Topic: A Newbie saying hello - I really need help!

[Maryann]

Hi All
I have just joined but not sure if I am entitled to be here.
My meagre plot is in our garden.The OH and I have cleared the waste ground at the top of the garden, at long last, and have managed to fit in 4x4x4 raised beds in full sun. We live in East Sussex and face south. 
I am a total beginner at veg and don’t have a clue what I’m doing!
Reading the books, it would seem that this is not the right time to dig in manure but I feel the soil would need something. I find it all so confusing!!
My questions –
1 – Should I manure it anyway and get going?

2 – Manure and cover it until next year?

3 – Dig it over and sow some seed to see what happens?

I would really appreciate your advice.

Maryann

[sarah]

hello there, and welcome - of course you are entitled to be here  ;D.  we are pretty friendly.  there will be plenty along later to say hi.  as for your plot, i would suggest  the following; ifyou can getr hold of well rotted manure then dig that in and sow (except where you are going to sow carrots). if you cant get well rotted manure then i would sow and plant anyway and see how you go along, most things will grow given half a chanc3e and then manure in the autumn. hope that helps a little.   :)

[wilko]

:) Hi Maryann,

Welcome to A4A,

I'm growing veg this year for the first time in our back garden , so I'll leave it for the others to answer your questions, I'm no expert  :-\

I could right a book on the mistakes I've made though  ;D

but everyone is friendly, so don't be afraid to ask  ;)

[tim]

Don't worry,Maryann - I'm a 'home gardener' & haven't been thrown out yet.

I incorporate compost or manure whenever there's a bed vacant. Main problem. if you then want to sow, is getting a good 'tilth' on top. But you can overcome this by laying lines of bagged compost to sow in.

They say don't manure for Carrots but, so long as its well rotted, I see no problem.

[Marymary]

Hello for me another back yard gardener - seems there are quite a few of us here. 

Bet you find that even without the manure if the land has just been left for a while you will still get good crops & not to late to sow lots of things.  Good luck & remember we do like pictures  :)

[prink13]

Hiya Maryann, and welcome - I am a rarer entity than you - but don't tell anyone, I am a front garden gardener!  :o

This is my second season, and I seem to be doning worse this year than last - but never mind. People here are very helpful and friendly - so once again welcome

Kathi

[norfolklass]

hello from me too, Maryann!
you're in good company, there are lots of us new to veg growing on this site and those that have been doing it for years are very patient with us and our endless questions, and very generous with their time and knowledge :)

I'd get sowing and growing if you have ground ready – don't make yourself wait until next year ;D
(and anything you do wrong this year you can learn from and do differently next year ;))

[Maryann]

Hi All

Thank you so much for your welcome and replies  .....what a very friendly bunch you are!!

I do have some well rotted compost, been there about 2 years plus....will that do? Shall I dig it in in layers?

Will post pics soon as I get my sons camera!

Maryann    ;D

 

[saddad]

You can put squash onto almost fresh manure... a layer of soil/compost mixed in with the top helps!
Welcome to A4A.
 ;D

[antipodes]

Hello! I too am a first timer - I didn't do anything to the soil this year as I didn't know what had been done in the past and most things are growing OK. I think you should try some things anyway, even if the harvest is not bumper, most things will grow anyway and that will give you a chance to get a few ideas and mostly to dig over and weed your beds, very important to do that gradually!  ;D
I will try and feed my soil over the winter, seems more sensible than to waste a growing season. The only thing I did was to "bastard trench" some areas, mainly where the strawberries, beans and tomatoes are. This means I buried a whole lot of kitchen waste straight in the ground over the winter. I do seem to be getting good strawbs and there were less weeds in those bits because they were dug early, but I don't know if it's really essential. Still, it fills in some time in winter ha ha!
Welcome to the madhouse! I am a bit of a hopeless gardener but I enjoy it anyway, gets you out in the fresh air at least and you get a few veg to nibble (nature will try and grow despite your shortcomings!!) Good luck.

[Jeannine]

Welcome Maryann, go for it and just get something in. whatever you grow you will be thrilled with and you will be in a good situation for next year .

You will find the forum very friendly and sometimes you will laugh till you cry.

You will aso find that nobody knows everything and we all make some doozes of mistakes. Don't be afraid to ask.

Have fun XX Jeannine

[Trixiebelle]

Hi Maryann  ;D

You'll get LOADS of good advice here. They're a knowledgeable lot  :)

[manicscousers]

welcome, maryann..hope you get a wonderful harvest..dig a bit, plant a bit..sprinkle a few chicken manure pellets on the ground, rake it in, plant into it..works wonders  :)

[SueSteve]

Welcome Maryann, we started as back garden gardeners and got our allotment just over a month ago, and already run out of space!
I am thinking about becoming a front garden gardener a well. I wrote off the squash as all varieties failed to germinate, that was until today!! This morning I noticed one pant poking its head through and tonight there are 5! So, should I plant them in the front garden? I think it would be facinating for the neighbours to see squash and pumpkins in the front as they walk past! Just not too sure about being close to the road theough... it's not very busy, but being close to a road does worry me a little.
Good luck with your growing, and I hope you enjoy A4A its helped me an awful lot!
Sue

[Trevor_D]

Hello & welcome.

Don't take too much notice of the books. They were written decades ago when staff was cheap (and had to be employed every day, come rain or shine) and the climate was different. If you've got manure, dig it in! (The heap from our stables is used every single day of the year!)

Where in East Sussex are you? Nice place. My kids are at Hailsham.

[grannyjanny]

We have decided to grow some veg in the garden this year. The trouble is the bed we want to use is rife with bindweed. We had lots of shrubs,  perennals & bulbs in the bed. We rescued what we could & put the rest on the tip.
Someone has suggested to hubby that we put some slate approx 2ft deep  & overlapping ,the whole length of the border along the boundary as we think it is more than likely coming from next door. Is this deep enough? We are going to dig it & then fork it over & I will be on the ground picking up the pieces of root. We thought a few grow bags + some home made compost dug in might be beneficial? From then on we thought we could treat the BW as it came through, (grow it up a cane & glyphosate it). I have lots of seeds T&M 1/2 price & a friend might have some spare plants for us.
Does this sound OK to you experienced people.
Any advice would be welcome.
Grannyjanny.

[Maryann]

Hi All

Once again, thank you all very much for your very kind welcome and suggestions. You have given me such encouragement I can't wait to start.
I tried the digging this afternoom but gave up...I'm too old for that!!! So guess what the OH will be doing at the weekend!!

I have ordered loads of seeds online.  I feel like a kid in a sweet shop.....stupid isn't it!!

Trevor_D - I'm in Eastbourne, so, your children are only 6 miles away.

Maryann

[milkybardave]

Welcome!

Another back gardener here, You'll find out everything you need to know, from the people that know on this site & as I was told when I first joined, "there's no such thing as a stupid question"... ask, ask & ask again.  :)