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Veg patch Newbie.

8 replies

2littlegreenmonkeys · 30/06/2011 09:03

I have just started a veg patch (well turned the whole garden over to veg )

It seems to be going well so far and I have some seedlings

I have some weeds starting to grow and some actual grass smack bang in the middle of my veg patch. How do I deal with this? Do I just pull the weeds up or use a weed killer? How do I deal with the grass, can I just leave the grass or do I need to get rid of it??

I am a complete and utter novice at gardening of any sort so I have kinda thrown myself in at the deep end.

Any advice would be very welcome, thank you.

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BeeBopBunny · 30/06/2011 13:29

Pull the weeds out. Grass is a hingry plant and will compete with your veggies for nutrients and water so that will have to go too. If it's just little bits you should be able to pull it out. If it's a bit more established use a garden fork to loosen the soil and roots then pull it out. Have fun!

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BeeBopBunny · 30/06/2011 13:29

Hingry??! Hungry, obviously!

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2littlegreenmonkeys · 30/06/2011 13:46

Thank you.

The weeds I can get at as there aren't many but the grass is in a patch which covers the middle of 2 lines of planted seeds. Should I still dig, even though I will end up digging those seeds up?

See told you I was a novice. The DD's enjoy it though and they have little boxes with seeds in for herbs and what not

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GnomeDePlume · 30/06/2011 17:53

If the grass is growing between rows of seedlings then I would let the seedlings establish themselves first. Then I think I would hand weed (ie pull up by hand). This way you can see exactly what you are pulling up and also firm back down any seedlings which get dislodged. Grass doesnt like having its weeds disturbed so will eventually get the hint.

For weeds with longer roots (dandelions etc) you can get weeding tools (long narrow forks). Wilkinsons do quite a good one which is only a few pounds. These types of tools are really useful for getting in between the plants you want to keep.

What are you growing by the way?

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2littlegreenmonkeys · 30/06/2011 22:40

Thank you gnome.
I have planted cucumbers, onions, carrots, spring onions, leeks, beetroot, peas, rocket salad and various herbs and a couple of other things which I can't remember
I realise I have started late this year, what time of year do you recommend I start in future?

I will get a weeding fork at the weekend and sort out the bigger weeds then. Will leave the grass till the seedlings in that area have started growing.

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GnomeDePlume · 01/07/2011 16:36

That sounds like a great variety 2littlegreenmonkeys. It's possibly a bit late for the onions but everything else will be fine. I think that if the onions are very small you can replant them as sets next year.

Have you got any courgettes and french beans in as well? We find that 4 courgette plants is more than enough for us. You could look at buying the plants to get a head start.

I tend to think of the big planting season kicking off in April/May (depending on frosts in your area)

If you still have some space over you could look at planting second crop potatoes (sometimes called Christmas potatoes). These are salad or new potatoes which are held back so that they can be planted later in the season. I'm still waiting for mine to arrive so you still have planty of time.

Whatever you do I hope you enjoy the fruits of your labours. If anything doesnt work dont worry about it - they dont tell you off for this!

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ProfYaffle · 01/07/2011 16:41

If you get a cold frame you can sow yours seeds in it earlier next year, giving you a longer growing season. Keep an eye on the garden centres for their sales at the end of summer/beginning of Autumn. I normally stock up on seeds and equipment at that time of year.

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2littlegreenmonkeys · 03/07/2011 16:34

Thank you all
So hot today (too hot for me) am waiting till about 7pm ish to go out and do some weeding

DH has brought home a wooden frame from the gym at work (he works in a college) its one of those that stack to make things to jump over (they are just throwing them away) and he thought it would be fab for a raised bed. I have plans to use it next year and be much more organized and to start earlier. (he is bringing me a couple more home next week)

We don't have too many frosts TBH with us being on the coast so hopefully we should be okay.

Is there anything we can grow in winter?

Thank you all for your fabby advice