I've recently bought a new house with a section of garden (South-facing) where I can grow Fruit and Veg
As you can see it needs a lot of TLC and its a bit overwhelming thinking about when and where to start.
I'm a big fan of the No Dig philosophy of gardening, but I feel like the work and money I'll need to put in to clear the debris, fix the greenhouse and purchase compost etc. may mean I miss a key part of the growing season.
On top of this I am unsure what I can/should grow both inside and outside the greenhouse. I know I'll probably learn as I go, but I was wondering if anyone had any tips on what to do with the space and how to get started?
by JokePoe
5 Comments
I’d say dig, and maybe intersperse with some stepping stones in rows to the right, if it’s cleared you can get a tonne of top soil relatively cheap from somewhere like jewson.
Greenhouse would be a great place to start seedlings, maybe get a couple of small metal storage shelves for half of it.
Only issue in summer could be lack of cover, so potentially I’d look at some apple trees or something like that for a bit of loving shade.
As for growing, anything full sun will be fine.
I’m not a very established vegetable gardener so my only possible recommendation is that you could build raised planters in that space between the greenhouse and the wall (is that where most of the sun is)?
I mainly just wanted to say that that’s a brilliant space and the greenhouse is such a blessing! Would love to see updates when you make progress.
First thing I’d advise to think about is compost – if you’re starting from scratch and will be clearing some areas, why not put the cut plant matter to good use?
It can be overwhelming starting a whole big area in one go, so I’d pick the two areas with the least amount growing and prepare those – with the areas with more plants, don’t be in too much of a hurry to clear as you might be pleasantly surprised later in the year! I find Google lens really helpful for plant and leaf identification although there are plant identifier apps too. To help save money, it’s worth keeping an eye out on local apps like Nextdoor and Olio who have ‘free to collect’ as well as ‘for sale’ pages …..it’s mad what people throw out, I found some amazing things for free from rockery stones, to trees, pond plants and huge 3ft tall garden pots!
Personally I feel there’s a big shift to put in if you have a target of using the full area for veg/fruit growing this year. But I could just be lazy. Anyway, if you want to grow this year, focus on maxing out the greenhouse, and enjoy the work in the sun. My gardens never complete, list as long as my arm of changes etc, but try and enjoy the labour as well.
Hit FB market place to get and get rid of odds and sods. Enjoy it!
That greenhouse is such a blessing! I’d definitely look to get that in use this year. You can either pick up some staging free or cheap on Gumtree or FB to grow seeds in for an earlier start and use it to grow tomatoes and chilli’s in this year. That wall at the back looks a bit dodgy in places so tbh, I’d leave that until last until it’s more stable. The land on the right in photo 2 is a nice space. If you haven’t got a plan on what you want to do or grow, I’d be tempted to cover it with card and top with woodchip if you want it to look decorative. Then I’d grow stuff in pots, grow bags or raised beds made of pallet collars on that bit to see what you like and what works. That way, you’re using it with not much effort until you decide how you want to use the space. Also, definitely pop a chair in that greenhouse for rainy days when you still want to be outside with a cuppa visualising the space and your crops!