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The title says it all really! I've never done any gardening before, but we have recently moved from a flat to a house with a garden so now I have the space.
I'm ridiculously excited about growing my own and have been reading lots of books, now I want to get started! I've been given 4 tomato plants and have really enjoyed watching them grow and produce fruit, but I don't know what to do with the rest of the garden.
So - we live in a mid-terraced house, with a back garden roughly 8m by 5m. There is a bit of extra space at the side of the house but it's in shade, I thought I could use this for the compost bin and the water butt. There is a shed at the bottom of the garden, it's about 2m by 1.5m, and faces east. The fences on either side face north and south, the north facing one is covered with ivy. Most of the back garden is paved, and there is a small border along the south facing side, which currently has a couple of large bushes at the bottom next to the shed. The rest of the border contains dead plants and a load of mint which has taken over
My plans for the back garden are as follows:
1. Dig up the south facing border and start from scratch. Plant fruit trees at the bottom of the garden (e.g. cherry, pear) to replace the bushes. Construct raised beds for vegetables. Plant some flower bushes in between or on either side of the raised beds. Do I need to do anything to prepare the border for this?
2. Remove the ivy from the north facing fence and plant climbing fruit and veg (e.g. beans, peas, raspberries, blackberries), maybe along with some flowers.
3. Grow fruit and veg in pots and hanging baskets next to the shed (east facing) and wall of the house (west facing)
We also have a small east facing front garden, which is soil covered with small stones, and there is a large bush and lots of weeds. There are also loads of snails when it is wet. Plans are:
1. Get most of it paved but leave a small border along one side to grow sunflowers. Grow crops in pots, e.g. bay trees, lemon trees, orange trees. I'm not sure whether this would be the best use of space, or whether I should leave it unpaved and grow the trees in soil instead.
2. Plant herbs and salad in window boxes
I would really appreciate the input of some experienced gardeners. Apologies for the mammoth post but I didn't want to leave anything out. And if my plans sound completely ridiculous, please don't be afraid to tell me - as I said, I'm a complete novice!
I'm ridiculously excited about growing my own and have been reading lots of books, now I want to get started! I've been given 4 tomato plants and have really enjoyed watching them grow and produce fruit, but I don't know what to do with the rest of the garden.
So - we live in a mid-terraced house, with a back garden roughly 8m by 5m. There is a bit of extra space at the side of the house but it's in shade, I thought I could use this for the compost bin and the water butt. There is a shed at the bottom of the garden, it's about 2m by 1.5m, and faces east. The fences on either side face north and south, the north facing one is covered with ivy. Most of the back garden is paved, and there is a small border along the south facing side, which currently has a couple of large bushes at the bottom next to the shed. The rest of the border contains dead plants and a load of mint which has taken over
My plans for the back garden are as follows:
1. Dig up the south facing border and start from scratch. Plant fruit trees at the bottom of the garden (e.g. cherry, pear) to replace the bushes. Construct raised beds for vegetables. Plant some flower bushes in between or on either side of the raised beds. Do I need to do anything to prepare the border for this?
2. Remove the ivy from the north facing fence and plant climbing fruit and veg (e.g. beans, peas, raspberries, blackberries), maybe along with some flowers.
3. Grow fruit and veg in pots and hanging baskets next to the shed (east facing) and wall of the house (west facing)
We also have a small east facing front garden, which is soil covered with small stones, and there is a large bush and lots of weeds. There are also loads of snails when it is wet. Plans are:
1. Get most of it paved but leave a small border along one side to grow sunflowers. Grow crops in pots, e.g. bay trees, lemon trees, orange trees. I'm not sure whether this would be the best use of space, or whether I should leave it unpaved and grow the trees in soil instead.
2. Plant herbs and salad in window boxes
I would really appreciate the input of some experienced gardeners. Apologies for the mammoth post but I didn't want to leave anything out. And if my plans sound completely ridiculous, please don't be afraid to tell me - as I said, I'm a complete novice!
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