New to growing fruit and veg. Where do i start?

[Reabamum]

we have just bought our first home with a garden. I’m really excited to grow some fruit and veg, but don’t know how to get started. There is an old border which currently has weeds in it. If weeded, would this be an appropriate place to plant? Or do i need special soil and containers?

Can anyone advise what the easiest things would be to grow? Maybe just 2 or 3 to get started with. Maybe something that we could start growing in the next couple of weeks? I have 2 young children, so I’m looking for easy, low maintenance veg. Thanks!

Congratulations on your new home :)

My main veg patch problem has been slugs. Planted a row of small lettuces (plug plants) and not a trace remained by morning. If I started all over again I would build raised beds with a proper insect net over them (not a butterfly net, one that stops small insects and slugs).

Once the slugs are in they lay 100s of eggs and are so hard to get rid of. Copper tape doesn’t work by the way. But if you build raised beds and put a net over and pin the net properly with stakes you’ll be ok.

Don’t just do containers or you’ll need to keep adding new soil, it’s better if their roots can go right down.

If you don’t want to spend money on raised beds just do the net over normal soil and pin it carefully. But the net is everything!!

To grow… Potatoes are easy, as are cucumbers and strawberries. Courgettes are easy too.

Ps don’t bother with carrots, I planted some in pots inside and mine all died from ‘carrot fly’ which is apparently very common and comes in the oacket of seeds!!

Thanks so much! Sorry about your carrots and lettuces. I will look into nets. I hadn’t thought about slugs and flies.

Get yourself a compost bin. Makes great mulch for veg beds.

Get some rainbow chard seeds and plant them now. They'll grow even between roses, look like fun border plants and hard to get from the shops. Will give you a boost to get organised for next year.

If you have an old board area already, I would weed and add dwarf raspberry bushes, some blueberries ( get ones that aren’t fussy with type soil), dwarf blackberry and red currants.
They should establish over his summer and Autumn, and then lots of berries next year. You only plant once as a bush so fairly easy maintenance and easy for children to pick. Make sure they are all
thornless types

One of the best things I ever did ( though I know some people may not agree with this ) is get yourself on a good Facebook veg or garden page.

I have only been gardening for two years. But the knowledge I gained just by spending half an hour on Facebook reading and noting stuff down was immense.

At this time of year, I'd suggest going to a local garden centre or plant nursery and seeing what stated plants they have. If you can get hold of a courgette or some dwarf beans, you can plant those out and get some food quicker than starting from seed. They are also pretty easy to grow.
And strawberries, they should have some strawberry plants which can go at the front of your border and will still produce fruit this season.

Start with a few things and then build up and learn as you go.

Hello,

It's my first year doing veg, this is what I have done
Cucumbers (in pots in greenhouse) tomatoes also in greenhouse
Bell peppers in greenhouse but still no peppers on them yet..

The below are in raised beds
Runner beans
Sugar snap peas
Cut and come again lettuce
Perpetual spinach
Beetroot but mine were not very big

Go to your local community gardens, google them for your area. They normally sell lots of plants for all categories very cheaply, plus you'll get some decent advice from them too. You'll be supporting a charitable cause rather than lining the pockets of the big garden centres.

I’m a relatively new gardener (I think this is my 2nd summer growing things), my advice is grow the things you like to eat. I have strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants and this year I bought blueberry bushes but no fruit from those yet. Im also growing cucumber, salad leaves, peppers, melon, tomatoes, squash, pumpkin, carrots, peas, aubergines leeks and broccoli. So far the broccoli is just bird food, I’m not going to get anything edible there and the pumpkin isn’t doing much. I picked my first tomatoes today though 😊

Spinach grows quickly and can grow in a relatively shallow trough if needed, and my 6 year old loves eating fresh spinach leaves.
Autumn fruiting raspberries are easy, you cut them to the ground each February then they grow back. They do spread though so in a raised bed is a good idea to stop them taking over!
Cherry tomatoes are delicious freshly picked - best idea for this time of year is a plant from a garden centre, then next year you can grow from seed.
Peas are straightforward to grow, they need a little space and a support to grow up and kids love eating them fresh from the pod.