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Hi Stringfellow
I have 2 options; a reasonably cool garage and a shed. Sometimes, (like this winter so far), the shed is ideal but most winters the garage is ok. I have some large plastic containers that I have managed to accumulate and I stack these up with plywood inbetween. Carrots, parsnips, beets and swede all keep well using a mixture of sharp sand and old potting compost. The mixture should be only just moist. I have had a little bit of top growth and fibrous root re-growth, due to the mild conditions but it has not affected the quality so far.
Hope this helps
Pete
Hi Bluebell
In East Yorkshire my attempts to get early carrots going are often defeated by the weather. Cold, wet conditions are not conducive to good germination and last year I had to resow due to the cold spring. I`ve never tried Amsterdam forcing but imagine it needs a bit of heat under glass.
Pete
I`m flattered by the interest Charles and only to happy share information,
The grazing rye I use is annual rye, Secale cereale (latin) also known as Hungarian Grazing Rye. It can grow to 2 mtrs high.
And no, I never see any nodules on the alfalfa.
Pete
Thanks Stringfellow
PS I have to sow alfalfa before the end of August to ensure good germination/establishment. Grazing rye is very robust, best sown September/October and even as late as December.
Pete
Hi Stringfellow
I`m not a particularly methodical person in the experimental sense but I do a fair bit of reading/research. I started off as a traditional gardener and gradually changed due to influence from an old allotment holder who gave me some comfrey roots and made me aware of Henry Doubleday (now Garden Organic) and the Soil Association. I avoid mustard because its a brassica and have tried a range of other crops. Grazing rye is my favourite because; it is easy to grow, gives plenty of bulk, covers ground that might be bare all winter, its easy to save seed, I`ve even made rye bread from it. Alfalfa is the interesting one because, although it is leguminous it is not supposed to fix nitrogen at our latitude yet brassicas seem to thrive after it. Alfalfa is deep rooted, penetrates the subsoil and leaves a legacy of organic material in the ground as well as adding plenty to the compost bin. I lose cropping space with comfrey but it gives so much back it is indispensible. A bit long winded but I hope that answers your question.
Pete
Hi Gill and thanks for your interest,
My green manure experiment started over 20 years ago, with the aim of establishing a self sufficient vegetable garden, without the need for manure or fertiliser. Very briefly; I sow all green manures in rows to make cultivation and weed management easier, I always follow potatoes with grazing rye and onions with alfalfa, phacelia is used when need arises as temporary cover and has the added benefit, (if allowed to flower), of providing food for bees at times when there is little else available. I always have a permanent bed of comfrey, using the leaves for liquid feed and to mix in the compost bin. Grazing rye can be pulled up with little soil disturbance in June, (leaving some for seed production), then composted, with leeks following on. Alfalfa can be hard work, the roots need to chopped below ground level and do not regrow but the following brassica crop always seems to do well. My original experimental plot has not had any material imported for a long, long time and gives exceptional yields. My newest plot (3 years old now) still gets a bit of pelleted chicken manure and I am not that entrenched in my ways to refuse the offer of a bit of chicken manure from the chicken men on the allotments.
Pete
PS its not Gill is it sorry
I follow pots with green manure, to a)scavenge minerals & nutrients, b) prevent leaching during winter and c) provide composting bulk, (I hate bare ground!). However; depending on the weather, early spuds could be lifted by late June, giving plenty of opportunity for another crop. I couldn`t plant climbing french beans that late in East Yorkshire so would probably try dwarf bean plants (that have been started in the greenhouse or frame), lettuce or carrots.
Cheers
Pete
There goes a very happy gardener. All he needs to do now is sell the rotovator, (the devils machine), and start composting. I run several allotments and concentrate on minimising hard work, (else how would I manage them). I cannot believe how easy it is whilst I`m surrounded by “traditional” gardeners struggling to get their winter digging done and in the process destroying the balance of the soil and bringing more weeds to the surface.
A very merry Christmas to one and all
Pete
Hi Geeky, I`ll keep it brief and its only my opinion; it can be difficult to grow some veggies in your back garden due to shade and competition, stick to summer crops and start a compost bin.
Cheers
Pete
I think it depends on how many weeds there are on your paths. If its just the odd one a small flame gun would suffice but to be honest you might as well knock em up with a hoe. I use a push pull, two sided hoe mostly and find it quite quick and easy. If your paths are well covered in weeds it might be better to hire an industrial flame gun, (the type used to burn off road markings), but I know from experience that can be expensive. Personally I don`t think a flame gun is going to save any time in the long run, weeding is a case of little and often. Another solution might be to lay “woven fibre” weed suppressing membrane, I bought some off the internet recently to lay between some rows of newly planted raspberries.
Pete
I find Grazing Rye very versatile for winter cover. Sow in rows between Sept upto early December depending on the weather.
Pete
If your cucumbers were under glass I would not have thought recent nights would do anything other than slow them down a bit, maybe its something else. I`m in the Vale of York and last night was well below 10 degC but I didn`t see any probs. I don`t think its too late to have another go under glass esp if you can get some plants that are well on. I wouldn`t bother outdoors now unless there is going to be an Indian summer?
Cheers
Pete
I garden on sandy soil and I find its better if its not disturbed too much and can retain moisture extremely well if mulched on the top.
Pete
Hi Darren
I could never get on with JI no1 and tried a range of peat free alternatives over some years, with less than spectacular sometimes dire results. Garden Organic did a trial a couple of years ago and as a result I tried New Horizon veg compost and never looked back.
Cheers Pete