We know nothing about gardening! Is it possible to grow enough vegetables to feed family of 6??

[ConnieDescending]

DH wants to try! What size greenhouse would we need and where on earth would we start??? Any book recommendations for total novices.

Thanks

[HuwEdwards]

I know someone who has an allotment and their experience to date (after about a year) is that certain things (e.g. spuds) are easy, but others are far more difficult. Also, they struggle to get enough variety so they def need to top up. And one last thing is getting the process right so that you have a supply of veg over a period of time rather than just a huge harvest in one month - and that's a bit of an art.

Having said all that, they get a lot of pleasure out of it.

[Catz]

Are you just thinking of using a greenhouse or do you also have a veg patch/allotment? What do you particularly like eating? e.g. I think you'd probably struggle to grow enough aubergines if you eat loads of them as the climate is not particularly suited to them but things like runner beans and courgettes can do really well

There are loads of books out there but you might want to look at one that's really practical like the RHS's 'Growing Vegetables' or Dr Hessayon 'The Vegetable and Herb Expert'

[Loshad]

I do feed us totally from the garden at various times of the year, other times I buy in lots. We don't have a greenhouse, but plenty of veg beds and fruit trees etc.
My easy faves for growing are the basics really - pots, onions, garlic, leeks, curly kale (birds always eat regular cabbages), toms in season, lettuces - you can grow winter varieties though some are a bit bitter, outdoor cucumbers, courgettes, sweetcorn - northern extra sweet is a really reliable outdoor variety, broad beans and runner beans, artichokes and asparagus, both perennial, would like more perennial veg.
Would definately grow fruit too, we grow three varieties of raspberry and had raspberries last year from late june to early nov, strawberries and fruit trees - plums, pears, apples etc, all really easy and need little work once established.
Still haven't really mastered the april/early may gap.

[ConnieDescending]

wow thanks! we wanted to grow the lot in a greenhouse?? is that possible?

not really considered fruit at all.....we do have a plum tree though already

wanted to grow potatoes, carrots, green beans,onions, courgettes etc.....just basic veg really

[3madboys]

ooh good thread, we will soon be a family of six and are currently debating getting an allotement, there are some within walking distance and i thought it would be a good family activity.

my grandparent and my dad grow their own veg etc, and they always bring some of the veg when they visit.

i do wonder how much work it will be, how many hours per week etc you would need to dedicate to it?

[kittywise]

Well, before I had 6 kids,I think when I only had the three I used to grow loads, never in a greenhouse, from memory it was
Potatoes, second earlies and maincrop
sprouts
cabbages broccoli (without success)
peas
carrots
salad onions
cougettes
toms
runner beans
french beans
sweetcorn, nothing like it fresh from the plant
swiss chard (like spinach)
strawberries
apples
plums
still grow raspberries

They are all pretty easy, the hard work I found was fending off all the slugs, birds, caterpillars and rabbits who would devour the seedlings and veg alike.
You need a reasonable amount of dedication.
I think quite a lot of it could be grown in grow bags, but some things are better outside, like pots, cabbages, carrots, sprouts.
Good luck, if you've got the time it's a really satisfying thing to do.

[kittywise]

BTW I've grown all these without a greenhouse, you don't actually need one at all.

[iwouldgoouttonight]

I'm not sure you could grow it all in a greenhouse - things like potatoes, courgettes, etc might be better outside if you have space. (I'm still relatively new to veg growing myself so someone might correct me). There's some quite useful info on this website www.rhs.org.uk/vegetables about what time of year to do what, etc.

From my experience I've tried a few different vegetables and seen what grows best in our soil, for example we had LOADS of courgettes and had them for every meal for months! But caulifowers were a disaster (I've found out since that they are apparently quite tricky to grow). So maybe you could try a few of each for the first year and see how you get on.

[Catz]

to be honest, most of the veg you mention would be happier outside than in a greenhouse as they need more space/less heat. Good veg for greenhouse would be tomatoes, cucumber, aubergine, peppers, chillies, lots of herbs, salad etc.

For the other stuff, if you don't want to dig up your garden or get an allotment then you could look at growing things in pots. There are lots of special ranges of plants for pot grown peas etc and you can get good potato planters for growing them on patios.

That wouldn't feed you all but it could be a good help.

[Catz]

Here is a good range of patio veg if you are interested seeds.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/list/patio-vegetables

You can try to be self sufficient but it takes lots of work and planning. I like Sarah Raven's idea (see her 'great vegetable plot') that you should grow stuff that either (1) tastes much better homegrown (e.g toms or sweetcorn) (2) is really difficult or expensive to buy (e.g I grew tomatillos and poblanos chillies for Mexican food this year or (3) you use lots of and you want an easy supply (e.g for us herbs and salad). Mind you we were pretty much self sufficient (2 of us) from early July to Oct even though I had a newborn in July and did nothing in the garden all summer. Wit a bit more planning and tme we could have extended that.

[ingles2]

Hi there,...we've got a very big veg garden, cold frames, greenhouse etc etc and having been trying to feed 5 for about 5 years now....not managed it yet! and it is hard work, my dh who is really keen is out there every free moment, when sometimes I'd quite like him to push the bloody hoover around (maybe he's escaping me...)
Anyway, it really is trial and error, depending on your soil type, aspect, prevailing winds, location.
So, where are you and hopefully there'll be someone here who has the same.

[Loshad]

I'm always surprised at how much you can ignore some veg and still get good crops - the garlic i plant in october, probably weed it once in early may, and harvest it in june/july - it stores all year as well. Some crops are much harder work - brassicas for example.
you can away with doing things that "true" gardeners have a fit at - we have a lot of mice/birds/slugs/other eaters of seeds/tiny plants in our garden so i start all seeds off in pots in a little plastic frame by the back door, my dad had a fit about me growing carrots and beetroot like that "oh they don't like being moved etc", but if i plant them straight in the ground they don't grow, this way they do.

[missingtheaction]

do you mean a polytunnel or a greenhouse?

there are billions of books but I tend to prefer stuff from the RHS as being most practical - if you are serious don't get anything that is written by a cook.

Subscribe to The Organic Garden and/or The Kitchen Garden, and Gardening Which

Take Catz advice about growing what you like

Don't expect to be able to grow everything - different veg have differen needs, if you and some things love what others loathe

Consider deer/rabbit fencing before you start, to save heartbreak and seriously Un-PC anti-bambi and anti-thumper rages!