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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2013 15:32:02 GMT 1
This is the time of year to start thinking about your soil. If you don't agree with me you're wrong.....
Veg growing is demanding of the soil. So what steps do you lot take to make sure it's good enough? If you tell me about yours I'll tell you about mine...
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Post by Elkay on Jan 4, 2013 15:42:32 GMT 1
I try to keep ours weed free; I currently have leeks, celeriac and psb plants to work around but am slowly making my way round everywhere with some horse manure we dumped in a heap in the autumn.
In the polyutunnel I spread and dug in the manure before I planted out lettuces in the autumn and today I planted a few early potatoes (variety amandine) which, all being well, will be ready to start eating towards the end of April.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2013 15:49:59 GMT 1
Our soil is c**p, full of stones, nothing much wants to grow in it, I am planning to rotovate soon and need to add something to give it a helping hand, I was hoping the local farmer would put a pile of manure in a neighbouring field
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Post by troll on Jan 4, 2013 17:41:52 GMT 1
Dear annon, I have a sinking feeling that you set us up to shoot us down.............but here goes! My potager is divided into 4 main beds for rotation. The Spud plot is very heavily mucked with rotted stable manure and leaf-mould (leeks follow spuds in the same year, in my rotation). brassicas will go into that bed next year--no muck, then peas and beans, this time plot is limed; then roots. This keeps lime and muck as far apart as possible. Runner beans have a separate trench with loads of muck. As space becomes available, curcubits go in, with individual helpings of rotted compost. The soft fruits get muck and woodash. My muck heaps are above the potager, so that all leachate runs into the plots.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2013 22:29:02 GMT 1
Troll what have I got to look out for, just for planting plants/trees in the soil? No kidding
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2013 22:44:54 GMT 1
Just got back from the pub where the voluptuous barmaid has left and been replaced by a grisly, middle-aged man. Much better.
Thank you for your replies. I have no coarse manners but I'm not entirely girly either, so can we please agree that when discussing soil we must be precise, and that male logic is a necessary part of that, as is iron discipline...
Between us we have enough soils to work with and I hope that by putting our heads together we can come up with practical solutions for anyone interested. For me, a first step is assessing what we've already got before deciding what to do with it.
Pandj seems to know what's what by observing poor previous growth. Troll and Elkay might've worked their soils long enough to instinctively know their own. It's possible to do nothing at all, or a great deal, so where do we start?
More from me, and anyone else, another day. Meanwhile please sleep soundly in your beds. God will send us all our tomorrows - ...oops...wrong thread.
ps: There's no such thing as the wrong thread for the 'G' word...
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Post by troll on Jan 5, 2013 10:56:33 GMT 1
Troll what have I got to look out for, just for planting plants/trees in the soil? No kidding I'm not the expert here! There are quite a few with lovely gardens and more knowledge. However there are a few things anyone would need to know before being able to offer advice. What plants/ trees do you have in mind? Is the situation exposed or sheltered? what type of soil do you have? how much space do you want to fill? re the garlic, it needs a period of cold weather in the ground to form cloves, otherwise it forms an undivided bulb.
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Post by JohnP on Jan 5, 2013 11:43:31 GMT 1
Rice and water cress is favourite for me this year! If I did a soil test it would come back H2O
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Post by Elkay on Jan 5, 2013 12:53:13 GMT 1
Rice and water cress is favourite for me this year! If I did a soil test it would come back H2O Funnily enough I've ordered some watercress seeds from T&M
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2013 11:07:30 GMT 1
We digress just a little... sabjac, if you've got deciduous trees (those that lose their leaves in winter) get them in soon. I've got a lot too and their buds are getting fat. They may open up and get nipped by frost but they'll recover the better if they're in their final positions...
JP's quip about the sodden earth is (surprisingly!) on-topic. I'd be worried if the soil wasn't full at this time of year but come April we'd expect it to have drained, at least to the extent that there's no standing water. If it hasn't drained by April, we've got a problem....
Elkay and M'lady - please say what you mean by 'heavy dressings' of manure and 'well-rotted' manure...I can't contribute until you do.. but a clue to my query lies in 'male logic and iron discipline'....
I do ramble on sometimes/almost always/always.....
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