Hooray I have an allotment! - good books on starting a veggie patch/toddler gardens

Today I just secured an allotment for the year, after anticipating I would be on the waiting list for years have sorted it out quite quickly. Our balcony which is our only outside space gets invaded with possums so I can't grow much at all there, now I have our own little plot not too far away to try and grow stuff - and just have fun in the mud with the kids. Looks like there is quite a community at the garden and already have sampled some delicious lettuce grown there and there is a working bee on Sunday. We can get there on the train or on bike so don't need to drive there which is another plus point, and there is a new fantastic playground almost next door.

Anyone have any recommendations for books, blogs, websites on starting a veggie patch or gardening with toddlers?

Not really but I'd love to know where you scored an allotment & how much it costs. I'd love more space to grow our own vegies. I just grow herbs and flowers at the moment.

How exciting!!

Diggers is awesome. I joined and buy seeds from them. I have their Australian Fruit & Vegetable Garden book and LOVE it. It's good for fruit trees though too, which wont suit you so their Heirloom Vegetables book might be better.

One Magic Square is a fantastic book for making small rotating plots.

L&B, originally I just googled our council name Boroondara and they listed several, those closest I tried to get on list for but were several year lists. Then I met someone through ABA who runs a permaculture garden you can go help in, so did that a few times, and she mentioned one in our area had spaces so got in touch and sorted it this morning. So now I can go to the permaculture garden and learn stuff and buy cheap seedlings etc and also dabble around on our own plot too. I know someone at work who got one in a similar way.

wysiwyg u sound like ure close to CERES. They have a nursery and have plenty of books there. The staff are extremely helpful too. DH & I did an intro to permaculture course there. Fantastic! I think it's still on or similar. So look them up.


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How exciting! I've been in a house with a garden for almost a year now, for the first time in the 16-odd years since I left my parents' home, and it's wonderful to be able to grow your own food, and plate up the family's meal and be able to say, 'and of course the salad is entirely from our garden.'

I find that Australian books on vegie gardening are of limited use since the climate is so variable in different areas - Most websites are as bad, if not worse, because they relate to other countries as well! The best website I know for what to plant for your part of Australia, and when to plant it, is 'gardenate' (google it!). I also love my 'Perth Edible Gardeners' facebook group, but that's no good to you. I would suggest you make a point of going to the working bees, like the one this weekend, and meeting the people who are gardening right next to you with the same climate, soil type, pests and weeds, etc, and ask their advice. They're likely to have some spare seeds they're willing to share, and will also know the books/websites/facebook groups that are best for your area. Often people will share costs for products you both need, like delivery of large amounts of compost or mulch, or whatever, too.

The main piece of advice I benefited from, right at the start, was to plant seedlings of a quick-to-harvest crop or two so that you see the benefit of your work fast, which really helps to maintain your enthusiam. I planted a couple of punnets of mixed 'cut and come again' lettuces, and was harvesting enough for several salads a week within a month or so. A few of my crops from seed never came up at all (like the spinach and the cauliflower) and I can't imagine how dispirited I would have been if these had been my starter crops.

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I find that Australian books on vegie gardening are of limited use since the climate is so variable in different areas

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This is why I love diggers. The books have a lot of detail about regions and climate and all the plants are marked by regions.

Thanks for the advice, being originally from UK I already get confused by different seasons here and the limited gardening I did in UK seems irrelevant here.

Will check out CERES and Diggers etc. Seems like my first jobs will be a scarecrow as that is what DD had requested! There are a few in the garden already.