new veg plot
ive got a patch of lawn that i want to make into a veg plot so i am looking
for web sites that will give me hints tips and ways of going about things to get the best out of it...it is about 12 ft square and the soil under the lawn is stony and looks very dry and dusty |
new veg plot
In article , graham graham@campbell3
185.REMOVETHIS.freeserve.co.uk writes ive got a patch of lawn that i want to make into a veg plot so i am looking for web sites that will give me hints tips and ways of going about things to get the best out of it...it is about 12 ft square and the soil under the lawn is stony and looks very dry and dusty You could make a start by taking the turf from the area and stacking it to begin composting. Then dress the soil with well matured stable or farmyard manure and let that bio-degrade into the surface over the coming winter. Don't make potatoes your first crop in fresh ground, but you could begin with some cabbages, onions, beans and salad goods. You may find some useful information in the urg FAQ on vegetables at: http://www.fuchsiazone.co.uk/veg-index/vegindex.htm [Not as listed in the urg FAQ list] -- Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs. |
new veg plot
I was interested in Alan's reply as I want to extend my existing veg plot -
taking up some of my lawn. I had assumed that potatoes would be the right crop to begin with - having always understood that potatoes were good at breaking up the soil. Jeanne Stockdale "Alan Gould" wrote in message ... In article , graham graham@campbell3 185.REMOVETHIS.freeserve.co.uk writes ive got a patch of lawn that i want to make into a veg plot so i am looking for web sites that will give me hints tips and ways of going about things to get the best out of it...it is about 12 ft square and the soil under the lawn is stony and looks very dry and dusty You could make a start by taking the turf from the area and stacking it to begin composting. Then dress the soil with well matured stable or farmyard manure and let that bio-degrade into the surface over the coming winter. Don't make potatoes your first crop in fresh ground, but you could begin with some cabbages, onions, beans and salad goods. You may find some useful information in the urg FAQ on vegetables at: http://www.fuchsiazone.co.uk/veg-index/vegindex.htm [Not as listed in the urg FAQ list] -- Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs. |
new veg plot
In article , Jeanne Stockdale
writes I was interested in Alan's reply as I want to extend my existing veg plot - taking up some of my lawn. I had assumed that potatoes would be the right crop to begin with - having always understood that potatoes were good at breaking up the soil. Potatoes grown in soil which has been down to lawn or not veg. cropped for some time can often be attacked by wireworm, which is why they are better left to follow a different crop. After a potato crop has been lifted, the soil where they were grown will be thoroughly broken up. Only a small part of that work will have been done by growth of the tubers, the rest of it is done by the gardener when preparing the rows. when planting, when earthing up the plants and when cropping the harvest. In new soil it is much easier to prepare a bed for a crop requiring less depth, then follow on with potatoes with half the cultivation already having been done. -- Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs. |
Hello Graham,
Yes, I totally agree that it is all about getting that plot into good physical shape for next year. I don't think at 12' square you will be growing many potatoes if you also want to grow other crops. It is true that traditionally a potatoe crop is used to break up the land by way of cultural avtivities as already described. My advice would be to forget any crops for the rest of this year and just concentrate on incorporating as much organic matter as you can lay your hands on....in the form of garden compost and well rotted farm and stable animal manures (not pig). It is going to be hard at first but you need to break up that compacted ground to a reasonable depth in order to grow a variety of vege. Stacking the turf is a good way of gaining some loam and roughage for container growing and also when sieved and preferably sterilised, a good potting compost base. However, a preferable alternative in my view would be to double dig your new vege plot, chop the turf up and incorporate it into the second spit. Keep a shallow trench open across the plot and empty all your degradable kitchen waste into it as it becomes available, covering over each time with polythene or if in sufficient quantity back fill over with soil. You will be surprised how quickly this will incorporate into the soil. Never use kitchen waste in the form of animal products though or you will attract vermin. I once did this over a period of 12months on a very small plot -6'x10'and ended up with the blackest and most organic soil you coud imagine. Peter. |
new veg plot
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new veg plot
In article , Steve
Harris writes In article , (Alan Gould) wrote: Potatoes grown in soil which has been down to lawn or not veg. cropped for some time can often be attacked by wireworm I believe most underground crops run this risk? Quite possibly, though I would think that any tuberous or soft rooted crops like potatoes and carrots would be more vulnerable to worm damage than tougher brassica roots like swede, turnip, kohl rabi etc. -- Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs. |
new veg plot
"Alan Gould" wrote in message ... In article , Steve Harris writes In article , (Alan Gould) wrote: Potatoes grown in soil which has been down to lawn or not veg. cropped for some time can often be attacked by wireworm I believe most underground crops run this risk? Quite possibly, though I would think that any tuberous or soft rooted crops like potatoes and carrots would be more vulnerable to worm damage than tougher brassica roots like swede, turnip, kohl rabi etc. -- Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs. Having started a veg plot on newly cultivated ground that was absolutely infested with wireworms of all ages and click beetles (the parents) let me tell you if you have them they will attack anything at all, including pea seeds. I managed the problem by firstly letting the chickens in over winter, but I still had hundreds and hundreds by spring. I grew all the cabbages from seed in peat pots and this I think helped to guard against the wireworms doing damage to the roots whilst they were still tender and young. Before planting the beds I set 'traps'. Old potatoes cut into thick discs and skewered onto pieces of wire, then placed in the ground, I took them up and replaced them every three days for about three weeks and gathered all the worms as a treat for my chickens, I literally got hundreds of them this way (time consuming, but worth the effort). The carrotts were not badly affected though I did take them out at finger size, I notice some damage to the swedes in the ground at the moment, I see the damage round the top, but hopefully I'll be able to cut round the damage and use whats left, if not there's always next year. Kale, lettuce, onions, corn, sprouts, cabbage, cauli, peas (lost a few seeds) spring onions, strawberries, blackcurrants, parsnips (taken out early due to a rampaging foal) were all mostly unaffected. My potato crop was outside the actual plot and I hadn't laid any traps nor let the chucks do their work and I managed to reap about a third of the crop, the rest were absolutely crawling. It is said the lifecycle takes about four years from start of cultivation to the complete eradication of the worm so I've another three years left to deal with them, but I think there'll be a lot less in the coming years because of the work done in year one. The traps are certainly a help and I'll be using them again next spring too. HTH Shannie |
new veg plot
"Alan Gould" wrote in message ... In article , Steve Harris writes In article , (Alan Gould) wrote: Potatoes grown in soil which has been down to lawn or not veg. cropped for some time can often be attacked by wireworm I believe most underground crops run this risk? Quite possibly, though I would think that any tuberous or soft rooted crops like potatoes and carrots would be more vulnerable to worm damage than tougher brassica roots like swede, turnip, kohl rabi etc. -- Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs. Having started a veg plot on newly cultivated ground that was absolutely infested with wireworms of all ages and click beetles (the parents) let me tell you if you have them they will attack anything at all, including pea seeds. I managed the problem by firstly letting the chickens in over winter, but I still had hundreds and hundreds by spring. I grew all the cabbages from seed in peat pots and this I think helped to guard against the wireworms doing damage to the roots whilst they were still tender and young. Before planting the beds I set 'traps'. Old potatoes cut into thick discs and skewered onto pieces of wire, then placed in the ground, I took them up and replaced them every three days for about three weeks and gathered all the worms as a treat for my chickens, I literally got hundreds of them this way (time consuming, but worth the effort). The carrotts were not badly affected though I did take them out at finger size, I notice some damage to the swedes in the ground at the moment, I see the damage round the top, but hopefully I'll be able to cut round the damage and use whats left, if not there's always next year. Kale, lettuce, onions, corn, sprouts, cabbage, cauli, peas (lost a few seeds) spring onions, strawberries, blackcurrants, parsnips (taken out early due to a rampaging foal) were all mostly unaffected. My potato crop was outside the actual plot and I hadn't laid any traps nor let the chucks do their work and I managed to reap about a third of the crop, the rest were absolutely crawling. It is said the lifecycle takes about four years from start of cultivation to the complete eradication of the worm so I've another three years left to deal with them, but I think there'll be a lot less in the coming years because of the work done in year one. The traps are certainly a help and I'll be using them again next spring too. HTH Shannie |
new veg plot
"Alan Gould" wrote in message ... In article , Steve Harris writes In article , (Alan Gould) wrote: Potatoes grown in soil which has been down to lawn or not veg. cropped for some time can often be attacked by wireworm I believe most underground crops run this risk? Quite possibly, though I would think that any tuberous or soft rooted crops like potatoes and carrots would be more vulnerable to worm damage than tougher brassica roots like swede, turnip, kohl rabi etc. -- Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs. Having started a veg plot on newly cultivated ground that was absolutely infested with wireworms of all ages and click beetles (the parents) let me tell you if you have them they will attack anything at all, including pea seeds. I managed the problem by firstly letting the chickens in over winter, but I still had hundreds and hundreds by spring. I grew all the cabbages from seed in peat pots and this I think helped to guard against the wireworms doing damage to the roots whilst they were still tender and young. Before planting the beds I set 'traps'. Old potatoes cut into thick discs and skewered onto pieces of wire, then placed in the ground, I took them up and replaced them every three days for about three weeks and gathered all the worms as a treat for my chickens, I literally got hundreds of them this way (time consuming, but worth the effort). The carrotts were not badly affected though I did take them out at finger size, I notice some damage to the swedes in the ground at the moment, I see the damage round the top, but hopefully I'll be able to cut round the damage and use whats left, if not there's always next year. Kale, lettuce, onions, corn, sprouts, cabbage, cauli, peas (lost a few seeds) spring onions, strawberries, blackcurrants, parsnips (taken out early due to a rampaging foal) were all mostly unaffected. My potato crop was outside the actual plot and I hadn't laid any traps nor let the chucks do their work and I managed to reap about a third of the crop, the rest were absolutely crawling. It is said the lifecycle takes about four years from start of cultivation to the complete eradication of the worm so I've another three years left to deal with them, but I think there'll be a lot less in the coming years because of the work done in year one. The traps are certainly a help and I'll be using them again next spring too. HTH Shannie |
new veg plot
On Fri, 15 Aug 2003 21:22:57 +0100, "graham"
wrote: ive got a patch of lawn that i want to make into a veg plot so i am looking for web sites that will give me hints tips and ways of going about things to get the best out of it...it is about 12 ft square and the soil under the lawn is stony and looks very dry and dusty http://www.squarefootgardening.com/ might be useful to you. Julie S |
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