hi all,
i have just stumbled across this forum in my attempt to sort out my 'gardern / jungle'

basically, my garden has been untouched by me since i moved in to the house 3 years ago and probably wasnt tended by the previous owner for a long time either.

The area is only small (maybe 5 x 4 metres) but is completely covered in weeds / stalks / flowery things!
i want to start fresh, but dont know where to start.

i would like some advice on where to start, what tools i will need, how to get rid of the weeds once they are cut down (skip / shredder etc), wil i need weed killer.

i have tried to attatch a picture but it keeps saying upload failed.

thanks in advance
ian

In article ,
dco_uk wrote:

hi all,
i have just stumbled across this forum in my attempt to sort out my
'gardern / jungle'

basically, my garden has been untouched by me since i moved in to the
house 3 years ago and probably wasnt tended by the previous owner for a
long time either.

The area is only small (maybe 5 x 4 metres) but is completely covered
in weeds / stalks / flowery things!
i want to start fresh, but dont know where to start.

i would like some advice on where to start, what tools i will need, how
to get rid of the weeds once they are cut down (skip / shredder etc),
wil i need weed killer.

i have tried to attatch a picture but it keeps saying upload failed.

thanks in advance
ian

Go to the library and get a book on garden soil, see if they can get
"Teaming with Microbes" by by Jeff Lowenfels & Wayne Lewis and, How to
Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons so that you will have an
understanding of your plants environment. You have about 220 sq. ft. of
garden space. Stick a shovel in it and see what kind of soil you got. If
it is lots of clay you will want to add sand. If it is sandy, you will
want to add lots of clay. I'd say, till in your amendments now (bone
meal, manure, clay and/or sand) and cover it all with card board or
several sheets of newspaper. Leave any nice looking flowers because it
is going to look like hell until you plant next year.

I suppose you could get a winter crop in this year but that's a lot of
preparation, and planting. Each plant is going to have it's own set of
needs and you can use the time between now and spring to sort out what
you want to plant. Be aware of plant size (don't want to shade out the
plant to the north. Corn takes a lot of space for not much return (in
weight). Melons need lots of space, ect. If you get snow, you will want
to learn about row covers or green houses. But if you have lots of time
and can't wait to get your hands dirty, go for it.
--
FB - FFF

Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

In article
,
Billy Rose wrote:

In article ,
dco_uk wrote:

hi all,
i have just stumbled across this forum in my attempt to sort out my
'gardern / jungle'

basically, my garden has been untouched by me since i moved in to the
house 3 years ago and probably wasnt tended by the previous owner for a
long time either.

The area is only small (maybe 5 x 4 metres) but is completely covered
in weeds / stalks / flowery things!
i want to start fresh, but dont know where to start.

i would like some advice on where to start, what tools i will need, how
to get rid of the weeds once they are cut down (skip / shredder etc),
wil i need weed killer.

i have tried to attatch a picture but it keeps saying upload failed.

thanks in advance
ian

Go to the library and get a book on garden soil, see if they can get
"Teaming with Microbes" by by Jeff Lowenfels & Wayne Lewis and, How to
Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons so that you will have an
understanding of your plants environment. You have about 220 sq. ft. of
garden space. Stick a shovel in it and see what kind of soil you got. If
it is lots of clay you will want to add sand. If it is sandy, you will
want to add lots of clay. I'd say, till in your amendments now (bone
meal, manure, clay and/or sand) and cover it all with card board or
several sheets of newspaper. Leave any nice looking flowers because it
is going to look like hell until you plant next year.

I suppose you could get a winter crop in this year but that's a lot of
preparation, and planting. Each plant is going to have it's own set of
needs and you can use the time between now and spring to sort out what
you want to plant. Be aware of plant size (don't want to shade out the
plant to the north. Corn takes a lot of space for not much return (in
weight). Melons need lots of space, ect. If you get snow, you will want
to learn about row covers or green houses. But if you have lots of time
and can't wait to get your hands dirty, go for it.

Sound advice!

I was going to write get a spade and a fork perhaps Bulldog make.

Have Fun!

Bill

--

S Jersey USA Zone 5 Shade
http://www.ocutech.com/ High tech Vison aid
This article is posted under fair use rules in accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and is strictly for the educational
and informative purposes. This material is distributed without profit.

you first need to decide what kind of a garden you want. is this your
entire back yard or is this a real "garden" meaning just for planting
veggies and/or flowers?


On Wed, 1 Aug 2007 12:32:28 +0100, dco_uk
wrote:
i have just stumbled across this forum in my attempt to sort out my
'gardern / jungle'

basically, my garden has been untouched by me since i moved in to the
house 3 years ago and probably wasnt tended by the previous owner for a
long time either.

The area is only small (maybe 5 x 4 metres) but is completely covered
in weeds / stalks / flowery things!
i want to start fresh, but dont know where to start.

i would like some advice on where to start, what tools i will need, how
to get rid of the weeds once they are cut down (skip / shredder etc),
wil i need weed killer.

i have tried to attatch a picture but it keeps saying upload failed.

thanks in advance
ian

In article
,
Billy Rose wrote:

In article ,
dco_uk wrote:

hi all,
i have just stumbled across this forum in my attempt to sort out my
'gardern / jungle'

basically, my garden has been untouched by me since i moved in to the
house 3 years ago and probably wasnt tended by the previous owner for a
long time either.

The area is only small (maybe 5 x 4 metres) but is completely covered
in weeds / stalks / flowery things!
i want to start fresh, but dont know where to start.

i would like some advice on where to start, what tools i will need, how
to get rid of the weeds once they are cut down (skip / shredder etc),
wil i need weed killer.

i have tried to attatch a picture but it keeps saying upload failed.

thanks in advance
ian

Go to the library and get a book on garden soil, see if they can get
"Teaming with Microbes" by by Jeff Lowenfels & Wayne Lewis and, How to
Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons so that you will have an
understanding of your plants environment. You have about 220 sq. ft. of
garden space. Stick a shovel in it and see what kind of soil you got. If
it is lots of clay you will want to add sand. If it is sandy, you will
want to add lots of clay. I'd say, till in your amendments now (bone
meal, manure, clay and/or sand) and cover it all with card board or
several sheets of newspaper. Leave any nice looking flowers because it
is going to look like hell until you plant next year.

I suppose you could get a winter crop in this year but that's a lot of
preparation, and planting. Each plant is going to have it's own set of
needs and you can use the time between now and spring to sort out what
you want to plant. Be aware of plant size (don't want to shade out the
plant to the north. Corn takes a lot of space for not much return (in
weight). Melons need lots of space, ect. If you get snow, you will want
to learn about row covers or green houses. But if you have lots of time
and can't wait to get your hands dirty, go for it.

Actually, you could cover the cardboard/newspaper with mulch and put out
a couple of potted plants and have a nice olloking area until you plant.

--
Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

thanks for the replies everyone. i suppose what i really am asking though is what is the best way of getting rid of the existing weeds / stalks / flowers that are covering my garden. dig? weed killer? cut it down then dig?

i suppose what i really am asking though is what is the best way of
getting rid of the existing weeds / stalks / flowers that are covering
my garden.

That's what the cardboard/newspaper suggested by someone else was
for. Deprive them of light.

But there are different ways to go about this. Digging or pulling can
work. Some sources will suggest herbicide (although if you do want to
go this route be careful about how long your chosen herbicide lasts in
the soil and other such considerations).

Given that you have a relatively small area, I wouldn't be afraid of
pulling things up by hand.

Personally, I always tend towards the "identify the inherited plant
first, then I know whether to keep it or not" approach. But that
could take you a while with 3+ years of untended growth (a few of the
plants you'd identify pretty quickly, but there are lots of plants in
this world and it takes a while to learn all the ones in your yard).
So I wouldn't blame you for sticking to the "get rid of it all and
start afresh" plan.

In article ,
dco_uk wrote:

thanks for the replies everyone. i suppose what i really am asking
though is what is the best way of getting rid of the existing weeds /
stalks / flowers that are covering my garden. dig? weed killer? cut it
down then dig?
Seeing as you have missed the points of the previous posts, I might
suggest you sit down in the middle of you garden while wearing an
explosive vest and pull the trigger.

But then, I'm always grumpy in the morning.

I am reminded of an aging Paki immigrant who lived alone in England.
His only son was studying in the United States, and he didn't know
anyone who would spade up his cabbage garden for him.

The old man emailed to his son about it, and received this reply, "For
HEAVENS SAKE, don't dig up that garden, that's where I buried the
WMDs!!!!!"

At 4 A.M. the next morning, a dozen British soldiers showed up and dug
up the entire garden, but didn't find any WMDs.

Confused, the man wrote to his son telling him what happened and asking
him what to do next.

His son's reply was: "Just plant your cabbage."
--
FB - FFF

Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

In article
,
Billy Rose wrote:

In article ,
dco_uk wrote:

thanks for the replies everyone. i suppose what i really am asking
though is what is the best way of getting rid of the existing weeds /
stalks / flowers that are covering my garden. dig? weed killer? cut it
down then dig?
Seeing as you have missed the points of the previous posts, I might
suggest you sit down in the middle of you garden while wearing an
explosive vest and pull the trigger.

But then, I'm always grumpy in the morning.

I am reminded of an aging Paki immigrant who lived alone in England.
His only son was studying in the United States, and he didn't know
anyone who would spade up his cabbage garden for him.

The old man emailed to his son about it, and received this reply, "For
HEAVENS SAKE, don't dig up that garden, that's where I buried the
WMDs!!!!!"

At 4 A.M. the next morning, a dozen British soldiers showed up and dug
up the entire garden, but didn't find any WMDs.

Confused, the man wrote to his son telling him what happened and asking
him what to do next.

His son's reply was: "Just plant your cabbage."

I'm of similar mind and wonder why parents were not consulted first.
If deceased a chat with neighbors would be my next choice. Sounds like
extreme isolation if a guy in UK ask us what to do about a garden. Get
about!

My main answer would be to make many mistakes and maybe learn by them.

My first attempt with a Dad who already was into Rodale long ago was
to plant Lily of the Valley. Smelled nice. Then went with all sort of
herbs for health reasons and ended up with Homeopathic remedies which
ended up with Heart Disease which yielded Muscle loss and I'm back to
herbs again. Mostly as supplements which can be pricey.

Mistakes seem to be the order of things yet my wife and her grandmother
weed or weeded by hand almost every day.

Bill

PS for Charlie

I can't quite her. Blood, sweat and tears.

--

S Jersey USA Zone 5 Shade
http://www.ocutech.com/ High tech Vison aid
This article is posted under fair use rules in accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and is strictly for the educational
and informative purposes. This material is distributed without profit.

On Aug 1, 8:24 am, Billy Rose wrote:
In article ,



dco_uk wrote:
hi all,
i have just stumbled across this forum in my attempt to sort out my
'gardern / jungle'

basically, my garden has been untouched by me since i moved in to the
house 3 years ago and probably wasnt tended by the previous owner for a
long time either.

The area is only small (maybe 5 x 4 metres) but is completely covered
in weeds / stalks / flowery things!
i want to start fresh, but dont know where to start.

i would like some advice on where to start, what tools i will need, how
to get rid of the weeds once they are cut down (skip / shredder etc),
wil i need weed killer.

i have tried to attatch a picture but it keeps saying upload failed.

thanks in advance
ian

Go to the library and get a book on garden soil, see if they can get
"Teaming with Microbes" by by Jeff Lowenfels & Wayne Lewis and, How to
Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons so that you will have an
understanding of your plants environment. You have about 220 sq. ft. of
garden space. Stick a shovel in it and see what kind of soil you got. If
it is lots of clay you will want to add sand. If it is sandy, you will
want to add lots of clay. I'd say, till in your amendments now (bone
meal, manure, clay and/or sand) and cover it all with card board or
several sheets of newspaper. Leave any nice looking flowers because it
is going to look like hell until you plant next year.

I suppose you could get a winter crop in this year but that's a lot of
preparation, and planting. Each plant is going to have it's own set of
needs and you can use the time between now and spring to sort out what
you want to plant. Be aware of plant size (don't want to shade out the
plant to the north. Corn takes a lot of space for not much return (in
weight). Melons need lots of space, ect. If you get snow, you will want
to learn about row covers or green houses. But if you have lots of time
and can't wait to get your hands dirty, go for it.
--
FB - FFF

Billyhttp://angryarab.blogspot.com/

Go to the library and get a book on garden soil, see if they can get
"Teaming with Microbes" by Jeff Lowenfels

No, no, buy a copy! Sorry, I wrote it! Either way, if you get a
first printing there is a mistake on page 41/42 in which the
definition of pH is reversed. Now that really makes you want to read
it, right? You will love it. It is published in England and New
Zealand as well as USA and Amazon.com has a great price. You really
need to understand the soil food web in order to make educated
decisions about what to do....even if you decide to go chemical,
rototill and plant invasives....none of which I hope you will do!

Cheers and happy reading,

Jeff Lowenfels
Teaming WIth Microbes: A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web.