Thanks for the detailed reply.
“Any particular book of the ones available you think would be the best place to start judging by my questions?” I HAVE’ SALAD LEAVES FOR ALL SEASONS’ & ‘HOW TO GROW WINTER VEG’, THE BOOKS ARE NOT A SERIES LIKE AN ENCYCLOPEDIA, MORE LIKE ROUTE MAPS TO TRAVEL FROM VARIOUS STARTING POINTS TO REACH A CENTRAL OBJECTIVE.’HOW TO CREATE A NEW VEG GARDEN ‘ WOULD SEEM A GOOD CHOICE.
Re: 100mm thick compost, plant carrots into that… and its ok if carrots go through the compost and try to grow into the hard clay rubbish underneath? WELL WHERE ELSE CAN THEY GO? ONLY CONCERN WOULD BE IF KNOWN TO BE POLLUTED WITH CHEMICALS/OIL ETC. CARROTS COME IN’STUMPY’VARIETIES ALSO.
Cardboard should exceed the size of the plot? Does that mean the external bits will be naked cardboard or would you put the would chips over the edges like a boarder/path to walk around so noncardboard left visible? YES, ANY EXCESS CAN BE REMOVED ONCE CARD IS SOAKED THROUGH.
Pathway you suggest I make the 2 beds with compost and instead of wasting compost inbetween the beds, to put wood chips which are cheaper instead to walk on? So it will look like rows black (compost) brown (wood chips) black brown etc.? YES, KEEP THE WOODCHIP WEED FREE, IT SOON DECOMPOSES AND DARKENS
I wondered about that because charles garden from the videos is all black 🙂
And with the carrots you mentioned, 50mm appart double rows… So you would habe the outer row and one row behind it 50mm appart and you would make a hole every 50mm in the row and plant 3-4 seeds in each hole and i guess if 2 or 3 germinate the carrots will push themselves appart initially (thats why 50mm of space between each hole) so that i wont have to touch them?YES
If i got cardboard on the ground and the carrot gets to the carboard as the compost is only 100mm thick… is the carrot going to break through the
cardboard to get to the rubbish clay underneath? I guess that cardboard will eventually disintegrate… ONCE SOAKED THE CARDBOARD IS SOFT
Would it be ok just to stick the compost on that existing straw like grass… when the grass grows up above the compost dig the grass out and just keep doing that until it eventually stops growing (thus no cardboard needed)? HERE CARDBOARD IS FREE FOR COLLECTION FROM WHITE GOODS SELLERS AND CYCLE SHOPS ETC. IE READILY AVAILABLE. YOU NEED BROWN CORRUGATED CARDBOARD BOXES, AVOID WHITE GLOSSY OR WAXED CARTONS.BIGGER THE BOXES THE BETTER.
And last thing I thought of back to the carrot if i got cardboard on grass and 100mm thick, how will the carrot grow down through the grass? POINTED END FIRST.
Wouldn’t I be better off using a spade or hoe just to dig out the lawn where i plan the garden to be to avoid all of the above and then place the compost on top of dirt with no concern about grass or cardboard etc being there? THEN YOU WOULD LOSE THE TOP SOIL PROFILE AND THE LIVE SOIL BIOLOGY THAT HAS SUPPORTED THE GRASS
And heres an off topic question:
Seeds – I will get a batch of organic heirloom seeds and other seeds are only available as un-treated.
Untreated is not certified organic but the seed itself has not been chemically treated. Having said that though the vegetables/plants those seeds came out from would of been done under regular farming practices, fertilisers of all kinds sprays etc etc but ofcoirse the actual seed has not been chemically treated.
Organic seeds on other hand come out of vegetables/plants that have certified organic practices.
Is there actually a difference?
I CANNOT ADVISE: I GROW VEGETABLES IN ORGANIC CONDITIONS, WITH MINIMAL INPUT OF ANY SYNTHETIC SUBSTANCE. MARKETED ORGANIC PRODUCE DEPENDS UPON THE DEFINITION. I DO NOT CONSIDER THAT THE PLANT STRAIN IS DIFFERENT, BUT AM CONTENT TO GIVE MY CROPS THE BEST NATURAL CONDITIONS THAT I CAN. HEALTHY, VIGOROUS PLANTS ARE LESS SUSCEPTABLE TO PESTS OR DISEASES, THEREFORE DO NOT REQUIRE CHEMICAL TREATMENT. I GROW FOR OWN CONSUMPTION, THEREFORE PROFIT MOTIVE IS NOTIONAL ONLY.
Vegetables like onions etc (pretty much all vegetables – not capsicums tomato etc) grow seed on the outside of the plant. If the seeds are untreated but the farming method is not organic… are not the seeds by default then “sprayed” and therefor do have chemicals on them even though they say untreated? If the seeds are untreated in the fullest sense of word wouldn’t that make them organic then? Curious.
I THINK ‘ UNTREATED’ RELATES TO THE CONDITION OF THE DRIED SEED AFTER HARVEST.IE NOT CONTAINING FUNGICIDE, GROWTH STIMULANT, GROWTH REGULATOR, COLOURANT, DESSICANT ETC.I HAVE NOT THOUGHT OF IT RELATING TO THE PARENT TREATMENT REGIME.