Topic: What would you have said?

[bennettsleg]

My colleague calls me over to say: "We've decided to grow organic veg in the garden.  There's already a greenhouse and we're going to dig up 2 square metres of garden for the veg bed. We've decided to grow stuff that we will use: potatoes, cabbages, and onions with tomatoes in the greenhouse. Any advice?"

"Errr..." says I.

Onions: advised on sets and possibly leeks as you can grow them closer together.
Cabbages: spring green variety (closer tgoether) but space hungry. Perpetual Spinach, perhaps?
Potatotes: grow them in old tyres of spud bags. put them on the patio. As the entire patch will already be taken up by onions and cabbages

Now I know that there are plants out there that would be ideal for him & his family (3 very small children) but 2 square metres is quite a small space and I'm not that experienced a gardener. 

Any ideas that I can pass onto him?

Oh: and he's most definately not going to use any kind of poo... but he will be getting a dalek via the council, so there's hope ;D!

[campanula]

quick stuff like cut and come again salad leaves, herbs and spring onions - this is quick, takes up little space and can transform a meal. Also, stuff like courgettes looks fantastic in a big pot. Forget the potatoes, even in pots. They could, however, grow some lovely carrots in pots as well as tomatoes. This sort of stuff is easy and delicious and who knows, they may get the bug bad and want to dig up a whole lot more of the garden next year.

[jennym]

I'd have said "Go up" - you can get a lot of french beans on a frame in a small space as they climb upwards.

[keef]

I would of said give it a go - but dont expect to get many meals worth off 2sq M and a green house... And for not an awful lot more effort they could cope with much more space - and have much more veg.

[Amazin]

On my 8ft x 6ft 'veg patch' in the garden in 2005 - Mini-sweetcorn , under/interplanted with beetroot, radish, mini-carrots and mini-turnips. In pots - welsh onions, spring onions, aubergine, cape gooseberries, tomatoes,  peppers, chillies, cues and melon. I was about to post a pic, but my subscription ran out and I've just had to renew it! Bear with me....

[kt.]

Dare I say it:

If they could stretch to 3sq metres - they could try what was done in the same size space on Grow Your Own Veg program. Though if they looked at what was grown and decided to do away with some of this veg then 2sq metres would work. Maybe, sort of, er eehm... decisions decisions decisions

[Marymary]

Lettuce, raddish, spinach beet, courgettes, couple of strawberry plants.  Tomatoes & aubergines & peppers & cuecumbers in the greenhouse.  Tomatoes in hanging baskets & herbs in pots.  That's how I started & now have half the garden dug up!

[Doris_Pinks]

I would say look up "Square Foot Gardening", Amazing what Mel Bartholomew grows in a tiny area, and yes I use a lot of his methods on my plot! ;D

[saddad]

I'd agree Doris...
 ;D

[Amazin]

Phew! Got my photos sorted!
Don't know if you can see it all clearly, but this is from my 8ft x 6ft 'veg patch' in the garden in 2005 - Mini-sweetcorn , under/interplanted with beetroot, radish, mini-carrots and mini-turnips. In pots - welsh onions, spring onions, aubergine, cape gooseberries, tomatoes,  peppers, chillies, cues and melon (pots with tall canes at the back)
The corn was planted 1ft apart. It eventually reached 8ft and was absolutely laden with mini-cobs - very few of which actually made it indoors!

[tim]

Amazin!!

[Amazin]

Certainly takes care of any weeding problems, Tim - if you can't see the ground, you can't weed it!

 ;D

[Leonnie]

Starting with 2m square is possibly a good thing for a beginner, not taking on too much of a challenge and a good size to start with. After the first year of reaping the rewards and having a taste for home grown veg I bet next year they'll be extending their veg plot. Personally I'd rather someone start small and be spurred on by their success rather than start too big with too much of a challenge and give up because they feel they've failed. :)

If I were them I'd grow beans (french and runner), a courgette plant, salad crops, beetroot, carrots, parsnips, potatoes. Prepare to replace summer crops with winter crops like leeks, savoy cabbage, spring cabbage, kale, brussels, spinach and chard will overwinter. They should make use of their greenhouse through the winter and use it for things like tomatoes and cucumbers through the summer. My only concern about onions is that in a small bed with close planting the onions may get too much water and too much shade. Oh and lots of herbs in pots and even soft fruit like gooseberries or blueberries will grow well in pots. I'd grow in small quantities (not aiming for self sufficiency in any one thing) but a nice variety of different crops to see what they enjoy growing and what grows well for them. My children love harvesting courgettes, potatoes, carrots, sweetcorn and tomatoes.

[vee]

When I started I honestly thought that 12' by 12' would be more than enough. I'd no idea that I would be wondering what to dig up next.
I'd say courgettes and runner beans are the best things for first timers as they're so easy.

[hazelize_uk]

That really how we got started 3 years ago with lots and lots of veg in any container/space going - carrots look great in the flowerbeds spuds in bags behind the garage just left them to it bless them and they did fine, runner beans in the recycling paper boxes that we 'found' tomatoes like tumbling toms in hanging baskets with tagetes look gorgeous and taste great cucumbers growing up trellis on the garage wall cut and come again lettuce in trays  broad beans in pots but you literally end up with a spoonful each!  the same with peas but never did get any as far as the kitchen hence being brave and getting the plot in the middle of Jan :) so now we can grow grow grow! (We hope anyway  :o)