New veg bed
 

Hi

After embarrassingly mis-posting this to uk.rec.cycling I'll try
again here :(

I'd like to grow a few fruit, veg, and herbs in my garden this year. I
live in a small terraced house and my small garden faces ENE. I think
alongside the left-hand fence would be the best area; the sun shines
there for the longest.

The garden is currently 'peashingled', and I don't really know what the
ground beneath is like. There are certainly a lot of weeds in the
summer! Can I just remove the plastic and shingle, then dig the ground
over before sowing seeds? I presume I'll need to work in some compost or
other soil improvement matter. Can I use regular organic (peat free)
compost from a garden centre, or are there materials specifically for
improving soil? Can I dig the ground now?

I intend to grow tomatoes, courgettes and a several herbs (rosemary,
thyme, basil, parsley). I'd also like to grow runner beans and peas, if
possible. Can I plant all of these in the same area? I don't intend to
grow a huge amount of anything, just enough to make it worthwhile.

I'll start the tomatoes off indoors, then grow them on in the (small)
greenhouse that I have before planting them out finally. How does that
sound?

You might notice that I'm a complete beginner at this :~)

Thanks for any tips,

Mark