"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , Alan Holmes
writes

Been trying to dig over a patch which has been covered in carpet for the
past six years, hard work as the ground is solid.

Making a bed about 4 feet wide and about 20 feet long to plant potatoes,
peas, carrot, parsnip, beetroot, radish and lettuce.

Whether anything other than the potatoes will ever get planted has yet to
be seen!(:-)

I've only been able to dig about 3 feet each day.

If you have a good source of compost, you could try what I did the other
year - lay the potatoes on the surface and cover them with a good 6
inches of compost. Their roots will break up the soil for you.

That's a good idea, why didn't I think of that?

I do know that potatoes are considered a cleaning crop, but that's only
because
you are continually moving the earth whilst earthing up and so on.

As to the other things - you don't need to dig the whole bed, just dig
holes or channels for the seeds. Water each hole, then sow the seeds in
it.

Another good idea, but I'm old fashioned when it comes to preparing the
ground, I have to dig it over.

You should get fewer weeds germinating if you leave the rest of it hard
packed.

You haven't seen the type of weeds I have!

I'm battling the bindweed as well as other unamed types, at least what I
call them isn't a common name for any weed!

Alan
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