Growing Vegetables

[singaporeok]

Complete novice to gardening. Would like to start a small vegetable garden next year using sunny part of a large lawn. Anything I should be doing now to prepare to planting next year? Would seeds be best? What about slugs etc? Any advice would be much appreciated

[Clanad]

Welcome to the world of gardening... if you'll persist through some dissapointments and count them as learning opportunities, you'll be well rewarded. Although I live in the western U.S., our gardening habits are not all that different from yours. Our winters are harsher but vegetables and flowers grow well.
I might suggest that, rather than the work involved in killing grass or removing sod, you might consider building a raised bed garden. This isn't difficult and the expense should be minimal. I'd suggest units of 10 feet long and 3 feet wide(or what ever suits your area). I made a new garden for my daughter (she of the decidedly brown thumb) this spring. I made it inthe shape of a capital "E", with the upright portion being 10 feet long and the three arms also ten feet long (by 3 feet wide). This provided a fairly large number of square feet with the ability to reach the crops from all sides and still be in a relatively small area. It's simple in that treated lumber (I used 2 X 8's) can simple be nailed into a box shape and then using treated 2 X 2's I made several stakes to drive into the soil at intervals to stabilize the structure. I then filled the boxes with top soil from the DIY store. Before pouring the bags of soil in, I place the weed matting over the grass inside of the boxes to inhibit grass growth. The soil, being 8 inches deep, warms rapidly in the spring and that can be enhanced by covering it with black plastic to give a jump on the growing season. The lawn can still be mowed around the shape one chooses.
Contd.

[Clanad]

Contd.
I did find that for certain root crops, most notably long carrots and potatoes, I was better off killing the grass with Roundup (inside the box) and spading it up to give extra depth. Roundup will not linger int he soil and is relatively safe for the environment.
The 3 foot width provides ample room for 3 rows of most crops, with the exception of beans. It's easy to water if drought conditions occur... Or you could spend hours of back breakng work trying to remove the sod only to have new grass plants spring up willy-nilly all summer long.
At any rate... best of luck!
(Yes, seeds are best except for tomatoes, squash (takes lots of room), cucumbers and other such plants that need an early spring start inside). Slug bait works pretty well... it's easy to use but has to be replaced after each rain. There are many plants they won't bother...

[cy marven]

My advice is keep it organic.
Dig up the grass then dig deep (at least 2 spades depth)
Find a local stable and you can often find they are happy to off load horse manure.
Start your seeds in spring
Do not do too much at once. Cougetts are great, give them plenty of horse manure and they will give you loads of fruit and make you feel great.
Also try buying some small herbs. Oregano, margaram, tyme and sage will all grow well without too much intervention. Plants will grow to about 2 ft in as many years and give you plents of herb and interest .
I would stay away from parsnips and carrots as they have many problems and you could get put off. Other goodies include strawberries and peas.
Cy Marven