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My beds are 2.8m across and I generally plant 4 across. In old money one at either end with 3ft between plants. However; some caulis and cabbages don`t need as much space whereas purple sprouting in particular can turn into a bit of a beast, so I tend to separate it from the rest.
Pete
My onion seedlings have been shivering in the coldframe for some weeks. Should I buy some sets?
Pete
Sorry to bang on about green manure which is not part of Charle`s regimen but if I have any spare ground in autumn, I put in something like grazing rye, phacelia, or field beans which can easily be pulled up when necessary. It helps to prevent erosion and leaching as well as providing bulk for the compost.
Cheers Pete
Is it anything like this; http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/pictures/data/2/thumbs/IMG_5312.jpg
Thats a vine weevil larva and not to be encouraged as they can do a lot of root damage to certain plants. They cannot survive severe weather without protection and its not a major problem in East Yorkshire where I garden. They tend to be a big problem in pots and can establish indoors, under glass and in tunnels. I did have them decimating primulas in the garden once, after a series of dry mild winters some years ago.Pete
There is an alternative to covering to exclude light but it involves digging. I`ve done it on a relatively small scale and would not recommend it for a large area; the first step is to dig over in autumn, leaving the soil in large (massive) lumps, then in spring when the top has dried off, shake the couch out with a fork. Of course in the no-dig scheme of things this method should be used as a one off, prior to settling in to a no-dig regime. Its very good exercise!
Cheers Pete:-)
Hi Bluebell, I have composted literally everything in the past apart from diseased onions. I obviously would not compost japanese knotweed but thats another story. I would certainly compost; couch grass, nettles, bindweed, docks, thistles, ground elder, mares tail, etc. The thing is quite a lot of the pernicious material inc seeds and roots, dies off in the process. The composition of your compost is probably relevent, I use quite a lot of comfrey and alfalfa. Of course the more pernicious material you incorporate, the higher the risk of re-introduction but regular weed management is the answer to that, either hand weeding or shimming. Eventually you will compost less and less of the nasty stuff but don`t worry too much, just keep on top with a regular weeding strategy.
Cheers Pete
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
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 PeteDepending on what scale you are growing on (ie quantities), plastic water cups may be useful. I was lucky enough to get a boxful of these when the water dispenser was dispensed
) with at work. This particular type of cup was quite deep and could be used for sowing larger seeds and potting up. I put 3 drainage holes in each cup with a small soldering iron, (you can do upto 6 at a time by slotting them together),I then made some cupholders from plywood, just a flat piece of plywood, sized to just sit inside a normal seed tray, with 18 holes cut in using a hole cutter. Having tried lots of systems for propagation over the years, I think this is the best. The cups are kept upright in the cup holder/seed tray combination, the cups can be washed and re-used, they act a little bit like a root trainer and you can see the progress of the root system because the cups are clear plastic.Pete
I had a look at this and see that the main contributor to the anti no-dig side of the debate has years of experience and has tried a lot of different techniques. However; based on my experience, I don`t agree with some of his points. I have found that light soil although free draining dries out even quicker if dug, compost mulch does not dry out quickly and I have not found it necessary to dig my compost in to ensure that the roots of my crops have moisture and nutrients below the ground. Having said that; I agree that people have different ideas based on their experience and the soils that they garden on.
Cheers
Pete
We moved house a few years ago and I used a similar product quite a lot to improve the back garden prior to re-designing it. I don`t think it was sterilised because there was a strong aroma when the bags were opened but from what little knowledge I have about industrial composting, I think steam is used to provide heat in the process. It was a quick relatively cheap way to create reasonable growing conditions for a lawn and ornamental beds. I mixed it 50/50 with soil conditioner (another cheap compost product), and you couldn`t really tell much difference between them. I don`t think there will be much in the way of NPK in these materials but I was happy with the results. We get a variety of fungi appearing but I think that would be quite normal for any organic based medium. It would be interesting to learn a little more about the manufacturing techniques to see if anything undesirable is added. There seems to be quite a demand for any kind of organic waste materials for industrial composting these days, I can think of 2 large scale operations near us, one is run by the local council and the other is private. I think these methods need to be carefully watched but if done correctly could be beneficial to gardeners and growers alike.
Pete;-)
Hi compostpope
The methods I use are not exactly the same as Charles` no-dig. I allow for some soil disturbance but this is minimal i.e. lifting root crops and pulling up “Hungarian” rye/phacelia. If the rye is well established, some leverage with a fork may be required. Alfalfa requires a little more effort to get out but as with all my crops I sow in rows to make for easier management. I chop alfalfa as close to the surface as possible, it is not pernicious and in my opinion the (quite extensive) roots are beneficial in ways that I do not fully understand. I believe alfalfa is leguminous but wether this means it leaves a nitrogen residue I do not know. Its deep rooted, scavenging minerals and nutrients and I`m pretty sure it helps to aereate the soil. In answer to your last question; I cut the alfalfa whenever there is a lot of top growth, I don`t have any fixed time, its perennial and comes back with lots of fresh growth.Hope this helps
Pete:-)
You may have missed my reply above, the way the messages are displayed take a bit of getting used to because they are not necessarily in date order.
Pete:-)
Hi compostpope
I have been developing a self sustaining composting system for nearly 20 years and I`m learning all the time. I have several allotments varying from loamy clay to sandy loam. My oldest plot (20 yrs) has been improving in productivity year on year and is now very fertile. I mainly grow comfrey (permanent bed about 10% of total plot), alfalfa, grazing rye and phacelia. Alfalfa is longer term and is occupying about 10% from August for about 18 months. I suppose I have about 25% occupied by green manures in the growing season but I try to minimise bare ground in winter by sowing shorter term stuff such as phacelia and field beans. Rye forms the most bulk and is followed by leeks around May/June leaving a little for seed saving. Alfalfa needs to be sown before the end of August here and usually follows my onion crop. Rye can be sown quite late but September is best and usually follows my potato crop. NOTE: I do not dig anything in. Everything goes in the compost bin and I try to get it suitable for mulching as soon as possible. This usually depends how quickly the rye has decomposed. I probably cut the comfrey and alafalfa twice during the growing season depending on the season. Most of the resulting compost is put on my brassica bed in autumn or spring but some is used to mulch fruit and squashes.
Hope this helps
Pete
This has been discussed in depth quite recently Sarah see
http://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/content/materials-raised-beds
