creating beds from pasture

[ashleigh]

hi everyone, this is my first post here.

we have just been given up to an acre of a field to start working towards a market garden. it is pasture, thick grasses, docks, buttercups, some reeds and cuckoo flower. inspired by charles we would like to do as little digging as possible! please could anyone advise about different kinds of mulch and how long we would have to leave it before planting…

– if we used cardboard / carpet / black plastic starting now?
– if cardboard, should we wait to put the 3-6″s of compost on until we are ready to plant?
– do we need to dig if we want to do any autumn planting?
– do we need to dig even if we can wait til spring planting?
– would it be good to layer cardboard then topsoil then compost? as topsoil will be easier to obtain in quantity than compost

appreciate any advice, ash

[Andrew Pearman]

Hello Ashleigh

I have been converting some pasture to a raised bed system over the last year or so having also been inspired by Charles to try no-dig. Having decided not to cover with a thick manure layer due to the large quantity needed and the good fertility of the soil, I tried a some different ways to kill the grass and weeds.

– Mypex woven ground cover fabric. This killed the grasses and weeds in about 6 months or so and can be re-used many times to gradually clear a large area. It is worth getting a good quality fabric to exclude as much light as possible. (about 100gsm). Try allplas.co.uk for large rolls.

– Silage clamp sheeting. This can be a cheaper option if you can pick up an old roll from an agricultural merchant at a discount. It is very effective but may encourage slugs although i have not found this a problem

– Straw. I got some large bales of pea straw which were available locally and laid slices about 6 inches thick over the ground. They expanded when wet and killed all grass and weeds. I found using straw this way expensive although you are adding fertility as the straw rots. There was also some residue which could be left on the ground or composted. Might be worth thinking about if you can pick up some spoiled straw cheaply.

Before covering I cut the grass short and spread a thin layer of manure as recommended by Charles in his books. A few tough perennial weeds did survive but can be easily removed. I found about 6 months is needed to kill most plants but there is a trade off between how fast you want the ground ready and how many weeds and tough grasses are left.

Good luck! Andy

[charles]

 Welcome to the forum Ashleigh, and a few things I would add to Andrew’s helpful post:

– if we used cardboard / carpet / black plastic starting now?
Using sheet mulches only, with no organic matter on top of the soil, means at least a three months wait before planting, even longer if perennial weeds are abundant…

– if cardboard, should we wait to put the 3-6"s of compost on until we are ready to plant? 
If you can source compost, I would put it on now and if, for example, it was 4-6" deep then you can sow/plant straightaway, no need to wait for the pasture to die underneath as veggie roots can grow in the compost to start with.

– do we need to dig if we want to do any autumn planting? 
As above, only if not using organic matter on top: if you dig now, you can sow/plant almost straightaway, but the digging is purely for speed, in absence of compost, and does not improve the soil. In fact I think it spoils a lovely structure.

– do we need to dig even if we can wait til spring planting?  
Absolutely no need to do this!! As the pasture roots die, they leave the soil with a wonderful structure for new growth of all new plants: think of all the small root channels which become air channels. If you can add some organic matter on top, growth is even better.

 

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