New Gardener needs advise... East Facing Garden?

Hi everyone!!!

This is probably a silly question but how do I get the best from my Garden?

I've downloaded a compass app this morning which shows my garden as east facing.

I'm wanting to grow my own vegetables and lots more plants but I'm scared they won't do well if they're not getting enough sunlight.

I've attached a picture of my garden.... the sun rises in the top left by the garage and then sets on the other side of the house. So I get sun on my patio early in the morning and then as the sun rises throughout the day the rest of the garden gets sun and the last part of the garden the sun leaves is the conifers at the bottom of the garden.

Would a raised bed in front of the conifers be suitable for growing vegetables?

Also, if this was your Garden what would you do with it?

The campervan on the patio is not a permanent fixture by the way! Well at least I hope it isn't :D

Thanks in advance lovely people!

Stef

 

Welcome @Faerie Gardener! My garden's east-facing too. Have you had yours long? If it's new to you, I'd say don't rush in and try to do too much the first year - you will find the position and angle of the sun varies, affecting the amount of light you get at different times of year. It's good to have a fix on that, on the nature of the soil, and what plants are already there (nice surprises like bulbs coming up in the spring, nasty ones like over-vigorous shrubs or intractable weeds) before you go wild with the plantings. And it will be easier to see what's what once the campervan goes of course!

Meanwhile start gathering and assembling your ideas - a mood board/scrapbook of stuff you see and like is fun, lists of plants too.

My layout: patio with seating area, plants in pots and pond (currently being rebuilt) next to the house, then an area of gravel and slabs surrounded by flower beds, then beyond that the shed, compost bins, and a banked-up wild area at the end. Retractable clothes line, running from the house to a point on the end wall.

I get plenty of sun but one thing to watch out for on an east-facing wall in particular is early sun on a frosty morning - I lost a camellia once which couldn't cope with the fluctuations in temperature, and this kind of thing is probably more of a problem where you are, further north.

I'm not a vegetable-grower but others who are will I am sure be along to advise. A raised bed sounds good but I would avoid putting it too near the conifers - they cast shade and their roots also spread quite a way, sucking a lot of the goodness out of the soil.

 

I would say not. Conifers leech nutrients out of the soil and would even leech them out of a raised bed.

 

Good advice from Clare G to take your time. Think about how you will use your garden, or what kind of atmosphere you want it to have. Look in the garden centre for plants and features that create the kind of feeling you want to have when you are in your garden. Check which of the plants you think are suitable will prefer the type of soil you have and the amount of moisture, sunshine etc they would get - right plant, right place. But also remember that even if the conditions you can offer a plant aren't exactly ideal, you will still be able to enjoy the plant, you just might not get such a perfect specimen, with say a few less flowers. But it doesn't mean you cant grow it. And remember that though your garden may "face east" this is as viewed from the house. A rectangular or square garden will always have a North, South and West facing side too. In your case from what you said the side of the garage faces South, so this side of the garden will suit the most sunloving plants, and the right side of the picture would be the side that faces North and anything against the fence would get much more shade. Best of luck, its great fun putting plans together!

 

Think I would be tempted to have a bed by the garage wall for various veg and fruit.
You can use the garage wall as a heat sink /reflector and a support for taller plants like blackberries, raspberries, runner beans etc etc and space in front of them for the smaller crops like lettuce , beetroot etc.

Have you watched BeechGrove tv program ( sunday am) where they grow all sorts of veg /salad on a little flagged area -some good ideas.

Have to ask, those conifers, are they yours ? next doors garden seems to extend way down, does yours ?