What veg???

[floyed]

Hi there, Am wanting to start a little veggie patch and have a few questions if someone could help it would be great.

1. What kind of veg if any can i plant this month??
2. What am i best starting with? have been told potatoes am i too late to start growing them??
3. Do i need to get rid of all the stones out of the soil??
4. I have homemade compost can i use it on the veg??
5. Is there any good books out there that might help me or websites??
6. I am planting the veg in soil that used to have paving stones on top do i need to get rid of all the sandy soil stuff first then lay compost or something down first??

I know its a lot of questions but am fairly new at this. My dad always grew his own veg, and have always wanted a patch.

Thank you for your help:D

[Birdie Wife]

Hi there, Am wanting to start a little veggie patch and have a few questions if someone could help it would be great.

1. What kind of veg if any can i plant this month??
2. What am i best starting with? have been told potatoes am i too late to start growing them??
3. Do i need to get rid of all the stones out of the soil??
4. I have homemade compost can i use it on the veg??
5. Is there any good books out there that might help me or websites??
6. I am planting the veg in soil that used to have paving stones on top do i need to get rid of all the sandy soil stuff first then lay compost or something down first??

I know its a lot of questions but am fairly new at this. My dad always grew his own veg, and have always wanted a patch.

Thank you for your help:D

1. Garlic and japanese onion sets will do fine outside and should be planted about now, they are mega hardy. Broad beans (Aqua Dulce Claudia), spring onions, perpetual spinach and mustard/oriental greens can go in under cover.
2. Too late to start potatoes I'm afraid, the traditional time for planting spuds is Good Friday but many people up here don't plant them until the first or second week of May.
3. Depends how many there are! Carrots and other root veg don't do particularly well in stony soils cos the roots tend to bend around the stones. Salads and other things that just go into the top of the soil should do okay, provided enough nutrients. Lots of stones does make hoeing a bit of a pain in the butt though ;)
4. Yes! It's really good. Probably best to add it in the spring to avoid winter rains leaching all the nutrients out.
5. I'm on the Grow Your Own forum, it's called the Grapevine and it's really friendly, a brilliant forum with lots of newbies and experienced growers alike. I also recommend Geoff Hamilton's Organic Gardening and Andi Clevely's Allotment Gardening.
6. I would probably remove the sandy stuff down a good couple of feet, it's probably builders sand which isn't good for plants. Then put in your soil/compost. Usually I'd say put down a layer or weed control fabric first but as there's been paving stones on it, it's unlikely that you'll get any weeds growing up through.

Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you!! Good luck with it :cool: