Starter tips for a complete newbie please?

[GuyMartinsSideburns]

Ok so maybe not complete newbie - I used to garden with my dad years ago. But in a nutshell - just moved into our first house with a good sized back garden and a shed at the bottom. Dh was diagnosed with cancer just before we moved in and I'm at the point now where I'd like my own space and a hobby I can get stuck in to when I don't fancy running. So I'd like to claim the shed, make some raised beds to grow veg in, somewhere to 'switch off' for a bit when I'm done with worrying.

I plan to clear out the shed (dh is already stockpiling wood for 'when' we get a wood burner) paint inside and out, find something for flooring and replace the door. I'd like it to be a potting shed that I can also sit and read etc in, if you get me. The kind of shed I've always wanted!

I have literally nothing to my name to garden with, no idea where to start etc so I was hoping for some pointers please? Maybe a list of 'beginners' things? I find I struggle now with the simplest of decisions and I'm feeling tired quickly so I need a bit of an idiots guide, so to speak!

Thank you very much indeed xx

M0rven - nooooo not posh lol Dh and his scrap wood collection! He doesn't need much of an excuse to get his saw out (not a euphemism) the bloke was in his element Know what you mean about clothes shopping, I'd have the best intentions but not feel any better off for it. At least with gardening you get fresh air and peace and quiet if nothing else.

Jux - that's handy I'll have a look. Not sure if I mentioned here or another thread but found a scaffolding website that sells raised beds using their old scaffold boards, I don't know anyone who's used them though.

Please don't talk about getting saws out, the gardening MNers do LOVE a double entendre . There's a lot of talk about " massive chippers " on another thread

Il be honest, I kicked myself after Id posted that I'd missed out on probably the best chance of using the word 'chopper' il ever have

www.scaffolding-direct.co.uk/tanalised-garden-boards/ That one, Guy?

I got www.amazon.co.uk/Selections-GF6066-Wooden-Raised-Bed/dp/B004QLTF7I the 'frequently bought together' deal which brings the price up quite a lot, but then you don't have to go searching and it's all delivered together.

Yes I think that's it but I haven't had a chance to check it out properly. Il go and look on Amazon now, thank you.

at chopper

at CHOPPERS!

Jux - I've just been doing a sponsored walk to raise money for MS research - with a friend of mine who was recently diagnosed! for you.

Most of the rotavators I've seen are a bit on the bulky side. I wonder if a 'no dig' method might suit you better? You just put a thick layer of compost on the top of the soil over the winter, plant into it in spring, and let nature do the rest.

Tanalised scaffolding boards are really, really sturdy and they look great. They are normally £££ though so I think the prices on that site are really good!

I ended up using tanalised gravel board from B&Q. I got 2 x 3 metre lengths and then 1 x 2.4 metre length, which I cut in half to make a bed 3 m x 1.2 m. So far I've made eight, and they fit nicely side my side on my plot with a 60cm gap between each and a wider walkway in the middle. I think they worked out (timber on offer, brackets from Aldi and corner/side posts) about £10 per bed cheaper than those on the site above. However, gravel board often comes slightly warped, and it took everything I had strength wise to bend it into 90 degree angles at the corners and get the electric screwdriver in. I suspect this would be easier with scaffolding board...

I used to have a bookcase made of scaff planks, I loved it. dh chucked it [sad

Anyway, scaff planks are great, very sturdy, will last forever!

Thanks, Shove

Hi me again, hope you all had a good xmas and new year. What have you been doing during the colder months gardening-wise?

I'm afraid not much was done here. My heart hasn't been in it after the initial excitement. I haven't been able to buy any raised beds yet, my shed needs a new roof and the next door neighbours chopped down their tree and filled my shed with the wood! Nice of them to let us have it for the wood burner but it means I can't actually get in the shed at the moment I'm not sure what I can be doing without the cash at the moment anyway, and I feel so overwhelmed about where to start.

Dh has finished chemo so we now wait for about a month, then he will have the scan that'll tell us if it's worked. Part of me would like to be out in the garden trying to make a start, the other part feels unable to make any decisions, even about simple stuff.

My son came home from school on Friday with a potted iris. Can anyone tell me what I should be doing with it at the moment please? Does it stay inside all the time or do I keep it in for a while then go outside? In the ground or a pot?

This reminds me - a couple of years ago my daughter brought home a hyacinth in a pot. It flowered that xmas, then quietened off like they do, and I thought it would flower again this xmas just gone. It looked like it was going to, but didn't. Should it be in a bigger pot? Do these flowers produce more bulbs - so I should be splitting them up?

I'm useless. Il go and get my books out when ds naps but I still find some things quite confusing tbh. Many thanks

Oh Guy - you're dealing with a tremendous amount. I'm really glad your DH is now through the chemo - that's a milestone - and I'm keeping everything crossed for his scan.

I don't think you should feel bad or guilty in ANY way about not doing things in the garden this winter. You should be doing whatever makes you feel good at the moment, and that might not be wading around in mud. (When my mother had cancer very badly, I was paralysed, just totally paralysed with the anxiety. I was an autopilot, and even basic decisions, like what to cook for dinner, suddenly became tough. Sometimes life is just so tough that merely walking through it takes tremendous guts. You're doing great just to get through this).

It really doesn't matter about the garden, either - the great thing about nature is that there's always another season! There are a couple of months before it's proper planting weather (except for trees which go in now), so if you do feel like a potter (and only if you do), then it's by no means too late to prepare a small bed or two for plants to be planted up in April.

With indoor bulbs, you usually let them flower inside, and then pop them outside for the next year. Things like hyacinths don't tend to come back as strongly in subsequent years, but an iris should be fine and may even make more irises! I'm guessing it's an iris reticulata and not one of the big and later flowered types, so they like well-drained soil (the bigger ones like the opposite - bog!) It can go in the ground or stay in a pot (the latter might work better if you're on clay, because they like to be sunny and well-drained. Putting grit on the surface of the soil too can keep the slugs at bay). Once they're in, just leave them to multiply where they are. You don't have to divide unless they get really congested.

for you.

Thank you shove, nice to hear from you again.

That's exactly it regarding the anxiety and decision making, I do feel somewhat paralysed by it all some days. Some mornings il be sat on my bed, just not knowing what to put on. Or il be in a shop and just have to leave because the choice is just too much. I think that's why I'm struggling with gardening decisions, there's just no hard rules for me to stick to and the choice is overwhelming! Think il keep reading etc for the time being. I'm hoping by the springtime dh will be ok and then I'll have the headspace again. And an empty shed

Coping with uncertainty is just so hard. Just doing whatever makes you feel slightly more human is helpful. I found myself doing loads of running - something about the rhythm of it and the fact of being able to put on headphones and zone out of my own looping patterns of anxious thought for a bit just helped. There will be days when you feel able to take on things, and days when you don't. And both are OK.

For the garden, for the time being, if you feel up for it, why not treat yourself to a few Pinterest sessions, just looking at lovely, restful pictures and deciding what you want to do? Maybe even draw up a plan or two if you feel like it. You can choose plants without having to buy or deal with them (in fact, window shopping is as pleasurable in gardening as it is anywhere else). There's plenty of time to do all the action side of it once your DH is well on the road to recovery.

Don't be discouraged Guy, you have a lot on your plate.

I'm using March 1st as a starting point for gardening this year, unless February turns tropical. I'm sure there are things I could be doing before then but I don't find much joy in the cold, wet and mud!

I already have a cheap plastic greenhouse so I'm going to start off sowing a few seeds indoors or in the greenhouse. I'm rubbish at sowing seeds on time and usually remember around May oops. Maybe start saving a few plastic trays and yoghurt pots now

I'll also borrow a pressure washer (free!) to give the patio and path a blast. Incidentally do you have an outdoor tap (and hosepipe)?

I also round up any unsightly garden junk, empty pots etc and either sort it out or hide from view behind the shed Instant improvement!

I stained my outdoor furniture last year and it's been kept in the shed and under tarps since so I might get away without re-staining. I usually give the shed a coat though, makes me feel like I've achieved something (sad)!
There are some good heritage/ bright colours available now although mine is brown for now

I painted my parents' sheds using a Wilko Seagrass stain for £5 last year. I was surprised to find this Cuprinol-esque shade in the Wilko bog standard range. It's in a massive green tub and goes a really long way (2 coats are best imo, it dries nice and fast in the sun). They usually reduce this range to something silly like £3 over the Easter bank holiday weekend.

I mow the lawn once it starts growing again (if it's a bit jungle-like keep your blades high to avoid tearing. Once it's manageable you can lower the blades to trim). Thereafter I apply Wilko weed/feed/mosskiller periodically (the big box is much reduced over the Easter weekend) - 24-48hrs before a rain shower to save watering it in - and buy grass seed as and when from their self-serve barrel (you can buy as much or as little as you like) to fill in gaps.

All these things make me feel a bit more organised and enthusiastic about the space in front of me

Sorry for rambling, just a few ideas. The above occurs on the first warm, sunny weekend in March. I suddenly feel really motivated by the promise of spring and usually achieve a lot. Evenings and weekends thereafter are more of a leisurely potter I promise!

evening Guy. Please don't worry about not having done anything. You have lots of other things taking all of your head room up. Be kind to yourself.
I would just take the time, on a nice day, to wrap up warm and saunter around your garden, and muse.
When your iris has finished flowering, just find a little spot to pop it - maybe outside your kitchen door if thats a sunny place, along with the hyacinth. They are much happier outdoors.
I do hope things go well with your DH

Some further thoughts:

I considered an arch last year though didn't get round to it in the end. My favourite budget wooden one is listed on ebay (search under buy it now). I think it came in at £40 delivered. I prefer the look of the wooden ones to metal while you're waiting for plants to grow in. Hopefullly your DH will be up to constructing something unique but thought I'd mention it

I love the idea of raised beds but I've not been inclined to fork out for the materials or build them thus far Instead my garden is mostly lawn, with a patio nearest the house. I have two long flowerbeds running the length of the lawn, against each fence. Is this something you could consider? Bit of digging involved but I admit I've not really improved the soil in the two years I've lived here and all my plants thrive. I use a bit of miracle-gro in summer and let the worms take in some rotted down leaves and grass clippings in autumn. I'll probably make an effort to do more this summer as I don't want to deplete the soil.

Was thinking if you made a long, 2-3ft deep bed against the fence that gets the most sun it would give you options (I'm also east-facing).

Plant climbing plants against the fence, lavender, get the kids doing sweet peas, sunflowers etc You could then curve the lawn in towards the arch and plant some shrubbery or whatever either side as a divide. My garden is currently very rectilinear so it's my goal to shape the lawn into something more wiggly (technical!) this year, giving me a bit more flowerbed in the process. Curves are good in gardens, so I understand

On the budget front I amassed my initial gardening kit from Wilko (yellow tool range surprisingly decent, plus about a billion other things), poundland (be selective, there are bargains to be had though Wilko often cheaper/ better quality) and Aldi (install the app to see weekly special buys and set reminders). Greenfingered relatives donated bits and pieces that they had duplicates of, and I kept an eye on ebay for 99p listings in the immediate area for collection The death shelf at Homebase provided me with many a cheap plant, particularly large evergreen shrubs that had already flowered. These can be quite pricey ordinarily and provide structure to your garden year round so worth buying even if you have to wait another 9 months for buds! Aldi and Morrisons (ours has a mini garden centre) also good for plants. We have a budget/ bargain thread in the forum which will be revving up again shortly. It usually appears in the first ten threads once people start posting their bargains on it!

Keep asking questions, we'll be happy to answer

Oh and small things like 99p bunches of daffodils in a vase cheer me up on a challenging day. Be kind to yourself

Hello again

Thank you Have, lots of great advice there. Unfortunately along one fence is the garden path (I think this side is the sunniest too) and the other fence has been pulled down at the moment as the neighbours are having building work done. I would love some flower beds though so really need to think about that.

Good news here - Dh is in remission we found out just over a week ago and tbh I think I've still been on autopilot, it hasn't sank in yet and I will always be terrified that it will come back. All normal I know, just wish it didn't have to be so. It's all been a lesson in living in the now, most definitely.

Today I finally got round to marking out where I wanted my beds! Ive managed to take off the turf (weird mossy stuff) of two of them and start turning them over. I'm planning on doing the other two tomorrow and then will try and get some manure or compost to mix in.

I bought a few fruit trees in lidl today, thought they'd be worth a punt. I've bought an apple, a pear and a cherry. I'm thinking now I should also buy a different type of Apple too, to help the cross pollination? Is that correct? What about the pear - do I need to do the same for that? I know the neighbours a few doors down have apple trees but I don't know the type. Any advice where I should plant the trees? They don't have instructions on the labels and I'm wondering if I can place them in a row to start to section off the veg area from the lawn, but obv I don't want to place them too closely together. I also need to bear in mind that I def def def want rows of runners and peas and i love the 'hedge' effect they give. i remember the feeling of walking through the rows in my dads allotment, how high they were and how fun it was. It felt almost magical and I want that again .

Thanks again for all the advice on this thread, it's so helpful xx