New land

[rightee]

Hi there,

We have been offered about 1/3 acre to grow on near our house in mid-Wales.

It was gardened for about 7 years successfully (organically I think) before being abandoned in Autumn 2011. Therefore in the last 14 months it has become overgrown and full of weeds (mainly creeping buttercup, not too many docks etc).

We are keen to expand our knowledge of no-dig techniques on this land and are currently wondering the best way to start on this without becoming overwhelmed by the size of it?

We were thinking of covering 1/2 the land in black eco plastic type material and growing something like potatoes out of the “gaps” between the plastic to kill the weeds and break up the soil.

Someone has suggested rotavating the land but our thoughts are this will destroy the top soil and chop off the perennial weeds into loads of small bits?

Any thoughts on the best way forward?

Regards,
Andy Wright

[charles]

 So many options, depends what you like to eat, how much compost you have etc. Your idea is fine, though it is a bit of a myth that "potatoes kill weeds and break up soil" as if they are magic vegetables, most of that is from associated cultivations by the hard working gardener, like earthing up. But anyway with a mulch you don’t need to earth up, and you don’t need to "break up" soil either! I don’t like that phrase. Anyway, potatoes are a good idea.

Winter squash and courgettes are also suitable as you need few holes in the mulch for a lot of growth, likewise winter brassicas such as kale, brussels etc. My books explain this principle, each person can fill in with their favourite veg, and it sounds worthwhile and possible to get the land clean again.

[rightee]

Thanks for the quick reply Charles. We’ve been using your books for a few years now, this is a much bigger project for us!

We are lacking in compost/manure as the site is away from main roads so not sure how we are going to get a load of manure up there, so I’ve been reading about rotating with green manures as we may have to do something like that.

Yes squash/courgettes sound like a good idea too, we’ll be drawing up a plan when the weather gets too wet again (been lovely and Spring like the last few days even here!)

Regards,
Andy

[Pete Budd]

Hi Andy

I agree with everything Charles has said and you are right not to underestimate the size of your task, in my experience it is precisely this that brings about the demise of many peoples cultivation aspirations. I think no-dig, if managed well, is the least time consuming way forward but be under no illusions about the amount of work involved. Sermon over; I would think, based on the history of your plot, that the fertility will be quite adequate for most crops, so there is no immediate need to import manure or compost. However; the weeds will need attention and covering an area with black plastic will eventually kill those and and allow you to concentrate on an area that is manageable. I would rake off the top growth, (a good quality rake makes a difference here), and start planting. Of course there will be a lot of regrowth and reseeding to be dealt with but its a case of time management, i.e. don`t bite off more than you can chew.
Hope this advice is helpful Pete

[rightee]

Hi Pete,

Thanks for your reply. We are definitely taking it one step at a time and not biting off more than we can chew!

Any recommendations on good suppliers of rakes online? (or recommended brand?)

Cheers,
Andy

[Pete Budd]

I like the wolfe range mainly because I think their 2 sided (push-pull) hoe makes a good job of shimming off weeds without disturbing the soil too much. The Wolfe rake is very good quality.

Pete

[dolmen]

Hi Charles and team… Ive been gardening in a very labour intensive way for many years, sadly just as I discovered and was getting the hang of no dig, we moved home. For a number of years Ive only had containers to grow in, but recently I made enquiries about a small field that has been reclaimed, it really is only till with very little top soil. I have been advised to stay well clear, but its close to home, level ground and is 2 acres in size, so really I could have a mini farm eventually.
If I was to go ahead and take this project on, my thinking was to spend perhaps a year gathering up farm yard manure, horse manure along with upping my home compost production before actually growing very much. I know compost and organic material is key to the system so starting without any would be silly, perhaps?
My plan/dream would be to have a poly tunnel and start with getting it going first, with perhaps planting some fruit trees and bushes.
What do the team think of my plan or is it really just too much work to get a growing medium again especially as there is so little top soil to start with? tia

[charles]

 If I were you Dolmen, I would go for that field. Being close to home is a big advantage, and you can ‘build soil’. Bit by bit, a great project. I imagine you would have access for a tractor and trailer to drop compost manure, apart from what you bring? That would save a lot of time.

[dolmen]

Thanks Charles, thats what my heart tells me, but when everyone else says its a lost cause, you kinda question if perhaps you’re just acting out of desperation. I’ll see what costs are going to be like, and take it from there.
On this sort of scale, I would probably start with a smaller area at a time, creating long beds east – west, my thinking was for 30” wide with 12” walk ways, these beds might possibly be 50 – 60m long, and at the same time spread a heavy coating of FYM over the rest of the land with a manure spreader to get things moving, then either graze the grass or just keep it topped, so again adding organic material to the ground.
Theres a quarry quite close to me and they supply lime to the farmers, without testing would you say it would be beneficial? and is there a big difference in limestone dust and rock dust?
I may be able to get manure from commercial chicken houses, not organically raised, but a possible source for compost in larger amounts… do you think this would be a sensible move or is there too much of a down side? I also believe there is a large mushroom business about 30 miles from here, again not organic in their production, but they might have compost available? Ive been organic in my approach for many years and these non organic options trouble me… but getting raw material is key! whats your thoughts tnx?

[charles]

 I would not use chicken manure because of antibiotics and possibly gm feed too.  Mushroom compost shoul be ok as I believe they use mostly biological controls as pesticides now – but it may be expensive. Fym is usually cheaper.

As for lime it depends on the bedrock, if limestone I would not use it (as pH will be around 7.5 already) but for any pH under about 6.5, some "limedust" sounds a really good plan. 

[dolmen]

thanks again… I just wanted to check, as I would like to be adding as much health building material to the ground as possible. I realise it will take time for nature to do her work, but by adding all the ingredients I was hoping to help bring things along at the best pace possible.
You mention drainage improving with time somewhere on your site, Ive been busy for quite a few hours reading various articles that catch my eye, as there has been perhaps 7′ yes foot, of till/brown clay added to reclaim this field in places, I was wondering if perhaps old fashioned stone drains should also be considered before working on improving the surface soils?
anyone else completed a restoration of similar conditions?
tia

[dan hazelrowan]

I’d be wary of eco plastic, it may just disintegrate quicker than you need it to and leave loads of bits of black eco plastic everywhere! I would get some proper non-eco thick black plastic that will take some abuse and will last, for mulching that’s what you need! you can always re-use it , sell it, or pass it on to other growers. Mypex worth a look too

Also can you not get a tractor and trailer to your site? A reasonable trailer will hold 7 tonnes of compost

good luck

[Author]

Posts