Sally Thompson wrote:

On Thu, 5 Jun 2008 10:27:59 +0100, Brian Robertson wrote
(in article ):

Hi all. We are Brian and Sue, just moved into a new house with a
large(ish) garden. We want to turn a big portion of it into a vegetable
patch (Initially about 20ft x 20ft with lots of other space for pots and
grow gags, possibly double that in time) and would be interested to know
what people think we should start with. We want to put the emphasis on
actually being able to fill our bellies rather than growing stuff that
flavours our food and isn't an essential. So things like potatoes and
carrots and cucumbers come to mind, rather than garlic and chives, etc.
It's a south facing garden and a real sun trap.

We can think about crop rotation, etc, later on, but for the minute,
what would people recommend us to go at as a happy balance between
learning about gardening and eating lots of organic food?


To get you started, I would suggest growing something easy and quick and,
more importantly, only grow what you like. Courgettes and runner beans
are more or less fool proof and there are plenty of young plants around to
buy
since it's getting a little late to sow seeds. When you post on this
particular newsgroup, it's also very helpful (and relevant) to give your
location because what grows well in Devon might not be so happy in
Scotland! Also, I would suggest that if you have a more or less blank
canvas, think ahead about where you might put a greenhouse in time, and
where you will put
your compost bins. Speaking from back-breaking experience g it is also
important to have a water supply near your veg beds.




Totally agree with Sally there, you want to grow only those things which
you'll get the maximum benefit from. Sort of grow things where you'll
really taste the difference or which are pricey in shops.

First things in my new garden we're the asparagus bed and a greenhouse for
chillies, tomatoes etc. I am growing potatoes but only on the allotment, I
wouldn't grow them at home as they take up a lot of room, are really quite
cheap to buy and IMO unless you're talking about new pots they really don't
taste that different from shop bought. (I know some folks will disagree
with that but it's a time and space vs benefit thing) Gosh that sounds like
Dr Who's gardening tips :-)

ooh another thought sweetcorn, that's a good one, still should be able to
buy small plants in shops, and then you can get them off the plant, cooked
and eaten in record time and you really will notice a difference.

Duncan