Advice for a complete novice

[Daisychain]

OK, so i thought I'd give this Veg growing a go. As the title says, I am without any experience ( beyond planting up the odd hanging basket).
I'm off work next week, so have time to make a start.
My questions are :-
What can I plant now. given it's the first week of April?
What will grow well in containers?
What should I grow on windowsill?
How little can the outlay be?
Any comments, really, would be helpful!

[thecornflake]

I grow in containers so I can answer that part.

Last year I did well with climbing and dwarf french beans (the climbing ones grew up bamboo poles and so take up not much space for the crop you get.

I also had success with potatoes in patio planters and carrots.

There are lots of other ones that work in containers, but potatoes and beans (and other climbing ones such as peas) are especially good for space saving.

The outlay can be very little growing from seed - I got plastic containers from ESK but any large 'pound shop' e.g. Poundstretchers will do them very cheaply.

The main cost is compost so look out for good deals (3 for 2 etc) in garden centres.

[Annpan]

You can easily grow herbs in old margarine tubs or yogurt pots, you can easily get free seeds from peppers, chillis, coriander seeds, mustard seed, butternut squash. Have a look around your kitchen, I bet you'll find loads of things worth a try.

I wish I had bought more plants last year (which was my first year) it would have been simpler.

Strawberries and tomato plants are easy to come by -lidl had them for a few pounds a tray I think. and a grow bag is only about a pound too.

Start making your own compost and you won't need to fork out (excuse the pun) so much in future years.


You don't say how much space you have? but I think that is enough to get you thinking.

[MKG]

Radishes will grow in anything - pots, marg. tubs, toilet-roll centres (and, if you leave them, you can eventually eat the seed pods).

[Mal]

I've started a load of seeds in the sandwich platter trays you get from Pret - my company went through a period of getting quite a few lunches in and they come in these great trays with a clear plastic lid - http://www.pret.com/deliveries/platters.htm - I pierce a few holes in the lid, fill the tray with soil and pop the seeds in.

The whole thing then goes on a windowsill south facing and soaks up the rays. Seems to work really well - even peppers and chillis have come up super speedy.

It's really only good for starting off though - the soil is pretty thin so I will have to pot them up at some point.

The other thing I'm doing is rolling up newspaper in to 3 inch open-bottom 'pots' which can then sit in my pret platters. When they get planted, I shouldn't have to disturb them, they can go in newspaper and all. I've done this for peas and tomatoes on the vague notion they don't like to be disturbed after they've germinated, plus there's more soil in a pot.

I'm new to it this year so I'm not sure it's the best way to go about it but it does seem to have worked so far!

[pouch]

I also grow in containers and grew my first veg last year

I am not an expert at all, but last year I managed to grow courgettes, chillies, beetroot, tomatoes, green beans, spring onions, small aubergines, salad leaves, lots of herbs including coriander which is really easy to grow.

even though it's April you can still start now with courgettes and beetroot, salad and herbs can be sown throughout the summer at 2 week intervals

I bought 3 large wooden troughs (recycled from the double glazing industry apparently) from the Bristol Wood Recycling project at £3 each (a complete bargain), if you are local to Bristol you could pop down and see if they have more troughs this year

http://www.bwrp.org.uk/

good luck :)

[pouch]

ok, so just spotted you are from Manchester, but if anyone in Bristol wants some wood troughs, try visiting

http://www.bwrp.org.uk/

[Daisychain]

Wow, thanks for all the replies. I didn't think I would be able to do as much as this, having left it a bit late. I think I'm going to be busy next week.
I honestly hadn't considered looking around the kitchen for seeds - feel a bit dunb now.
Now i just need to work out a plan of attack and I can get started at weekend.
As for supermarkets taking my money - their days are numbered.

[pouch]

last year I grew all these in pots:

toms:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pouch_designs/896665850

aubergine:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pouch_designs/896665814

courgette:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pouch_designs/896665624

beans:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pouch_designs/896665890

chillies:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pouch_designs/896078709

[Annpan]

I honestly hadn't considered looking around the kitchen for seeds - feel a bit dunb now.

Don't feel bad, we all have to start somewhere

There are tonnes of things you can use to grow in - loo rolls, egg boxes, tubs, etc. and use the top half of a drinks bottle as a cloche (a mini greenhouse) use an old milk jug as a watering can... you really don't need to spend much to get started. Start slow, and next year grow twice as much.

[snapdragon]

I'm starting a bit late too, due to other stuff happening

kitchen windowsill in old plastic takeaway containers with a lid on top loosely

frost is promised for the weekend so I'm a bit wary of starting any outside just yet

[SarahJane]

Last year I planted everything in pots and containers. The chillis and peppers were great, radishes sown every few weeks gave a plentiful supply all summer. Herbs were great.
I was dissappointed with my tomatoes though.

You will find the more you think about it, the more things that you would normally throw away or recycle, can be used to start off seedlings. Failing that, go on the scrounge! My colleagues at work save all kinds of things for me from jam jars to old plant pots. This year I have also been given 6 or 7 plastic troughs. Ok they arent much to look at, but you wont see that when they are full of lovely flowers and veggies!