The Veg Plot.

[garynortheast]

Back on the veg plot this morning and managed to get quite a bit more done. Finished staking all the brassicas and tidied up the last of the yellow and dead leaves under them. Earthed up my leeks and cleared all the dead leaves from the cooking apple tree that had fallen on them. Then cleared away the frosted and crispy climbing French bean plants.
Just stopped for some lunch and then it's back out to tackle some thick weed growth before I can mulch the beds.

[garynortheast]

Well then, new veg plot and a greenhouse. Only temporary although I don't know how temporary, so no serious long term crops going in.
Made a start this afternoon when Sioned and I went and cleared the greenhouse of old pots and debris and then weeded it. Tomorrow I'll get some of the well rotted horse muck we have here on the bed in the greenhouse, and also wash all the glass down.

This evening I will look through my seeds from last year and see what is still viable.

[redtrummy]

Gary - have you looked at 'no dig' gardening? I have this year made a bed straight on part of my lawn (or should I say moss bed)? Y tube and Charles Dowering is the site.

[garynortheast]

Originally Posted by redtrummy

Gary - have you looked at 'no dig' gardening? I have this year made a bed straight on part of my lawn (or should I say moss bed)? Y tube and Charles Dowering is the site.

I have and it's the aim here asap. My previous garden was at that stage where I had enough homemade compost to operate no-dig, and the beds were deep enough in good soil. Broke my heart to have to leave it just at that point.

I've been aware of Charles Dowding's work for quite a while now and he really is the inspiration behind my desire to have a no-dig veg plot.

The new beds here have too many deep rooted perennials in them for no dig this year but hopefully from next year if I am still here, that's what we'll be doing. We also don't have enough compost ready here this year, but we are planning on building a lot more compost bins and getting them filled. As long as I keep turning the contents on a regular basis, and keep the temperature up in the bins, we should have a decent quantity of good compost by next winter.

Did you put cardboard down first on the area you are cultivating?

[redtrummy]

Yep but I scrimped a little just one layer, two would have been better. I could have done with a deeper layer of compost as well. The compost was very fibrous and settled down to a 2 -3 inch thin layer. I planted some garlic in it late winter and it shot up like mad catching up with some I had set conventionally back in late autumn. Then it just stopped growing. On investigation the roots had gone through the card layer (which had pretty well decomposed) and into the grass thatch. That is were I think the problem lies - the lawn has not been looked after as it was looked after using a low maintenance policy, I don't use lawn feeds e.t.c. so was not fertile soil. So I have now transferred the garlic to my garden plot and this year will just use the new bed for shallow routed salad crops.
I have had great success using no dig were a compost heap has been - just left a thin layer of compost on it and then set veg straight in the ground, also I have used cardboard on bare cultivated soil after crops have been gathered to suppress the weeds - not pretty but it does work.

[Sir Trev]

It seems so cold this year compared to this time last year but I may just plant my onion sets this weekend. Seedlings of lettuce, beetroot, tomatoes, carrots and parsnips currently in the greenhouse and I'll plant the main crop spuds in another couple of weeks.

I do love this time of year in the veg garden.

[redtrummy]

Yes the cold is a problem - I have cucumbers, toms and chilli peppers in the utility room, on top of the freezer. All need repotting but I don't have the storage space and I dare not put them in the greenhouse yet as the nights are too cold. I was just too early. Lettuce under cloches doing well though - I used the old shower cubicle doors that I took out last backend. Concerned about the fruit tree blossom, hope it can survive the frosts. The other concern is the ground is very dry after a very wet winter. Don't think we have had any rain best part of a month

[garynortheast]

Pretty busy on the veg area here lately. It's a huge area and I'm taking charge of most of it for all of us at the property.

Planted the onions today. Grew the sets on initially in modules before planting out, so they all have a good, well developed root system. They're also big enough to deter the birds from yanking them out of the ground.


Onion bed by garynortheast

Potted on the gooseberry cuttings.


Gooseberry cuttings by garynortheast

Lots more stuff to be planted out once I'm certain that we won't get any more frosts.

Runner beans, celery, French beans.


Stuff for planting by garynortheast

Borlotti beans, courgettes, and cucumbers.


More stuff for planting by garynortheast

Lettuce in the greenhouse


Lettuce by garynortheast

Chilli plants


Chilli plants by garynortheast

Loads more to do yet with several more beds to be prepared.

[redtrummy]

Had to scale back the new no dig bed. The compost I used is very fibrous, the birds love it for a dust baths, also it had settled so there was only a couple of inches of compost left. Plant roots had penetrated into the ground below but that was old lawn that had mowing taken off and nothing put back, so the soil is impoverished.
Therefore I have halved the bed size and doubled the compost on the remaining piece , then covered that with netting. Lessons learned

[Sir Trev]

Try and keep the bed damp RT - it will stop the sparrows dust-bathing and help it settle. Plus it will discourage cats from using it as a giant litter tray (like next door's two new cats do to my beds. Grrrrr...).