How to make a vegateble patch?

richardgomm

Hi,

Need some advice for a complete garden rookie.

The wife has decided that I should turn part of our lawn into a vegetable patch.

We have an area of 15m x 20m that has been growing wild for the past year or two. Its all uneven ground and the 'grass' currently stands about 3 feet tall with some large weeds. It's affectionately called the 'wildlife preserve'

Now I'm guessing the first thing is to get as to close to the ground level as possible? Either by strimmer, or more likely flame thrower!

But once at ground level it is extremely un-level (guy dug it up with a digger last year)

How would I deal with removing the last parts? I've looked at tillers and Rotavators etc on the hss hire site but they all seem to deal with level ish ground. This ground would be very un-level....

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Just to give you an idea of the site atm:



thanks

Micheal GIY

Hi richardgomm

Thats a great bit of space you have there. It is getting a bit late in the year to tackle this job and get a crop out of it this year but there are a number of options. The ground is probably fairly okay - it is certainly growing a good crop of grass!

Yes, cutting down the grass a good bit is the best start. You don't need to go mad rotovating and stuff like that. In fact, some people say that rotovating is not too good for your soil anyhow. If you have the energy, you could dig it over and use a sprong as well to hoik out the weeds by the roots. If you do get it cleared, and are not planting anything this year, it would be good to vcover it to avoid the weeds coming back before next spring. Alternatively, you could grow a 'green manure' on it - plants which can then be dug into the soil in spring and will add to the soil fertility.

If the soil is not great, you might consider putting in raised beds. These are basically frames made from planks which can then be filled with better soil.

Again, if you are content to wait until spring, you could cut back the grass, cover it all with black plastic, and then lift it off in spring and start planting. To go a bit madder, you might spread some seaweed on the beds before covering it and they will be rotted down in spring, again adding fertility to the soil.

One last piece of advice - figure out what you want to grow as this will help you figure the best way to tackle your plot.

tommy2bad

People Like Bunches Of Roses.
Late to get anything growing this time of year but a good time to start for next year.
Strimmer will take the grass down to a workable level, then spray with Gallup or roundup when regrowth is back.
Rotovater to till the soil, that looks like you could get in with a tractor so someone could turn it with a plough first.
When tilled use a rake to pull the ground around to a level, not as hard as you think you'll be working smallish plots at the time.
Throw some green manure in and you can dig it back in next year. Leave a bit for sprouts so you'll have some return this year. 6 plants are enough for the xmass dinner and then some.
Grow what youll eat, spuds cabbage, salad, or turnips carrots and garlic, no point growing stuff thatll get binned.
Make compost bins, beg borrow or steal some farm yard manure and dig it in this year. Next year youll have some compost.

Oh the bit about roses? Potatoes,Legumes, Brassicas, Onions, Roots, remember rotation is important.
Good luck, at least you dogded this wet cold miserably summer.

Sgt Pepper 64

Why not start small and just tackle a small part, say 4 squares, each 3ft square? With a grass path surrounding it or something harder so it doesnt turn into slippery and wet mud when working it through the year

That way you could probably sow\plant something now and not feel so over whelmed

You need to think about access and paths, posibly nets and canes etc etc! Its a good idea to do some sort of plan , so you can rotate crops etc

joseph brand

That's a lot of space for a veg patch.

Raised beds would be a great idea. Hard work initially but after they're in place it should be a lot easier.

Choose some corner of the garden for a compost heap. Preferably close to the house. That long grass can be the start of your heap. Then add kitchen waste. (There's lots of info on the net on what to use and what not to use).

Try get some farmyard manure if possible. Look up 'green manures' on the net also.

Qualitymark

Or better yet a compost pit. Dig a hole two feet deep, two feet across and six feet long; reserve the earth; cover the hole.

For two weeks, fill up the first one-third of the hold with compostables - put in a load of vegetable peelings, eggshells, torn-up cardboard and kitchen paper, etc, covering each load with some of the earth you've reserved.

For the next two weeks move on to the middle one-third; fill it up in the same way.

For the next two weeks move to the third one-third, same deal.

By now, the first one-third will have composted completely or almost so. You should have rich wormy compost that you can dig in to enrich your vegetable patch. Dig out the first one-third, and start again. Two weeks later, dig out the middle one-third, and start using that - and so on.

This is magic - much better than compost heaps, because the worms from all over the garden rush in to the rich food source and make fantastic compost.

When you're doing your veggies, make a couple of lazy beds for potatoes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BLy_W8la7s

Very satisfying and looks beautiful.

Zuiderzee

The best of luck with the garden, it is a great, rewarding passtime.
Make the garden as frog and hedgehog friendly as possible to encorage snail and slug predators.

tommy2bad wrote: »

Strimmer will take the grass down to a workable level, then spray with Gallup or roundup when regrowth is back.

I would strim and dig in the cuttings. I would not use weed killer, no real need at this point in my honest opinion.

Two things you will need are a good steel rake, and for digging I cannot reccommend a chillington hoe enough.

You can still get some crops in over the coming weeks.

Winter Onions like Radar and winter cabbage you can start off now, as well as winter leeks. Winter radish seed are also available online.

As well as that you can establish some permacrops like Globe and Jeruselem artichoke not to mention herbs like thyme, rosemary, sage, chives, bay tree etc in one area, nearest the kitchen for herbs is generally handiest. These are normally available in garden centres.
I find the best online shop for these is Johnstown Garden centre.


Also in November you can establish rhubarb and dormant fruit trees or bushes.

November-December is also the time to plant garlic. I always plant around 60 - roughly one clove per week.

Getting a compost bin sorted is another good suggestion, you can get a compost bin from Lidl or Aldi fairly cheap when they come on offer.
Put it at the bottom of the garden.
Another thing after this summer that would be forgotten is a garden hose.

Digging between now and December means the winter, if we have frost, gets a chance to break up the soil making it easier to work next spring.

As you are starting from grass land, when you put your first root crops in next spring, remember to spray with supernemos to kill off wireworms in particular.