Grow your own 2013
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Soldato
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I really need to get all that grass from around the gooseberries (in the foreground) and weed that closest bed before the spring comes in. Pity that it's going to be raining at the weekend.
Last year was a nightmare wasn't it? Combination of early drought followed by stupid amounts of rain and the worst potator blight in years pretty much did for me!
Looking forward to this year just need to get back out there and finish the winter prep, forcast is for some cold dry weather so ideal for getting some digging and other bits done!
Soldato
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I've just bought a house and although veg growing isn't on my list of priorities, I am seriously thinking of building a raised bed in a relatively well sunlit area of my garden. Much of the soil underfoot is clay so I am thinking I will need to build something and fill it with....compost?
Any advice from anyone who has done this would be great. I need to know what type of soil (compost?) to fill it with and what sort of light conditions, I assume the more light the better? I have also never built anything like this before, so would anyone suggest brick walls a gravel drainin layer on the base? Also, to fill it with material could be quite costly. I am thinking something along the lines of 2m wide x 3m long and approx 0.3m-0.6m deep.
Any advice from anyone who has done this would be great. I need to know what type of soil (compost?) to fill it with and what sort of light conditions, I assume the more light the better? I have also never built anything like this before, so would anyone suggest brick walls a gravel drainin layer on the base? Also, to fill it with material could be quite costly. I am thinking something along the lines of 2m wide x 3m long and approx 0.3m-0.6m deep.
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My garden is currently under 3" of snow again so no chance of me planting anything 
.
I bought some tomato seeds the other day to start soon. It says to sow them in march-april, but would it be ok to sow them now? The last time I tried growing them I got some really big green tomatoes, but then we completely lost the sun before they could ripen, so wondering if it would be better to sow earlier to try and avoid that happening?
.I bought some tomato seeds the other day to start soon. It says to sow them in march-april, but would it be ok to sow them now? The last time I tried growing them I got some really big green tomatoes, but then we completely lost the sun before they could ripen, so wondering if it would be better to sow earlier to try and avoid that happening?
Soldato
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Get this - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vegetable-G...1897/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360765688&sr=8-1
It is my growing bible.
Soldato
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I've got Joy Larkcom's book, along with Alan Titchmarsh's Kitchen Gardener. Alan says use a mix of 50:50 top soil and multipurpose compost to fill the bed. Going to cost me a fortune when it comes to filling it!
Soldato
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You shouldn't need to build a raised bed and spend £££ on buying soil & compost, clay isn't really a problem as long as it isn't subsoil. Clay holds on to nutrients really well and can be an ideal base for veg growing. My allotment is quite heavy clay and I do ok. Your only issue will be drainage as it can easily get waterlogged. The best way to combat this is to improve the tructure of the soil with plenty of organic matter. Homemade compost, leafmould, well rotted manure, etc. can all be dug into the clay soil to losen the texture and improve the drainage.
Start a compost heap and read up on how to compost properly. You'll be able to get rid of a lot of your kitchen waste and a fair bit of recycleable paper and cardboard as well. Turn your heap regularly, at least once a week, to get a good bit of microibial action going and you should have top quality compost of your own by the end of the summer.
Soldato
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Thank you for the advice. I was thinking of making a raised one to make it a bit more of a feature too and to limit a lot of the bending down etc.
Water is quite an issue in my garden too. The whole lawn is completely waterlogged at the moment with all the snow and rain we have had non-stop lately and only one half of the garden gets sunlight, the rest is shaded by the fence, but the garden is South-West facing. My lawn is composed mostly of mossy-grass and it sinks like a sponge when you step on it at the moment. I have gone round and forked it all but that hasn't helped much. I am going to get moss killer onto it in the spring and plant grass seed, so I am hoping that will help with the water a bit.
Water is quite an issue in my garden too. The whole lawn is completely waterlogged at the moment with all the snow and rain we have had non-stop lately and only one half of the garden gets sunlight, the rest is shaded by the fence, but the garden is South-West facing. My lawn is composed mostly of mossy-grass and it sinks like a sponge when you step on it at the moment. I have gone round and forked it all but that hasn't helped much. I am going to get moss killer onto it in the spring and plant grass seed, so I am hoping that will help with the water a bit.
Soldato
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My lawn's like that as well, as I suppose are most people's. There's just too much rain in the last 9 months and the ground is waterlogged.
See if you can get hold of a hollow tine airator and us ethat instead of a fork. the benefit being that the holes won't close up as quickly. You can brush sharp sand into the lawn which will fill the holes & improve drainage.
I'll be doing this with my lawn in the spring - mow, rake, moss-kill, rake, airate, rake some more, overseed with a sand mix, water, pray.
See if you can get hold of a hollow tine airator and us ethat instead of a fork. the benefit being that the holes won't close up as quickly. You can brush sharp sand into the lawn which will fill the holes & improve drainage.
I'll be doing this with my lawn in the spring - mow, rake, moss-kill, rake, airate, rake some more, overseed with a sand mix, water, pray.
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Soldato
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Hehe, yeah, that was pretty much my plan too. I will dread to think what it will look like once the moss killer has gone to work. I expect there will be huge patches all over the place!
Gonna turn over the soil in the proposed area once the weather lifts a little bit and mark out with string where my raised bed is going to sit. Going to buy a load of planks and then treat them before nailing it all together. Then fill with top soil and compost. I'm thinking something along the lines of 1 foot high, then maybe 1m x 2.5m.
Will probably grow rocket to start and some form of lettuce so I will always have salad leaves during the summer, then maybe some crops for harvest in the late autumn (not decided yet, will have a look in the book tonight).
Soldato
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Dig it over now & let the weather go to work on it, it really helps. Also, the best crop to grow if the ground hasn't been cultivated for a while is potatoes. They help to break up the soil, you can plant catch crops on top of or between the rows (something like rocket would be ideal for this) and they'll be ready to coem out just in time for you to replace them with some winter greens.
Dig it over now & let the weather go to work on it, it really helps. Also, the best crop to grow if the ground hasn't been cultivated for a while is potatoes. They help to break up the soil, you can plant catch crops on top of or between the rows (something like rocket would be ideal for this) and they'll be ready to coem out just in time for you to replace them with some winter greens.
The old potatoe myth! They do nothing to break up the ground what will help though is the fat they require a really good dig to prepare the ground and then you have to dig it again when you harvest!
My allotmen is a disgrace I've not been able to touch it since early January as it's so wet I can't walk on it let alone dig it, so frustrating as the potatoes are chitting away nicely. Fingers crossed for some warm dry windy weather over the next couple of weeks!
Soldato
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True. But I'd say they do contribute to breaking firm ground. They certainly make it easier to dig if you plant them in holes in undug ground as they help the large clods break apart when you come to dig them up.
I've never given my potoato patches 'a good dig', just a quick turnover and some manure on top. Nature has always done the rest.
That reminds me, i've got some hiding away as well.
Bit of a shopping spree.
Got a 1x1 m raised bed.
To go with my 2mx1.4m bed, I got some weed membrane and bark for that bed, as its just insanely weed. Even killing, constant weeding its insane.
Also got 5 grow bags.
What can you grow in grow bags?, obviously there's only what 2cm deep, so not much room for roots.
Never grown in grow bags before.
Need to get some plastic cloches(?) is that what they're called. Kind of like polly tunnels but not polly tunnels.
Hmm to much, to little space
Got a 1x1 m raised bed.
To go with my 2mx1.4m bed, I got some weed membrane and bark for that bed, as its just insanely weed. Even killing, constant weeding its insane.
Also got 5 grow bags.
What can you grow in grow bags?, obviously there's only what 2cm deep, so not much room for roots.
Never grown in grow bags before.
Need to get some plastic cloches(?) is that what they're called. Kind of like polly tunnels but not polly tunnels.
Hmm to much, to little space
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That is exactly the the issue with normal grow bags. They're 2cm deep!!
What id advise that you do is buy a grow sack or a normal bag of compost and use that as a grow bag. They are much deeper and give the plant much more room to spread its roots. I've done this for the past two years and have had great results.
I was unable to find this in the garden centers last year and had to settle for something very similar. But this was excellent.
You can then use the grow bags you've already bought as normal compost.
But you can grow pretty much whatever you want really. Courgette, cucumber, small carrots, tomatoes, aubergines....
Got up my allotment in the week & was well pleased with what I saw. I cleared my whole allotment November time & I expected a light weed covering across the whole plot, When I got there it was still clear so all my hard work in November has payed off big style. I turned over a couple of sections & the soil is superb & I now have my 2 rows ready for my early tattys to go in.
Chitters are in the dark getting ready & I have sourced some nice varietys to try this year. All there is to do now is plant potter around & eat my produce.
Chitters are in the dark getting ready & I have sourced some nice varietys to try this year. All there is to do now is plant potter around & eat my produce.
Soldato
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A couple of tricks with growbags:
Work them - really get to work on them loosening the compost inside. It's usually pretty compacted so a really good plump will make them a lot fatter.
Turn them on their side. This will give you a good 6-8 inches of depth depending on the type.
Turn them on end - after you've fluffed them up, even out the compost inside & then fold the bag in half accross the middle. Cut it in two and stand each half on its end. You can get a good 10-12" this way.
Work them - really get to work on them loosening the compost inside. It's usually pretty compacted so a really good plump will make them a lot fatter.
Turn them on their side. This will give you a good 6-8 inches of depth depending on the type.
Turn them on end - after you've fluffed them up, even out the compost inside & then fold the bag in half accross the middle. Cut it in two and stand each half on its end. You can get a good 10-12" this way.
Sorted the winter/all year round bed out(2.4mx1.4m), fed up of the weeds hopefully it'll work. This bed gets a lot of shade.
Worked out I got space for 4 1mx1m raised beds. There's a nasty concrete something or the other, I can put them on. If landlord wants them move when I move out, it'll be easy to remove them. That's tomrrows task, need a trip to B&Q.
And seeds have arrived
Got a lot of non standard breeds, anyone know any apps or websites or something. I can tap the relevant dates into and other info, so I got it in on nice palace and can show me a nice calendar?
I wish I had a plot that size, is it just an allotment or do you own some land?
Worked out I got space for 4 1mx1m raised beds. There's a nasty concrete something or the other, I can put them on. If landlord wants them move when I move out, it'll be easy to remove them. That's tomrrows task, need a trip to B&Q.
And seeds have arrived
Got a lot of non standard breeds, anyone know any apps or websites or something. I can tap the relevant dates into and other info, so I got it in on nice palace and can show me a nice calendar?
TTIUWP.
Cleared my plot ready for this year.
=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/4/imag0033uv.jpg/ !!!
I wish I had a plot that size, is it just an allotment or do you own some land?
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