TIPS please for starting a new Vegie & fruit garden

[briggsy's girl]

can you ask the previous owners what they had in and where? main reason i suggest this is, if they've recently grown tomatos you want to grown them in a different place this year and grow something green and leafy (like cabbage, maybe lettuce) where the tomatos were (so that the soil is regenerated - if you keep growing the same thing the same place, it will take all the nutrients and it's not being replenished

check what you're planting where - if it's against a reflective surface (shed etc) - you can grow things that climb, but put something between them (bamboo screen) to stop them burning

turn your soil over REALLY well - esp if it hasn't been used for a while. make sure it's nicely aerated
plan your attack method against bugs/snails/slugs - prevent attack if you can lol

have a bit of a squiz at companion planting -it's more involved, but it talks about planting leafy herbs (like basil) close to other veg - cabbage moth will attack the herb and leave your veg alone. we haven't started this so i can't say how successful it really is

ummm - make sure you ENJOY the garden - don't let it become a chore that drags you down. if it means planting a novel plant each season to "see how it goes" - do it. last year DH planted a pineapple (which we got fruit from!) - but it seems to have suffered from the frosts dammit! it gave us something different to work around though

[Astrid]

I second having a look at the Diggers Club. We spend ages looking over their seed catalogue, the variety is fantastic! We are giving so many different varieties a go this year. Check out Bunnings as they stock some of their seedlings and I have just noticed another heirloom brand being stocked as well.

Our main tip is that you can never grow too much, especially if you are growing from seed. Either freeze down or preserve excess. Giving it away is great, as often something will come back in return at a later date.

[Phteven]

Another great source for heritage breeds is Eden seeds.

Compost, compost, compost. You can turn your scraps and grass clippings into awesome plant food. As well as a traditional style compost heap we have a worm farm and those little guys do a gret job turning our scraps into worm poo.