Help with veggie garden

[rio]

I have just moved to france,never grown my own vegetables and would like some advise PLEASE.

We moved here in April with a garden that use to house 30-50 chickens so you can imagine it was tarmac heaven.

We are slowly getting it round and my husband is kindly getting me some soil to grow some veg.

DO i start anything now or is it too late?

What should i be planting?

ON the packets of seeds they have got the letters of the month some coloured some not what does this mean?

DO you treat the soil with anything to help them grow?

I know to some these are silly Questions but being a first timer they are inportant things to know.

Would appreciate any advise

A bientot

Hayley

[Val_2]

As regards getting some veg in now, try french beans which grow anywhere very fast and remember they have loads of beans so don't go overboard, which have to picked nearly every day so you need to have an empty freezer ready to stock up for the winter months. Courgettes etc could still go in and lettuces all year round if you live in a mild region. I have just put pumpkins in and they are growing well and my english runner beans are up the poles. Have a go with what you fancy,you may get some good results but spuds are too late now. Cabbages and other brasicas for the winter need to go in during the next couple of months so you could get ready for those which would help to get the soil going and then next year really go to town. Parsnips need frost and so do sprouts,so won't do well in areas not prone to this.The easiest way to start something quick is to buy the plants and not sow seeds,try your local grower and some of the larger supermarkets and jardinieres.

[Clair]

[quote]I have just moved to france,never grown my own vegetables and would like some advise PLEASE.We moved here in April with a garden that use to house 30-50 chickens so you can imagine it was tarmac heave...[/quote]

I have found invaluable advice for things to do and when to do them on the site for "Jardiniers de France" (I have reduced the link below)

http://tinyurl.com/aktqv

Clair

[Patf]

My advice would be to start on a small scale, with an area about 5m square. Then extend year by year.Planting at this time of the year, the main problem is irrigation - just reminded me to turn on the hosepipe for the evening watering. Plants are certainly easier than seeds. Val gives some good ideas for this. If you do plant seeds, start them off in seed trays filled with seed compost then plant out later. Whether to add to the soil - this depends what kind of soil you have. I was very late this year and have just planted some tomato plants which look quite healthy. We'll see! Good luck and enjoy - Pat. ps I get a weekly gardening magazine - Rustica. It's in french but easy to understand as it's so clearly illustrated.

[chegerty]

If you would like to subscribe to an Enlgish language magazine The Kitchen Garden is brilliant. It covers everything for absolute beginners and has loads of advice and guidance for growing fruit and veg. Any books by Geoff Hamilton are also great.

Best of luck!

Catherine

[Fantine<br><br><br><br>Susie]

Try the markets for seedlings. For some things it will be too late but I bought some Broccoli plants today - a bunch of 15 for 3 euros (I'll plant half and give half away to a neighbour)

[Chauffour]

along with all the other words of wisdom you've been offered, I can ofer you this - MANURE! After we added well rotted horse manure (over 3 yrs old) last Autumn our veg plot has been brilliant. Some things which hardly survived the previous year have positively thrived this year.

Good luck

PS you might consider sowing fennel to be harvested early winter and basil grows really well in the ground as long as it gets lots of water.