[WebSiteEvo]

I start my new vegetable garden in the first week of March. No past experience, but a few good books.

Started by marking out the main beds. There was going to be 4 but decided 3 will do with border planting around the main area:







Removed the turf and starting digging it over: Covered the first bed to get it warmed up and started planning the fence. Added lots of well composted horse manure.




Marked out where the fence was going to go, then started building (with some help).







Nothing was done on Easter Sunday!



Fruit Trees were planted and I started to use the beds:



Next job was the green house which I got for free, but needed a good clean and allot of the glass was broken. Need to get the rest of the glass to finish the job.

[DD.]

Looking good.

A lot of work, but I think there's quite a few on here that would...

a - love to have somewhere to grow their veg.
b - start with a totally blank canvas & not be consttained by what's been done before!

[bb_odiham]

Looking amazing.

It seems evident that "growing your own" is not a cost exercise, but rather for enjoyment, as the cash outlay for all the equipment you've got must've cost a small fortune.

Last year I started a great deal smaller than that and struggled. I wanted to grow salad crops, as they are fairly expensive in the shops. The upshot of that was a cash outlay of £300 in total, from which I gleaned about 4 bowls of salad. The slugs got the rest.

This year, I've spent £10 on compost, seed potatoes, courgette and rocket seeds and so far, it's going a great deal better.

I've scaled up by scaling down - to explain, I dug my first area, treated and planted it, got the spuds into the ground and growing. I then dug my next area a month or more later and got my courgettes up and running. My next step is to dig the final area and get the rocket in.

Not having the luxury of time has led me to understand I need to work slower, cleverer and more economically.

Last year I dug my entire patch and planted everything over a weekend - big mistake.

This year, with a bit of luck, I'll have potatoes to last me three months at a cost of £10, with some courgettes and rocket thrown in for good measure.

The work I consider a health benefit, plus it's fun.

So yeah, I really hope it goes well for you, given the time, effort and cost you've clearly put in - very well researched, keep us posted!

[shaun]

great job well done to you  

[franmeerkat]

That looks fabulous, Evo. Well done you!

[compostqueen]

that looks very methodical, neat and tidy.  I wish  :roll:

That greenhouse is gonna be a real boon    

So, planted or sown anything yet cos that's what it's all about  

[WebSiteEvo]

Looking amazing.

It seems evident that "growing your own" is not a cost exercise, but rather for enjoyment, as the cash outlay for all the equipment you've got must've cost a small fortune.

Last year I started a great deal smaller than that and struggled. I wanted to grow salad crops, as they are fairly expensive in the shops. The upshot of that was a cash outlay of £300 in total, from which I gleaned about 4 bowls of salad. The slugs got the rest.

This year, I've spent £10 on compost, seed potatoes, courgette and rocket seeds and so far, it's going a great deal better.

I've scaled up by scaling down - to explain, I dug my first area, treated and planted it, got the spuds into the ground and growing. I then dug my next area a month or more later and got my courgettes up and running. My next step is to dig the final area and get the rocket in.

Not having the luxury of time has led me to understand I need to work slower, cleverer and more economically.

Last year I dug my entire patch and planted everything over a weekend - big mistake.

This year, with a bit of luck, I'll have potatoes to last me three months at a cost of £10, with some courgettes and rocket thrown in for good measure.

The work I consider a health benefit, plus it's fun.

So yeah, I really hope it goes well for you, given the time, effort and cost you've clearly put in - very well researched, keep us posted!

It has been a cost exercise. Green house was free as it look in an awful state, but cleaned up well, just trying to get some glass on the cheap. Base was done with rock and grit found on site. Some of the fence posts were spares from a local farmer + fencing was at a heavily reduced price  from the same farmer. Composed horse manure was part of a trade. All garden tools were hand downs. Only splashed out on the trees and a few current and berry bushes, but those are long term investments.

Most of what I am growing will be grown from seed, although I did get some trays of organic plants from B&Q on the cheap as they where nearly all dead, but most recovered.

Very lucky to have the plot of land (came with the house), it used to be a pigsty! grassed over by the previous owners.

[WebSiteEvo]

that looks very methodical, neat and tidy.  I wish  :roll:

That greenhouse is gonna be a real boon    

So, planted or sown anything yet cos that's what it's all about  

Will do another post regarding what I have growing, things overall are going very well.



Thanks everyone for your comments, advise and encouragement.  

[compostqueen]

it looks an idyllic plot too  

[bb_odiham]

Looking amazing.

It seems evident that "growing your own" is not a cost exercise...

It has been a cost exercise....
Very lucky to have the plot of land (came with the house), it used to be a pigsty! grassed over by the previous owners.

My bad, that makes it all the more impressive. Having seen your more recent thread, your really making my efforts pale by comparison!

I count myself lucky to have a small raised bed in our garden (rented) that was used many years back for a vege garden.

From the experience of vege gardening last year and this, I think it's going to be something I'll be doing for some time and I hope some day to be lucky enough to approach it on the scale you are - I'd gladly rip up half a lawn for the sheer joy of growing plants you can eat !