Vegie patch help needed

[Pandora]

Whats the quickest and hopefully releateively cheap way to get a vegie patch up and running, and where on my block should I put it? I just want to grow basic stuff - greens, brocolli, zucchini

Our yard is small, and we still want to retain an area for the kids to play, so something small is what we are after.


The front of the house faces east, so the short ends of the yard south/north

Does the vegie patch have to face north? Is there a "best" aspect?

There is enough room for what I'd like between the fence on the south side, bt Im worried as the clothesline sits next to that and im not sure if when full it will block too much of the sunlight?

I have a picture of the block but i cant get the gallery to upload it.

[Bathsheba]

We started one last year. We bought redwood sleepers, metal corners and joiners and had 1.5 cubic meters of compost soil delievered. it was done in a weekend but cost over $100... not including seeds/seedlings. The most successful crop was the potatoes I grew from peelings.

Those vegies you mentioned are actually quite tricky to grow successfully, from my experience and observation (I grew up on farms and we usually had a vegie patch as a kid). Zuccini isn't too bad... but broccoli is nortorious for being aphid infested and they are never anywhere as good as market/shop bought. Root crops are usually easier. If you want greens I highly recommend spinach... the baby spinach leaves are delicious and only take little while from seed to be usuable.... my kids loved them... ate them straight from the garden.

If I wanted to get something going for next to nothing I would get a hold of some old tyres... maybe about 6 (free) and stack them 2 high. I'd fill with soil and pop in some potato peelings that have small sprouts developing. In about 10 weeks you could have the equivalent to a large bag of spuds. No sprays needed. And not too much water... remember that water costs money too. You might be surprized by how much a vegie patch needs.

Alot would depend on the quality of your soil... most people get better results from raised beds... but it costs. We got our sleepers on special for $9 each... they usually retail for over $20. We needed 6 sleepers. Photos are in my FaceBook garden album.

[Bathsheba]

Rememer too that in winter the sun's rays will be falling in a slightly different spot too... maybe large planters on wheels would be the go? Lots of my soft leaved plants got destroyed by the hot direct sun... it would be good to be able to roll them into a shady area on those 35'C + days. Otherwise you might also have to invest in shade cloth. I was in hospital during the last hot spell... totally killed the beetroot Also the carrots were really woody due to lack of watering... but they have gone to seed... remember to always collect the seeds

[Pandora]

Bath, check out my FB pic of the yard - so maybe betweenthe fence and the clothesline may not be so bad afterall?

grrens i was thinking beans, silverbeet, bok choy as Ive done those before.
i tried onions but the never grew. But yep carrots and beetroot sound good. im having trouble getting DH to agree to potatos (or anything) in tyres hes worried about chemicals in the tyres getting in to the food any suggestions to reassure him?

water would be recycled

[Bathsheba]

With the tyres you could line them I guess... with some punctured plastic for drainage... I was just trying to save you the cost of sleepers/metal supports. I know the tyres are not very aesthetically appealing... maybe you could cover them in hessian?

Have you investigated how much popping in a raised bed would cost yet? Good quality compost soil is over $100 per cubic meter alone. Could you use your own soil? Plant directly into the ground?

ETA: also ideally you mulch the garden to retain moisture and keep down weeds... another expense but worth it... we used pea straw mulch.

[Pandora]

we would need to put some mushroom compost or similar in to the soil. we have clay soils so it will also need to be broken up a lot as well. hmm. this is sounding trickier than i though.

re the tyres we dont care what thye look like its more dh being worried about chemical residues i think. I might get his uncle to talk to him he's used them before.

[Bathsheba]

Yep, knowing the vague area where you live I agree the soil wouldn't be that great.

Hmm, I'm thinking you should start small. Go to a nursery/hardware store and buy a few deep planter boxes, some seedling compost, a bag of mulch and some seeds. See how much the sun affects the plants in the area you are thinking about putting a permanent bed. Startup cost could still be close to $100 but I think the chances of success is greater. Investigate how much sleepers cost... that will sway you the most I suspect.

[Pandora]

Thanks Bath

[beckoes]

Dont have any real knowledge on this topic, im still learning myself. I started a veggy garden a few months ago, had a stack of timber under our house (rented, and landlord said we could have it) so that was free...a few nails and steaks and i had a good frame!! Bit rickety but its ok!!
We got cane straw, cow poo and compost and layered it. Wasnt too expensive....bulk it up with newspaper. look in you local paper, sometimes people are selling that sort of stuff for cheap! i got seeds rathers than seedlings...heaps cheaper.
My tomatoes are still growing, no fruit yet. cucumber basically grows itself!! and i get one a day now! rockets growing well and so tasty.
dont know where you live but we are on the sunshine coast and its too hot for my lettuce! put a light shade cover over it and that helped a little. we have all typs of herds. Markets are good for little seedlings.
they say you need 7 hours sun a day, mine gets about 9! itry to water twice a day if i have enough grey water. otherwise it just gets a good water once its dark.
Its so trial and error and its a very rewarding feeling eating your own stuff!! and DD loves it, she has a little basket and we go a pick stuff for dinner! have fun.

[Oorki Galoorki]

Pandora do a no dig garden, the abc gardening australia www have lots of info and show you how to do it.

[Pandora]

Pandora do a no dig garden, the abc gardening australia www have lots of info and show you how to do it.

Thanks, I stumbled on to this thisafternoon and currently investigating. Talk about twilight zone though, I rang home befiore and MIL was there - she came over with two pots, soil and seeds and her and DS have been planting things

[OldMate]

I know it has been a couple of months since anyone has posted to this thread. I thought I would throw in a couple of ideas I intend to try when I finally get some time. I have collected a couple of those triple and double cement laundry tubs and an old bath tub. People tend to throw them out when renovating old homes that have outdoor/under house laundries. They already have good drainage and some come with the concrete stands, which lift the tubs to a good height (no needs to get down on hands and knees to pick or plant).

Arrange it all in a U-ish shape and throw an arched climbing frame at the entrance. Plants climbing beans or passionfruit at the entrance, throw some cheap gravel or road base down in the middle of the garden and you have yourself a little vege patch retreat.

Well, that's the plan anyway. If I ever get it up and running, I'll try and post some photos. Happy growing!

[AnyDream]

Great idea Oldmate. I know the type of troughs you describe from my Darwin days, they're a little less plentiful down here. A lot of people are going out and buying those prefab corrugated iron garden beds in different sizes now.