frost, cover carrots, tops and all, with 6 to 8 inches of shredded leaves. Where summers are hot, harvest Spring-planted carrots before the hottest weather arrives. When to harvest: For baby carrots, 30-40 days after sowing seeds; for mature carrots, 50-80 days after sowing the seeds. : )
Some stuff about onions and rhubarb... Onions should be harvested when most of the tops begin to dry and fall over. Once the bulbs are mature, pull them. If left in the soil at that stage they will rot! Allow the freshly pulled onions to dry in dappled sun for a few days, and then bring them into a protected area to dry for an additional several weeks. If you cut off the stems, leave several inches on, or rot might set in. Allow them to dry with soil on them - once the onions are completely dry, the soil will brush off easily. If some of your onions have thick necks, use them in the kitchen first, since they will store poorly. Rhubarb is one of those plants that should be left to grow for a year or two before harvesting. To harvest, grasp the stalk near the base a twist off, pulling out. Don't cut with a knife or scissors or the nub will rot. In the Deep south, grow rhubarb from seed and treat as an annual. Plant the seed in the Fall and harvest outer stalks in the Spring, the remainder in the Autumn. : )
Hey HBL Thanks sooooo much for all the info its all very informative and in a way even i can understand thanks so much, I am looking forward to putting all your advise into pratice. Oh yea what do i do for the stiff back after all the digging !!!! :D Deb :)
You're most welcome! Yes, that is actually a good question, because anyone who is a veggie gardener knows all about back pain, unfortunately ~ a gardener period. A good soak in some epsom salts, and a lengthly rest, is just what the doctor ordered, after a long day in the garden. : )
I'm just up the road from you and have and practice much the same aims as you desire. You live in one of the best growing areas in Ontario, if not Canada. Have a look at my Garden Journal, since it probably covers most of your concerns with pictures. http://www.durgan.org/URL/?KWVAQ
I am sorry - I was just being polite to paste it for them, so they didn't have to bother going somewhere else. Thought the pepper information was useful to the the topic here as well. Will put link from now on. : )
