Okay, I extracted more info from Ray this morning. ;-) Apparently the
slabs were real paving slab size - around 3' x 2.5' and they were buried a
yard below the apple trees' roots. I asked him how he had learned about
this (because I'd forgotten) and he said that 'old Tom' who used to work for
Ray's family nursery in Essex had told him. Old Tom had actually done the
digging and laying of the slabs for dozens of apple trees in his time.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(email address on website)

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
Okay, I extracted more info from Ray this morning. ;-) Apparently the
slabs were real paving slab size - around 3' x 2.5' and they were buried a
yard below the apple trees' roots. I asked him how he had learned about
this (because I'd forgotten) and he said that 'old Tom' who used to work
for
Ray's family nursery in Essex had told him. Old Tom had actually done the
digging and laying of the slabs for dozens of apple trees in his time.

I'm sorry, I'm going to be dense and ask, why? Why does one bury paving
slabs under apple trees? Is it to give the roots something to curl around
and act as ballast or anything like theat?
--
Rhiannon_s:
Just a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong.

On 9/8/06 13:20, in article , "Rhiannon S"
wrote:


"Sacha" wrote in message
...
Okay, I extracted more info from Ray this morning. ;-) Apparently the
slabs were real paving slab size - around 3' x 2.5' and they were buried a
yard below the apple trees' roots. I asked him how he had learned about
this (because I'd forgotten) and he said that 'old Tom' who used to work
for
Ray's family nursery in Essex had told him. Old Tom had actually done the
digging and laying of the slabs for dozens of apple trees in his time.

I'm sorry, I'm going to be dense and ask, why? Why does one bury paving
slabs under apple trees? Is it to give the roots something to curl around
and act as ballast or anything like theat?

No it forced the trees' roots to go wider before going downwards so giving a
broader 'grip' on the soil in the end and presumably, a bigger area from
which to draw nourishment and water. If anyone has seen the grape vine at
Hampton Court you'll see what a very large area is kept free of all other
planting so as to allow the Great Vine to get whatever nourishing goodies
are going. Like all old grape vines, its roots are outside the greenhouse
while its leafing and fruiting bits are inside. So I suppose it's possible
that was also part of the thinking behind the apple tree/paving slab
combination.
And you're not being dense at all! I'd certainly never heard of it and as
you can see, it doesn't seem as if anyone here has, either.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
Okay, I extracted more info from Ray this morning. ;-) Apparently
the
slabs were real paving slab size - around 3' x 2.5' and they were
buried a
yard below the apple trees' roots.

Wow! That is a SERIOUS hole. Almost like digging to China. The old
bloke who dug the holes must have been fit.

In article ,
"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow writes:
| "Sacha" wrote in message
| ...
| Okay, I extracted more info from Ray this morning. ;-) Apparently
| the
| slabs were real paving slab size - around 3' x 2.5' and they were
| buried a
| yard below the apple trees' roots.
|
| Wow! That is a SERIOUS hole. Almost like digging to China. The old
| bloke who dug the holes must have been fit.

Eh? That is a third of the effort of digging a standard grave. It is
only shifting a tonne up by under a metre. Even I could do that in a
day.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow writes:
| "Sacha" wrote in message
| ...
| Okay, I extracted more info from Ray this morning. ;-)
Apparently
| the
| slabs were real paving slab size - around 3' x 2.5' and they
were
| buried a
| yard below the apple trees' roots.
|
| Wow! That is a SERIOUS hole. Almost like digging to China. The
old
| bloke who dug the holes must have been fit.

Eh? That is a third of the effort of digging a standard grave. It
is
only shifting a tonne up by under a metre. Even I could do that in
a
day.

Well I dips me lid to you, you clearly don't spend all your time
behind a computer.

I've planted quite few apple trees over the years (both bare rooted
and potted) and a hole of that size is big. I can't imagine digging
down another yard below the level of the roots of the tree.

On 10/8/06 08:02, in article
, "Farm1"
please@askifyouwannaknow wrote:

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
Okay, I extracted more info from Ray this morning. ;-) Apparently
the
slabs were real paving slab size - around 3' x 2.5' and they were
buried a
yard below the apple trees' roots.

Wow! That is a SERIOUS hole. Almost like digging to China. The old
bloke who dug the holes must have been fit.


I think so! He wasn't old all his life, of course. ;-) But people who
worked on the land then - and now - usually are and were pretty fit. They
didn't ride around in cars much 'back then', either and there wasn't the
sophisticated machinery we'd use now to dig such holes. All the artificial
lakes one sees at e.g. stately homes were dug out by hand originally, I
would think. My husband is 73 and still does a full day's work on the
nursery or digs in the garden etc. and I doubt he'll ever stop. He's a lot
fitter than I am! We always have a quiet smile when some stripling of 65
comes in and tells us he's moving to a house with a smaller garden now that
he's getting older!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

"Sacha" wrote in message
"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote:

Wow! That is a SERIOUS hole. Almost like digging to China. The
old
bloke who dug the holes must have been fit.

I think so! He wasn't old all his life, of course. ;-)

Well we've all been in better shape no doubt :-))

But people who
worked on the land then - and now - usually are and were pretty fit.
They
didn't ride around in cars much 'back then', either and there wasn't
the
sophisticated machinery we'd use now to dig such holes. All the
artificial
lakes one sees at e.g. stately homes were dug out by hand
originally, I
would think.

Yes. No obesity then. I suspect tatht he lakes may have been dug
using horses and a hand guided scoop. I'm sure I've sen pics of this
somewhere. Ocassionally one sees these scoops in old farm yards but
they really only held as much dirt as a good sized brickeys barrow
does today.

My husband is 73 and still does a full day's work on the
nursery or digs in the garden etc. and I doubt he'll ever stop.
He's a lot
fitter than I am! We always have a quiet smile when some stripling
of 65
comes in and tells us he's moving to a house with a smaller garden
now that
he's getting older!

:-)) I'm always amazed at the anchor person for Australia's best
gardening show. This bloke was born in Britain in 1927 and is so fit
that he puts the young people on the show to shame. He's forever
digging beds with gay abandon and talking 90 to the dozen without a
puff or wheeze and only looks about 60. He's been a Communist all his
life and became a gardener because he kept getting sacked from
factories etc but figured out that the gentry needed gardeners. A
truly fascinating man and an inspirationt oa ging gardeners. He has a
garden of over 10 acres plus does this show weekly..

On 11/8/06 06:58, in article
, "Farm1"
please@askifyouwannaknow wrote:
snip

I suspect tatht he lakes may have been dug
using horses and a hand guided scoop. I'm sure I've sen pics of this
somewhere. Ocassionally one sees these scoops in old farm yards but
they really only held as much dirt as a good sized brickeys barrow
does today.

We're going to Knightshayes today if we have enough time, so I'll see what I
can find out!

My husband is 73 and still does a full day's work on the
nursery or digs in the garden etc. and I doubt he'll ever stop.
He's a lot
fitter than I am! We always have a quiet smile when some stripling
of 65
comes in and tells us he's moving to a house with a smaller garden
now that
he's getting older!

:-)) I'm always amazed at the anchor person for Australia's best
gardening show. This bloke was born in Britain in 1927 and is so fit
that he puts the young people on the show to shame. He's forever
digging beds with gay abandon and talking 90 to the dozen without a
puff or wheeze and only looks about 60. He's been a Communist all his
life and became a gardener because he kept getting sacked from
factories etc but figured out that the gentry needed gardeners. A
truly fascinating man and an inspirationt oa ging gardeners. He has a
garden of over 10 acres plus does this show weekly..


Don't approve of the Communist bit. ;-) But he sounds just the sort of
person old Tom was. Often there's also an element of 'just get on with it'
rather than moaning or complaining about life's smaller or larger
difficulties and I'm sure that has something to do with it. I had an
elderly man helping me in the last garden I had and he seemed at first to be
working very slowly and I found myself wondering if he'd ever get half the
work finished on the one day a week that he came. I discovered rapidly
that, having worked on the land all his life, he knew exactly how to pace
himself and got twice or three times as much done as someone who rushes
outside, tears into each new job and then has to go and have a nice lie down
because they're exhausted!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

"Sacha" wrote in message
"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote:

I'd love to hear more about building the lakes if you can find out
something.

:-)) I'm always amazed at the anchor person for Australia's best
gardening show. This bloke was born in Britain in 1927 and is so
fit
that he puts the young people on the show to shame. He's forever
digging beds with gay abandon and talking 90 to the dozen without
a
puff or wheeze and only looks about 60. He's been a Communist all
his
life and became a gardener because he kept getting sacked from
factories etc but figured out that the gentry needed gardeners. A
truly fascinating man and an inspirationt oa ging gardeners. He
has a
garden of over 10 acres plus does this show weekly..


Don't approve of the Communist bit. ;-)

It doesn't show and I'd never have guessed if I hadn't heard him talk
about it :-)) And he received a lot of bad treatment in the UK for
his beliefs, being sacked from factories etc till he figured out that
the toffs'd have him in their gardens.

He's very funy when he talks about it. He apparently became a commie
when very young in Britian. He says he used to go to meetings run by
an old man who spoke very slowly and without any colour in his voice
at all. This old bloke used to address the meetings and drone on
about the "raging Capitalist swine" etc. The anchorperson says that he
was astounded that someone using such intemperate language could be so
dull and boring whilst holding such strong views.

But he sounds just the sort of
person old Tom was. Often there's also an element of 'just get on
with it'
rather than moaning or complaining about life's smaller or larger
difficulties and I'm sure that has something to do with it. I had
an
elderly man helping me in the last garden I had and he seemed at
first to be
working very slowly and I found myself wondering if he'd ever get
half the
work finished on the one day a week that he came. I discovered
rapidly
that, having worked on the land all his life, he knew exactly how to
pace
himself and got twice or three times as much done as someone who
rushes
outside, tears into each new job and then has to go and have a nice
lie down
because they're exhausted!

:-)) Not many people seem to be good at pacing themselves these days.
I know I feel like I need a cup of tea and a good lie down after a
morning in the garden. I usually just go right back out right after
lunch again and potter being ineffective.