Raised Beds for beginners!

the goon

Hi all. Well I made a raised bed from pallets at the weekend, roughly 8ft x 4 ft. I did grow some veg last year but in a spot which didnt get much sun and was cold. I had mixed results at best.

That has been my only foray into growing veg so far and so I was looking for some advice as to what is easy to grow for beginners. I am thinking some onions, garlic, lettuce and cabbage?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Harika

In my opinion radish, cabbage and salad are super easy to grow. Onions too afair but no experience with garlic.

dball

cant go wrong with spuds, now is the perfect time to plant them!!

the goon

Thanks guys, much appreciated

the goon

Hi all,

Well, I have some boradbeans about an inch high, and I am hoping to plant them this weekend. Also have radish seeds. With regards to onions, I heard it is best to plant from sets?

Living Off The Splash

Try Cabbage, Spinach, Kale. Lettuce various types. Mange touts, French Beans, Broad Beans.

I grow the above every year. The white butterfly will lay it's eggs on your cabbages so you will need to cover these.

I don't bother with onions. Difficult. I have grown beetroot but you can buy these in Aldi/Lidl for 70c for a pack of 5 so I don't bother either. I grow peas but only for snacking in the garden.

You can also try a line of Pak Choi. Easy to grow.

Last week I planted two beds of Homeguard potatoes. Bought the seed potatoes in Lidl. Should be eating these mid June.
Just cover with soil and then add more soil as the "greenery" appears above ground. Keep topping up with soil.

the goon

Thanks for that! Well ave down the French beans, radish,lettuce,cabbage, kale and garlic. Thanks for all the advice.

the goon

Hi guys, well I had moderate sucess last year;

Broadbeans were a winner although what they actually yielded was low!
Radishes were great first crop and then they were decimated before they even got above ground
Garlic was good
Lettuce, cabbage etc were destroyed.

My wife thinks it is hilarious because I am so enthusiastic but not very good at the old veg growing!

I think the biggest thing was pest control, especially the snails. I tried to just use beer cups etc and stay away from anything inorganic but really, I need to up my game this year. So, just wondering if someone can point me in the direction of the least harmful pesticide? Would it be nemaslug?
Will also be using nets and copper wiring.
All suggestions greatfully accepted.

RebelButtMunch

Keep the area around the base and near the base of the bed clean and cut low, if its grass. Slugs love sleeping there

pwurple

Gravel and sand are my best defence against slugs. They hate slithering over that. I have a 20cm ring of gravel around the base of my raised beds, and mix sand into my compost.

Clear the beds completely of vegetation and hiding places before planting anything.

I find they hate to eat certain hairy plants also. Borage (salad/herb, tastes like cucumber), tomatoes, sunflowers.

Chuchote

the goon wrote: »

Hi all. Well I made a raised bed from pallets at the weekend, roughly 8ft x 4 ft.

That's tall!

Slugs and snails hate copper. If you can get your raised bed clear of them you can keep it clear easily by putting a 4cm-wide strip of copper tape around the edge, a couple of centimetres down from the top https://www.amazon.co.uk/Copper-Slug-Tape-Multibuy-rolls/dp/B002Q4CJG6/ref=sr_1_5?s=outdoors&ie=UTF8&qid=1491119565&sr=1-5&keywords=copper+tape

You want the strip wide enough that they can't arch over it. Copper gives slugs electric shocks and they hate it and won't cross it.

You can also get bronze tools; if you cultivate the soil with these, the slugs apparently get residual shocks http://www.kupferspuren.at/en.html These are beautifully made and last for many years with care.

The other thing is to provide handy hidey-holes for the slugs and snails by laying down boards or plastic on the grass; they'll happily ooze in to rest there, and you can collect them and kill them or dispose of them.

You'll find it easier to control them if you have a clear garden without debris or ivy; however, the downside of this is that this kind of garden doesn't provide space for frogs or hedgehogs or birds. You make your choices according to your values…

And finally, I find that if I grow from seed, then pot on, and only put the plants out when they're too big for the slugs and snails to find them delicious, I have much better success in - not controlling the slimeys, but making their damage less.

irishgeo

the goon wrote: »

Hi all. Well I made a raised bed from pallets at the weekend, roughly 8ft x 4 ft. I did grow some veg last year but in a spot which didnt get much sun and was cold. I had mixed results at best.

That has been my only foray into growing veg so far and so I was looking for some advice as to what is easy to grow for beginners. I am thinking some onions, garlic, lettuce and cabbage?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

You got any pictures of your setup?

Chuchote

Oh, and another tip: the best time to kill slugs and snails, if you're killing them, is in the early morning when the birds will come around and gobble them up. (Obviously don't do this if you're also using pesticide, as their bodies will poison the birds.)

For a good bird population, you can get a bird feeder that sticks on to a window https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chapelwood-CPW0199-Window-Seed-Feeder-x/dp/B003Z97D1C/ref=sr_1_9?s=outdoors&ie=UTF8&qid=1491120999&sr=1-9&keywords=window+bird+feeder so you have the pleasure of watching your garden birds as you cook or study; a big bag of seed costs around a fiver from your local pet shop.

The old saying "The best manure is the farmer's foot" is also true of pesticides: the best pesticide is a hands-on gardener who is out there getting rid of the slugs and snails and weeding, and attentive to the garden and its growth.

the goon

Wow,

Thanks for all the advice. Currently don't have any pictures. I am generally gone before 8 in the morning and not back until after 8 in the evening so have found it tough to give it the necessary time. Will definitely be getting the copper tape.

paulbok

Cat food provide brilliant bait when trying to trap slugs

worded

Gardening fleece is great for sewing seeds very early in the season - like mid march

Grow small plants in a raised bed, search the www for advice on what to plant

Avoid cheap large veg like cabbage and broccoli is too big IMHO for raised beds

Carrots did well, large climbing beans / peas in the middle row of he bed

There are carrot shaped bettroots that save space

Tender stem broccoli saves space and grows quickly