Perhaps a stupid question - When to plant veg?

[jamie86]

I've just obtained my first ever real life garden here in Cardiff - never had one before, but used to visit my granddads all the time until he passed. of course, that was a long time ago now, so most of the knowledge he handed down has faded......

Anyway, on to my perhaps dense question - when is the best time for planting veg? I'm looking to start basic, so .... I don't know: carrots, potatoes, etc?

I could probably just google this but I'm new here and feeling sociable today....

 

[munchingB]

you plant different veg at different times of year.

go a a garden centre or nursery and see what young veg plants they are selling at the moment and youre good to go.

 

[Deleted2797112]

It's a bit late for potatoes now although if you can find any seed spuds left in the shops, you've got little to lose by trying if you have the space. Or you could wait until August and go for second cropping potatoes, but I wouldn't recommend these for a novice grower.

If you want to grow other veg from seed, you can sow from now on, but not stuff that needs warmth like tomatoes, peppers etc.

This is one of many seed sowing charts available online.

 

[jamie86]

Thanks all - seed sowing chart is especially useful. Feel like a bit of a dunce for having to ask these questions, but there you go! you're not born knowing.

 

[WalksWithTurkeys]

You can still plant seeds, such as beetroot, carrot, beans, mange touts. And you could but some young plants from a garden centre, so you get some earlier ones too. Normally seedlings are costly, but it will be worth it to get a nice early crop in your first year. You can get young chillis and tomatoes too. In my view, chillis, tomatoes and courgettes are well worth doing, as they are so productive. And you might want to plant some rhubarb, as it is so easy to grow, not sure if it is too late for this years planting.

 

[Deleted2797112]

Unless you're in a warm part of the country or have a greenhouse or polytunnel, I'd give toms and peppers a miss until you've got a bit of experience. Courgettes will do fine outdoors but don't plant too many - you'll get throroughly sick of cooking them, eating them and eventually your friends and neighbours will disappear indoors when they see you approaching with courgettes in your hand.

Rhubarb (and other soft fruit) is best planted in Autumn. You won't get crops in the first year and limited quantities until they get going.

You can do successional sowing of fast-cropping things like salad veg to keep a supply going throughout the growing season - sow a small quantity at 2-4 week intervals.

Stuff like Perpetual Spinach is good value as it stands through the Winter and gets going early in the Spring before anything else.

Don't feel like a dunce for asking - we all started somewhere and growing your own fruit and veg is a joy.

 

[wrathkeg]

Another bit of advice: don't try to grow too many things at first. Different crops come with their own requirements so growing lots of different things can become really disheartening when you first start out. Get good at growing some things you like and which are likely to succeed, then branch out.

Speaking as a novice myself I'd recommend strawberries, salad potatoes, runner beans, peas, lettuces, certain herbs (rosemary, sage, parsley). I've had a lot of enjoyment out of these, growing and eating. Of course, now isn't the time to be planting all of these for a crop this year.

 

[dhutch]

Courgettes will do fine outdoors but don't plant too many - you'll get throroughly sick of cooking them, eating them and eventually your friends and neighbours will disappear indoors when they see you approaching with courgettes in your hand.

Nice! They will however also grow into marrows (same plant) which are lovely stuffed with bolognese, but you also done need to many of those.

Carrots are not hard to grown, but need soil without stones, if you want them to look nice. Parsnips are also nice if not murdered by the cook.

I have yet to really do any veg growing, but my parents grow Swiss Chard which eats well and appears fairly bomb proof and seems to grow right into early winter and a cut and come again basis.

Lettuce is also a good shout, and Rocket; which all but grows itself. Radish seems easy but I dont like the taste.

They also do cucumber/gerkins, which I have done once in one end of my conservatory in a large pot using there excess seedlings and that worked very well even with a few cock-ups on the watering and feeding (with tomorite), but I think like Tomatoes they are basically greenhouse/polytunnel/conservatory thing.
I think they have now given up with growing Tomatoes from seed as far as I know, having had a few years of them not coming up, favoring 6inch tall garden centre plants as a 'plan a' option rather than a rectification strategy after the buggers haven't come up again!

They also grow sweetcorn to eat as 'corn on the cob' as its soooo much nicer fresh than 24h old from shops. But you need about 12ft square for it to stand up to the wind. I dont know how well it would work in a sheltered (but not shady) corner?

Mangetout peas are also nice to eat. Pick something you like eating.


Daniel

 

[Deleted2797112]

They also grow sweetcorn to eat as 'corn on the cob' as its soooo much nicer fresh than 24h old from shops. But you need about 12ft square for it to stand up to the wind. I dont know how well it would work in a sheltered (but not shady) corner?

Sweetcorn is planted in a grid, not to withstand the wind, but because it's wind pollinated rather than insect pollinated. You get better pollination with the plants in a grid as opposed to in a row as more plants are in contact with each other. Poor pollination results in empty kernels in the cobs.

 

[dhutch]

Sweetcorn is planted in a grid, not to withstand the wind, but because it's wind pollinated rather than insect pollinated. You get better pollination with the plants in a grid as opposed to in a row as more plants are in contact with each other. Poor pollination results in empty kernels in the cobs.

Ahh ok, knew it needed planing in a clump.

Edit:
Done some more googling, seems 4*4ft is about as small as you can go, 6*8ft being fairly safe, at round 2 plants per sq ft. There are suggestions that you can help it along a bit by giving them a bit of a shake, when they are the right stage, on a stillish day.
Only comment of failure is 'I grew it on a 4*4ft raised bed and got ziltch' but they then go on to say it is in an exposed location in wales, so, yes.

We digress somewhat, but if you have space it appears a fairly robust option, perhaps for next year, which for fits directly into the category of 'stuff I really like eating, and miles better than you can buy commercially' where say peas, require some faffing, can fail, and taste about the same as the do from tescos!



Daniel

 

[jamie86]

Thank you all for your help! Sorry for the delay in gratitude, had a very busy working week.

 

[r896neo]

If you like raddishes they are one of the fastest and easiest to grow.