The Veg Plot.

[Sir Trev]

Damnation. The high winds last night blew my runner beans over. I knew some of the canes were a bit rickety after several years of use and the growth, as usual, was all at the top. I nip out the growing tips every year but it always goes mad in Aug/Sep up the top... Managed to rescue most of the last of the beans and I doubt much would have grown after now anyway as we're bound to get a frost soon. Certainly no flowers left on it anyway.

Will get more canes in time for next year, that's for sure.

[garynortheast]

Runner and climbing French beans are two of my favourite crops. They are just so productive usually, and by the end of the season (in the normal course of events!) my freezer is full with them. I'm looking forward to growing them in the new garden and on the allotment.

[redtrummy]

My sun damaged beans are once again full of green leaves and have a a top covering of flowers - not that they are any use apart from insect life.
I was very early in planting them and that I think is a contributory factor re the sun damage

[Sir Trev]

I've found planting runners early just means no flowers lower down and usually a lower crop. Kick them off in pots in the greenhouse very late in May and within two weeks they can be planted out at about a foot high. Trying to keep them properly watered for the next few weeks at least when life and everything else in the garden is a bit hectic is the difficult bit. Especially when you try to make time to go out and ride the bike too.

[redtrummy]

Yes thanks Trev - you may well be right we usually go away late May early June and I try to get the garden settled before we go hence forth

[garynortheast]

I never plant runners out until the first week of June here, as I've had them hit by very late frosts too often.

[garynortheast]

Started putting the first raised bed in place today. I didn't quite get the structure finished before it started raining though. I need to get it done quickly as I have a load of garlic waiting to be planted.

It's going to take a fair bit of work to get the next bed built. It's going in where there was wooden decking, which I have completely removed. The timber used for the decking is in good condition still so I'm using it for the sides of the raised beds. The problem is that there appears to have been a rat or rats living in holes under the decking. I doubt they'll be back now that the decking is gone and Mabel is on patrol, but they dragged and shredded a load of plastic sacking in there, so the soil is full of plastic fragments which I will have to clear up. I'm going to try using my large garden sieve to separate it out but if that fails it means removing a large area of topsoil as I don't want a load of plastic fragments and particulates in my veg beds.

To be honest, the amount of plastic left behind in the garden by the previous tenants is pretty horrifying. Membrane and mesh everywhere, plastic sacks, cable ties, polyprop string. It's going to take me quite a while to get rid of it all. It'll be a case of cleaning a section at a time, and then getting the next bed in.

Onwards/ymlaen!

[redtrummy]

Been removing bits here for the last few years mainly from plastic sacks that the weather has perished. I hate the stuff. Been miserable here today and does not look much better the rest of the week. Want to get a row of garlic in too.

[Sir Trev]

It never occurred to me how much plastic is in weed membrane until I unearthed some I put down more than ten years ago. The mulch I put on top broke down super fast and became soil before I realised it but the stuff is still a strong layer. I'll dig it all out one day although it may have to wait until I retire...

[garynortheast]

Progress on the garden to date.

First job was to create a pathway across the front garden for the SV to and from the gate. The gate was used by the previous tenant for her mobility scooter across the fake grass which covered the entire front garden.

Path marked out and top layer of soil removed. The piece of tube over the gate has been cut at the right hand end to allow it to swing inwards with the gate, so I don't need to try limbo dancing under it with the bike!.



Bed of gravel laid and eight large, 100cwt slabs laid. The gravel came from the back garden where it had been put down over a load of membrane. I still need to find some more, matching edging for the right hand side.



Back garden next and after building the first of my pallet compost bins (picture later when I have one) the next job was to remove the horrible decking. The top timbers were still sound so I've salvaged and sorted them for use in building the first couple of raised beds. The wood under it though was soft, rotting plywood.



I discovered that the previous tenants had put membrane down everywhere, so the next stage was (and still is) to remove the horrible stuff.

Decking removed, more slabs, rat hole, and shredded plastic exposed! The slabs will get reused



A lot of this has been and is being reused.



First raised bed under construction. The path in the foreground, and the fence at the back are not at right angles to the shed, I i had to move the slabs.



First bed completed. I need to find some environmentally friendly wood preservative for the timbers, and use the soil dug out of the compost bin site to fill the bed, then plant my garlic there.



Sorry about the poor quality of some of the pictures. They were taken at the end of the day when light levels were poor.