Gardening advice

[Fanne]

After retirement I have decided to take up my passion, gardening, as a means to spend time and earn money at the same time. We have enough space in our backyard and I have called landscape designers in our area to talk about building raised bed garden. We spoke over the phone regarding the details and they have offered to come and look at the backyard and then give an estimate. So hopefully this spring I'll start my own backyard garden. I'll be growing both vegetables and flowers. Which plants should I start with, when the soil is fresh and unused. Anyone have any idea. Please suggest if you know. Thanks!

[Did]

Hi Fanne I would seek out other successful gardeners in your area as the answer will be climate and season specific. I have sucessfully grown chillies, kale, herbs, galangal, ginger, beans and carrots at different times. But I'm still working Ireland out!

[vexed87]

Is there a particular need to start with building raised beds in particular? Is your drainage particularly poor, or do you lack the means to improve your current soil structure?

You can have raised beds without building with 2x4s planks, just throwing that out there, as it's something I was overly concerned about when I first started. Turns out you can just throw compost on top of you top soil, work it in and voila, raised beds!

I cut away the grass turf and put it to one side, worked the soil underneath with a fork and returned the turf to where it came from but upside down, it worked great, as the grass decomposes it adds more organic matter to the soil.

[George the original one]

There are many ways to start gardens. You can do it the expensive way and you can do it the cheap way. To me, it sounds like you're doing it the expensive way, by building and paying for labor. Are you trying to avoid the heavy work? Is there a time constraint? How big of an area are you intending to work? Are you wanting perennials or annuals or a mix? How long until retirement?

[ArkTinkerer]

I would suggest you look at straw bale gardening. You can try it for a year or two without building planters. Eventually, you can put the remains in a raised bed if that is what you want. I haven't done this personally but a neighbor did and has had great luck her first year. My raised beds usually don't do great the first year but take off the second--I think it takes the first years plants to break up the soil deep enough for the roots since my beds are only about 5-6" tall.