[whoukidin]

hi everyone im completely new to growing I've just acquired my first veg patch about 1mtr by 2mtr. Completely unsure how to grow/how much etc. purchased a few plugs tomato, chilli, strawberry, lettuce and cauliflower. Have also started courgette, coriander, cauliflower, beetroot and tomato from seed. can i start putting them in my patch yet, or should i wait a bit longer because of this cold patch were meant to be getting any advice would be greatly appreciated

[mattwragg94]

i would leave them for a bit - you could always pot the toms and chilli's on if they get leggy. however i would say that the cauliflowers and beetroot can go in now.

oops forgot to say where are you, as it may help us to give you a better answer.

all the best,
matt

[DD.]

Hi & welcome to the forums.

I think you're going to have to have a serious think about what you would really like to grow, assuming those dimensions are correct.

For instance two courgette plants would fill the whole bed.

[whoukidin]

wow i wasnt expecting replies this quick. right having looked at the plot its more realistically 3 by 3 mtrs. i also have 3 potato bags i can grow in(can any other veg go in this) and ive got a bag for the strawberries. im only looking to feed 2 people from the patch so would you only recommend 1 courgette plant 1 cauliflower etc. what would be the best way to grow potatoes i was waiting to see if i could buy some plugs for these or is sourcing some chitted potatoes best? by the way in live in the south east of england, near dover

thanks so far

dan 

[m1ckz]

hi an wellcome
not being rude , but is it worth growing 1 couliflower,3x3 mts is very small,mabe,just grow what you like best,suprising the room u need,mine is small @ 100 sq mtrs, need more space lol  but gl

[whoukidin]

hell! didnt realise you need that much room. what vegetables take up the least amount of room then?

[DD.]

You'll get a lot of tomatoes from the same space as one cauliflower ill take up and they will crop for a long time. A cauliflower will take months to go and you'll only get one.

Whilst courgettes take up a fair bit of space, they are very productive and will also crop for a long time. Maybe one in the corner of the bed? It's too early yet to put either tomatoes or courgettes out, though, they need it warmer - same with peppers.

Lettuce and beetroot are good as you can dob them in small gaps.

[Kenilworth]

Do you have much space around the patch or else where? The toms, chilli, strawberrys, lettuce, coriander can go in pots/grow bags against walls on windowsills etc.

Potatoes can be very space greedy so put them in the bags.

Surprising how much you can get off one courgette plant if you pick the fruit when they are still a smallish size. I wouldn’t do more than 2 plants if there are just the two of you.

For the patch perhaps look at quicker growing crops which you can pick and resow in one season carrots for instance? , A row of beetroot  wouldn’t  take too much space. small rows of radish  in some of the small gaps

[mattwragg94]

you could also try growing vertical crops such as peas and beans, they dont take up much space in the ground and you get a very good crop off of them. you could also have a go at square foot gardening.

[digalotty]

if you google square foot gardening this will be your best way of growing in such a small space,   my daughter is going to do one this year she is 9,  you will be surprised how much you will cram in      a 1metre square,     you divide it into nine squares.
plant a square of rocket as it is something that you can cut and let grow again you will get 4 beetroot in another square and spring onions and radish in others lettuce is also a good one as it is a fast grower.

try it you wont be disappointed

[chriscross1966]

YOu might want to look at the Square Foot gardening techniques... google should be your friend... I've go two plots 6x22m and my back garden is about the same (but is a big green house, the asparagus bed, the fruit beds and three veg beds) I'm realistically looking at being entirely self-sufficient for veg for me except for mushrooms (still eating spuds and garlic from last year and freezers are stuffed), but I'm pretty sloppy with space (cos I've got loads) so I wont' be much use for optimising a small space.... always amazes me what some people manage to grow in an area I'd consider a turning headland for my rotavator... good luck!

[digalotty]

   dito  as i said in the above post

[DD.]

I noticed!

[potatogrower]

its trail and error. when i grew cauliflower i kept them compact thinking all is well but later on i realized i should have given them more room. with the dense foliage it will cover up the ground and have slugs underneath so cut the outer bigger leaves off when the white bulb appears. having said this i had very good results with cauliflower and cabbage despite planting too close cutting leaves off. potatos will take a lot of room. chilli's will need a warm green house. from what i did last year i got 4 cauliflower plants in a 1 metre width which is too close but worked for me. carrots, beetroot are another option. you could use pots and use watered down feed to top up the nutrients. you could also trail a rota, of summer and winter cauliflower.

see how you go

[DD.]

The "bulb" is called a "curd" on a cauliflower!