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Complete Newbie - Want to grow veg... where to start?!


Maniac123
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Hi all,

I've recently moved into a nice spacious property in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.

My landlord has setup a fair few small (ish) plant pots, in which he said he grew some product (Tomatoes, strawberries + chillis!). He has a pretty nifty watering system that keeps things growing nicely. He has since taken all the plants out however, so they're just empty pots with some soil in.

I really want to start planting some veg, but I'm a complete newbie. Can anyone recommend some tasty, easy to grow fruit/veg that I can plant now (sept) and get the sweet satisfaction of eating my own grown stuff?!

I'll not doubt venture into more adventurous produce once I know what I'm doing, but hoping for some tips on what I can plant now and almost guaranteed some fruitage.

Thanks for any help!
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Well the first thing to say is that September (well 2 days away) is rather late to be sowing things, so the choice will be limited..

Second is that LR is a very large area and includes places close to the coast, where even in winter temperatures are likely to remain above freezing for most of the time, as well as inland and upland areas where winter temperatures are likely to cut back any small new plants.

So some things to think about:

radish

lettuce

Pak Choi

Spinach

If you wait until November then you could think about broad beans for cropping late spring, but if you are in a cold winter area, they might not survive in pots. Aquadulce is a good variety for overwintering.

Many perennial herbs do well in pots and you could look for plants of Thyme, mint (it will die back in winter but grow again in spring), rosemary, sage, chives - also likely to die back over winter. In the spring then sow parsley seeds. Keep the mint in a pot of its own - it spreads and can strangle other plants around it.
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Thank you for your replies! Greatly appreciated.

Yes I only have pots, no proper soil. :(

I'm very south, Sauvian, near Beziers - so I don't think frost is a problem, as we're almost coastal.

Is there a go-to website/place to find out what is good to plant and when?
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I’m going to sound like a terrible killjoy here, but nonetheless.

In my experience, its really quite hard to cultivate successfully, although worth a try I suppose if you really want to persevere. It can be so hot here, although I appreciate that you’re talking about a Winter crop.

However, there is so much excellent quality produce available from good vendors down here, that trying to grow your own is more than a bit frustrating. Believe me, we’ve tried, but with very variable degrees of success!

The only thing that I bother with is ‘cherry’ tomatoes, the seed for which I get from from the UK. Really tasty fruit & saves money if you eat a lot of that sort of thing. Sow in Jan, prick out in Feb, outside in March. Still fruiting now.

Don’t let me put you off though.

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That is one reason why herbs could be a good choice. Many are very tough, come from the Mediterranean area and are relatively drought resistant. Just don't buy those ones in the supermarket with the plastic outer wrap coming up to the top of the plant. You pluck off a few leaves for the recipe, decide that tastes nice and you could do it again next week and so plant out the pot only to find the plant is dead after 4 days.
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