Having read, well skimmed really, books on gardening, and indeed watched TV
programs, which profess to sort out difficult gardens, they seem to me to be
quite easy.
Off they go with a spade and elbow (or should that be knee) grease, a dollop
of mulch, lo and behold a garden in which they can plant.
My garden has no top soil and consists of what I believe is called gravel,
which is almost solid pebbles with the gaps filled in with sand and clay.
Digging means a pickaxe, then I am left with loose pebbles! Is the only
cure to import top soil? It takes an awful lot to cover even a reasonable
bed with a spit and a half, even then the pebbles wander up for fresh air.
Frustrated, North Staffs.
Cheers
John T

"John Towill" wrote in message
...
Having read, well skimmed really, books on gardening, and indeed
watched TV
programs, which profess to sort out difficult gardens, they seem to
me to be
quite easy.
Off they go with a spade and elbow (or should that be knee) grease,
a dollop
of mulch, lo and behold a garden in which they can plant.
My garden has no top soil and consists of what I believe is called
gravel,
which is almost solid pebbles with the gaps filled in with sand and
clay.
Digging means a pickaxe, then I am left with loose pebbles! Is the
only
cure to import top soil? It takes an awful lot to cover even a
reasonable
bed with a spit and a half, even then the pebbles wander up for
fresh air.
Frustrated, North Staffs.
Cheers
John T

Inspiration might be found at Derek Jarmans Dungeness garden - its
totally pebbles :
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/davidtrivett...den/Jarman.htm

Jenny :~)

On Thu, 2 Oct 2003 16:19:46 +0200, "JennyC" wrote:


"John Towill" wrote in message
...
Having read, well skimmed really, books on gardening, and indeed
watched TV
programs, which profess to sort out difficult gardens, they seem to
me to be
quite easy.
Off they go with a spade and elbow (or should that be knee) grease,
a dollop
of mulch, lo and behold a garden in which they can plant.
My garden has no top soil and consists of what I believe is called
gravel,
which is almost solid pebbles with the gaps filled in with sand and
clay.
Digging means a pickaxe, then I am left with loose pebbles! Is the
only
cure to import top soil? It takes an awful lot to cover even a
reasonable
bed with a spit and a half, even then the pebbles wander up for
fresh air.
Frustrated, North Staffs.
Cheers
John T

Inspiration might be found at Derek Jarmans Dungeness garden - its
totally pebbles :
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/davidtrivett...den/Jarman.htm

but he never grew carrots in it :-)
--
Martin

"John Towill" wrote in message
...
Having read, well skimmed really, books on gardening, and indeed watched
TV
programs, which profess to sort out difficult gardens, they seem to me to
be
quite easy.
Off they go with a spade and elbow (or should that be knee) grease, a
dollop
of mulch, lo and behold a garden in which they can plant.
My garden has no top soil and consists of what I believe is called gravel,
which is almost solid pebbles with the gaps filled in with sand and clay.
Digging means a pickaxe, then I am left with loose pebbles! Is the only
cure to import top soil? It takes an awful lot to cover even a reasonable
bed with a spit and a half, even then the pebbles wander up for fresh air.
Frustrated, North Staffs.
Cheers
John T

Raised beds?
Saves all that digging...
try a google on square foot gardening aimed at vegetables but principles
apply to plants/flowers too.

Possible to organise yourself so that you build a bed.
Fill it with soil.
Start growing
Build another bed
Fill it
etc until you run out of garden/money/patience

Dave

"........Possible to organise yourself so that you build a bed.
Fill it with soil. Start growing
Build another bed Fill it
etc until you run out of garden/money/patience ....."

Or just get large pots 18" or so, and grow bags (And the answer is Yes. you
can grow carrots in pots (just don't choose long rooted varieties).
Then after a year, make hollows on your Gravel/soil and empty pots/grow bags
in to give you growing media for Shrubs/herbaceous plants .......put in
smaller plants that will develop a root system to suit your ground.
Re fill pots and get more grow bags.
Over time you will build up the soil to something useful.
If you can get good manure etc then top dress the ground with this, let the
worms take it down for you.
If you have turfed an area for lawn, use the clippings as a mulch around the
plants you have planted into the ground.
Lastly if you are worried about your planting areas drying out to fast then
line the holes with newspaper before planting.
When I was young my Aunts had a very shallow chalky soil so the trench for
Runner beans was taken out in the Autumn, lined with newspaper, then all veg
waste was put into the trench till end of April, then the soil replaced on
top and the beans planted, they got a reasonable crop this way. The paper
slowed down the loss of water.


--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

The message
from "John Towill" contains these words:

Having read, well skimmed really, books on gardening, and indeed watched TV
programs, which profess to sort out difficult gardens, they seem to me to be
quite easy.
Off they go with a spade and elbow (or should that be knee) grease, a dollop
of mulch, lo and behold a garden in which they can plant.
My garden has no top soil and consists of what I believe is called gravel,
which is almost solid pebbles with the gaps filled in with sand and clay.
Digging means a pickaxe, then I am left with loose pebbles!

Have you read Beth Chatto's book about her gravel garden?

Is the only
cure to import top soil?

No. Just leave the pebbles where they are, don't dig, just keep
mulching, mulching, mulching with whatever organic material you can get
for free.I've seen that done on a raised beach, producing good veg the
first season and fantastic veg (including carrots!) flowers herbs and
fruit just a few years later. The mulches used were mostly seaweed and
bracken, plus a much smaller amount of home made compost and horse
manure.

Janet
Isle of Arran.

"David Hill" wrote in message
...
"........Possible to organise yourself so that you build a bed.
Fill it with soil. Start growing
Build another bed Fill it
etc until you run out of garden/money/patience ....."

Or just get large pots 18" or so, and grow bags (And the answer is Yes.
you
can grow carrots in pots (just don't choose long rooted varieties).
Then after a year, make hollows on your Gravel/soil and empty pots/grow
bags
in to give you growing media for Shrubs/herbaceous plants .......put in
smaller plants that will develop a root system to suit your ground.
Re fill pots and get more grow bags.
Over time you will build up the soil to something useful.
If you can get good manure etc then top dress the ground with this, let
the
worms take it down for you.

This is very similar to the original square foot gardening theory, as used
in Texas panhandle type country.
Ground that was almost useless was built up, little by little.

As an aside, one of our allotment holders grows his carrots in an old oil
barrel.
Grows them in fine sand with a thin layer of soil on top.
Roots come out nearly three feet long for the annual show.

Dave

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "John Towill" contains these words:

Having read, well skimmed really, books on gardening, and indeed watched
TV
programs, which profess to sort out difficult gardens, they seem to me
to be
quite easy.
Off they go with a spade and elbow (or should that be knee) grease, a
dollop
of mulch, lo and behold a garden in which they can plant.
My garden has no top soil and consists of what I believe is called
gravel,
which is almost solid pebbles with the gaps filled in with sand and
clay.
Digging means a pickaxe, then I am left with loose pebbles!

Have you read Beth Chatto's book about her gravel garden?

Is the only
cure to import top soil?

No. Just leave the pebbles where they are, don't dig, just keep
mulching, mulching, mulching with whatever organic material you can get
for free.I've seen that done on a raised beach, producing good veg the
first season and fantastic veg (including carrots!) flowers herbs and
fruit just a few years later. The mulches used were mostly seaweed and
bracken, plus a much smaller amount of home made compost and horse
manure.

Janet
Isle of Arran.

Thank you one and all for your inspiring answers. The Jarman Garden looks
wonderful, if only I had the artistic talent to aspire to that. I will have
a look for Beth Chatto's gravel garden book.
I have placed some raised beds in, with some success, but hope to be less
constricted than that. all I need to do now is find a way to exclude the
damned rabbits!
Cheers
John T

"......... all I need to do now is find a way to exclude the damned
rabbits! ............."

You can have my foxes if you like.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

David Hill wrote:
"......... all I need to do now is find a way to exclude the damned
rabbits! ............."


Try hiring Elmer Fudd?
Some of the anti-cat liquids also deter rabbits,........at least that's
what it says on the tin!

Jason


--
Check out my ebay auctions for Passifora caerulea and edulis seeds and
Morning Glory (Star of Yelta) seeds.
http://cgi6.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....sort=3&rows=50

"Jason Pope" wrote in message
...
David Hill wrote:
"......... all I need to do now is find a way to exclude the damned
rabbits! ............."


Try hiring Elmer Fudd?
Some of the anti-cat liquids also deter rabbits,........at least that's
what it says on the tin!

Then they might serve some purpose after all. The one thing they don't do,
is excluding cats.

Franz

"Jason Pope" wrote in message
...
David Hill wrote:
"......... all I need to do now is find a way to exclude the damned
rabbits! ............."


Try hiring Elmer Fudd?
Some of the anti-cat liquids also deter rabbits,........at least that's
what it says on the tin!

Then they might serve some purpose after all. The one thing they don't do,
is excluding cats.

Franz

"Jason Pope" wrote in message
...
David Hill wrote:
"......... all I need to do now is find a way to exclude the damned
rabbits! ............."


Try hiring Elmer Fudd?
Some of the anti-cat liquids also deter rabbits,........at least that's
what it says on the tin!

Then they might serve some purpose after all. The one thing they don't do,
is excluding cats.

Franz

"Jason Pope" wrote in message
...
David Hill wrote:
"......... all I need to do now is find a way to exclude the damned
rabbits! ............."


Try hiring Elmer Fudd?
Some of the anti-cat liquids also deter rabbits,........at least that's
what it says on the tin!

Then they might serve some purpose after all. The one thing they don't do,
is excluding cats.

Franz