Ten Top Tips for New Gardeners

by Eddie
(Glasgow Scotland)

After 70 years of living in a flat with no garden, I finally succumbed to the temptation to grow my own vegetables. Even the wife pitched in and now we eat like kings and feed half the neighbours for free.

Ten top tips for starting your own vegetable garden or allotment.

1. Conserve water, use water butts and avoid overwatering which can weaken or destroy your crop. Add mulch or organic matter annually. Use hosepipes to fill containers, not for watering crops, rain water is best.

2. When you start your allotment or vegetable garden don’t try and do it all at once. Put bin bags or black plastic sheeting over a portion of the garden to kill off any weeds and just cultivate a portion of the land that you feel comfortable with at the beginning.

3. Dig in early. If possible, turn the soil in autumn as the winter frosts will break down the clods of soil. If not, do it in spring, but you will have to break the soil down yourself.

4. Always buy good quality seeds and plants to avoid disappointment. Cheap doesn't equate to good quality or quantity.

5. For the best crops, do your research and know when to plant! Your local library will have books that can help.

6. With perishable crops such as lettuce, it is best to plant a little and often, say one row at a time to avoid waste.

7. Be sure to thin crops out as they grow to avoid clustering. This will give you a better quality plant.

8. Pick crops quickly, early and often. Enjoy the food when it’s fresh. You’ll enjoy it so much more and it will help you stay enthusiastic.

9. Tackle problems promptly. The worst thing you can do is leave a problem to get worse. If you see it deal with it and then move on.

10. Be green!! Compost green material and kitchen waste, such as egg shells and potato peelings, in the bin at your allotment. It’s better for the environment than burning it and the compost is great for your plants.

Above all remember; gardening is fun, it’s healthy and it’s a great way to meet people. So enjoy it.

Oh! and learn to make soup. There's no better way to use up excess, and soup can be frozen for later. There's nothing like your own tomato soup for a little bit of summer in the middle of winter.