Veg growers what should I put here ?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Location
Shropshire
Hello all,

I'm looking at growing some veg ( this Covid 19 has made me think a bit more about the value of food) I have a south facing wall the border is about 20 foot by 2 foot and as you can see there are a few existing plants. I'm concentrating on volume and have grow some veg before to show the kids where it came from. I've grown runner beans in the past up this wall and have had really good success but have had a problem with aphids later in the season so my thoughts were to use the gaps for runner beans with pea netting up the wall but what could I fill the front of the borders with ? I also always end up with a big surplus of Rhubarb and apples what could I do with these ?

Thanks all for your ideas.

100_4485.JPG
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Tomatoes, cucumber, courgette. As for Aphids, seeing as we will all have lots of time, spraying with soapy water helps - do that daily and the buggers will fall off.
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
How good is that soil? If you start now planting lettuce, radish, rocket, spring onions, cucumber and spinach they will grow and cover fast and you'll have nice stuff for your fresh summer salads. Celery grows fast too but is very thirsty. If you go for salads rather than root veg for Autumn, be prepared to battle the slugs as the little barstewards will be queueing up to nosh everything.
 

Archie_tect

De Skieven Architek... aka Penfold + Horace
Location
Northumberland
Are you digging up the whole lawn or just using the border? Get some nice beetroot, and higher value crops that you enjoy like early new potatoes [large white potatoes are cheap enough in shop!]
 

twentysix by twentyfive

Clinging on tightly
Location
Over the Hill
If you want mega tons - potatoes. Takes up space mind. Always good as a first crop in new soil. Breaks the soil up nicely for future cultivation. However if it's solid clay wait a bit as it might be too cold and damp yet and the tubers could rot.

Also as @swee'pea99 says - expensive to buy is a good trick. French beans, beetroot, sweetcorn, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumber (I find keeping Cukes warm outdoors with an open ended cloche helps even if they are supposed to be an outdoor variety). For a spring crop - we're cropping now - Purple sprouting. That latter takes patience and space tho'.

As for Rhubarb - we have already had two crumbles. Apple crumble is lovely too (depends on apple variety). Cook and freeze both or either when in surplus. Make pies and crumbles and sponges and jam and compote and............ I'm starting to crop and freeze (as well as eat) the rhubarb now.
 

swee'pea99

Legendary Member
I concentrate on stuff we like that will crop well in not much space, with extra points if it's expensive to buy. Tomatoes and french beans would be top of my list. (Love courgettes, eg, but the plants take up a lot of space for the yield.)
Oh, one more criterion I should have mentioned: things where the grown version is nicer than shop-bought. Hence (in my case) tomatoes - Gardeners Delight are my preferred seed, producing loads of quite small but intensely flavoursome fruits - way nicer than any you can get at Sainsburys.
 

mudsticks

Obviously an Aubergine
The wall will make it thirsty ground because of the rain shadow, so be prepared to water well.
But if you got good runners previously you must have done that before (or it was a very wet year)

French beans - dwarf or climbing.
Sugarsnap peas.
Cut and come again salad.
Onions from sets.
Tomatoes OK,
Cucs can struggle outdoors.

If you cut an old leaf everytime you cut a courgette, you can keep them under control.. Then use the leaf for a mulch against weeds / to keep in moisture.

The wall might harbour a good crop of snails too, so I'd advise starting with bought in plants, or raise them in a cold frame / cloche.

And going out on mollusc night patrol in the meantime.

Still a bit early for sowing beans / tom's / courgettes for outside planting.

I'll only be doing that myself next week and that's in the balmy southwest..
And they'll begin their lives in protected conditions.

Only grow stuff you and your family eat..
It's dispiriting to grow a magnificent crop of beetroot, only to have little noses turn up at it..

I'm sowing beetroot direct here this avo.. But thats into ideal growing conditions in warm soil.
It's too easy to do it all too early.
.
 
OP
OP
BADGER.BRAD
Location
Shropshire
Thanks for all the input, much appreciated. I have a shotgun for the slugs or a less noisy approach I can spare a little beer for a few traps ( bloody horrible thieving gits) The ground should be fairly good as last autumn I dug in a load of manure and it was just my intention to use the border only ( if I had my way I'd make it a little bigger) I can remember buying some tomato plants from outside a convenience store whilst out in the truck at work the Indian owner told me they will be the best tomato plants you will ever have I've grown them myself to which I thought yea yea what ever ! That year I had that many tomatoes that I couldn't give enough away I had tomatoes with everything and it was only from two plants , unfortunately I never went there again and never new what variety they were) So my next question is suggestions on varieties french beans, out door tomatoes, plus early potatoes ( how early are these ?) Do spring onions grow from seed ? I would also like to grow some salad crops maybe in so sort of container or grow bags am I likely to have any luck with these ? I'm also tempted to get myself one of the cheap plastic green houses would I do any good with one do you think ?
 
Last edited:
I usually grow various beans at high level, dwarf peas at low level and 2-3 courgettes that spread over the lawn.
All are pretty easy to grow and I really dont use any chemicals.
 

Poacher

Gravitationally challenged member
Location
Nottingham
Another vote for Gardeners Delight. Already have 4 of these on the go, plus by way of contrast, 4 Pink Brandywine, which are also delicious but about ten times the weight. Two of each will be in the greenhouse, the others will be taking their chance outside.
Definitely go for high value / hard to find varieties.
 
I concentrate on stuff we like that will crop well in not much space, with extra points if it's expensive to buy. Tomatoes and french beans would be top of my list. (Love courgettes, eg, but the plants take up a lot of space for the yield.)

It's a while since I've grown veg - I did on a fairly big scale when dad was alive, but have decided to go back to it since I shan't be doing any yellow stickering for a while.

This is exactly my approach, as my former veg patch is now far too shaded by trees. I'm sticking to stuff that can be grown in pots, planters and grow bags or in random spots in the garden, so things like dwarf beans, cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, courgettes and those small pumpkins.
 

mudsticks

Obviously an Aubergine
Yes so long as the pot is of a good depth.

I wouldn't bother with anything shallower than a foot deep, preferably more, and plenty of water once they get going.

They grow fast in warm weather, and will try to go to seed if they get dry.

Just keep cutting the leaves -
- and eating them :smile:
 
Top Bottom