"Trish Brown" wrote in message
node...
We're just about to embark on our first-ever veggie patch and I wondered
if anyone might have some tips for us? The reason we haven't started
before is that our block is boggy and spongy when the winter rains come,
yet arid and awful in the heat of summer. It finally dawned on me that a
raised (about 60cm or more) bed might be the answer! So, that's what we'd
like to do: build up a well-raised bed and then see if we can reduce the
grocery bill by growing some veggies.

I've read lots of material about permaculture and no-dig gardens (they
come with a recipe for layering that seems pretty impossible - I mean, I
don't know any sheep, so I won't be getting sheep-poo any time soon...) My
thoughts were to lay something drainy ('aggregate'? chitter? etc?) and
then pile on some organic mix soil (purchased at Great Cost from a local
bloke who sells it). We've got some recycled planks to make the walls of
the garden and a few years' worth of rotted grass clippings for mulching.

Is there anything else I should know?

you'll work it out over the next 50 years g!

with veggie gardening (ime) you learn fast but you _will_ make loads of
mistakes (some of which you will post to this group, & others keep firmly
under your hat ;-). but mistakes are better for learning imho.

mostly it is straightforward & common sense. read lots of veggie books
(there are millions - use the library & 2nd hand books too). one common
theme among them is to keep feeding the soil.. always keeping the soil
covered is another "rule" (but then there are people who remove mulch for
winter or spring, bla bla, so no rule is cast in iron & you have to be
prepared to learn & be surprised.)

What can I plant nowish (within,
say, the next month)?

winter spinach, spring onions, some other types of winter onions (actually,
if you plant onions for sowing in winter into punnets now (today), they can
be something to put in shortly, when they are big enough), and several types
of peas i believe should be ok in newcastle to go in in winter. mizuna in
punnets now! mizuna will NOT let you down & can be sown all year. and check
what else in your new veggie books ;-) well-progressed seedlings of lettuce
& stuff maybe, if you want to get seedlings at the nursery.
you probably can't plant much but you can take the opportunity to plan for
spring. :-)

And is there anything mentioned above that sounds
wrong?

not "wrong" but i'm thinking 60cm is a lot for a raised bed if you're going
to have a few of them! if you raise the bed less (i'm boggling at the
expense you must be incurring with 60cm planned!) for drainage, you
shouldn't need to allow for the entire length of the plants' roots, but
rather, a decent amount at the top so some or most of the plants' roots can
still breathe when weather is wet. most veg have lots of near-to-surface
roots to breathe with. i'm not sure if i'd use aggregate underneath or not;
the plants will have roots going down into the original soil, too, & not
sure what pebbles would achieve in terms of drainage when you think about it
that way.

I'd be *really* grateful for any feedback you can offer and hope
this might prompt a bit of a discussion on the ways in which others have
started their gardens.

any time i go a-gardening i just jump into it (none of your "planning" for
spring for me! ;-) so i guess that's how my garden started. :-)

how big will the garden be?
kylie