"shannie" wrote in message
...

Im living in Ireland in the South East midlands. I have quite a bit of
land,
almost an acre and mostly in grass and shrubs...

Hi Shannie
I'm from the north of Ireland and like you started off with about an acre of
pasture which over ten years my wife & I turned into a reasonable garden
(still on-going). I started growing vegetables the first year we moved in
and have been doing so organically ever since. The main things I've learnt
a
PESTS
Most important for organic growing - buy some fine mesh (eg Enviromesh) to
protect your carrots & cabbage family from pests. Cabbage white
caterpillars, cabbage root fly and carrot fly will almost certainly attack
these crops if you don't spray and picking caterpillars from cabbage is no
fun. Put the mesh on when you sow the seeds if possible. Cheap hoops to
support the mesh can be made from plastic piping. I use raised beds to make
covering easier.
Garden fleece does the same job and gives more protection from cold but cuts
down light and can't be kept on too long as plants become soft & straggly.
COMPOST
You probably need a big compost heap(s). I built mine from wooden pallets
and fence posts, the commercial bins are too small for a garden your size.
Start with one using 4 wooden pallets & you can easily add more as needed. I
try and turn the compost once per pile (not always though because I'm lazy
and worms eventually do it anyway).
SOIL
Don't worry too much whether you're doing things right or whether your soil
is suitable - it's better to get stuck in and learn from your mistakes. As
your soil is uncultivated it probably doesn't need much manure yet but it's
always a good idea to add organic matter each year from your compost heap or
friendly farmer. You don't need much manure for carrots and onions anyway.
COLD FRAMES
Make or buy some cold frames. Last spring was the worst for growing veg in
my experience so I am now starting seed in modules in cold frames to ensure
germination this year (presently calabrese, greyhound cabbage, lathom
celery, little gem lettuce, scallions). When you have transplanted the early
seedlings you can grow cucumbers, melons etc very successfully in the cold
frame.
POTATOES
Potato blight can be a problem in our wet summers - being in the SE you may
be OK. I grow mostly earlies and cut the tops off before blight can attack.
I've also grown maincrops and removed the tops if I saw signs of blight. I
still can't decide on what varieties are best, I like waxy, wife & kids like
floury. Try a little of several to see what suits your soil & tastes. I'm
always pleasantly surprised by the amount of potatoes I get from so few
tubers.
WHAT TO GROW
Try everything at least once. My favourites are carrots (early Nantes/
Autumn king), onions from sets (eg Sturon), beetroot (Boltardy); potatoes,
lettuce (eg Little Gem), scallions (spring onions to the English), dwarf
french beans (very productive and can eat all the bean), autumn calabrese
brocolli, purple sprouting brocolli, spring cabbage, dwarf curled kale (for
autumn/winter). Peas & beans are easily grown and delicious but it takes
time to hull them. I grow outdoor tomatoes (Gardeners Delight) in pots and
bags against a south-facing wall, you may be able to grow them in the open.
BOOKS
The Vegetable Expert book is a good introduction and tells you all you need
to get started. Joy Larkcom's book "Grow your own vegetables" is great for
more in-depth info and Bob Flowerdew's "Organic Bible" is good for
inspiration.

Finally don't try to do too much at once. It's better to do a little work
more frequently than to go mad and dig and sow loads of stuff at once then
neglect things for a while. I started off with a few row of cabbages and
have now expanded to 17 raised beds (not finished yet - still 3/4 acre to
go!)). Sow little and often of salad crops - I always sow far too many at a
time when the weather is good and then forget to do successive sowings.
Incidentally you mention a five foot hedge - if its on the south side of
your patch it may block light & may need to be trimmed down a bit, otherwise
it will be fine for shelter

I've found that growing, picking and eating fresh veg that you've reared
from seed gives one a great sense of achievement and also respect for our
ancestor's ingenuity and toil to feed their families throughout the year -
no popping down to the supermarket for them!. Oh, and I forgot to mention
the exercise and fresh air.

BTW slightly off-topic http://futureforests.net in Cork is a great scource
of good quality shrubs and trees at reasonable prices. I've bought from
them for several years now and am very pleased with their service.

Good luck with your garden.

Jim










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