Help/ideas please

[tisme]

I'm making a new veggie/herb/soft fruit bed. It on a slop so I have bought ten railway sleepers. The total area will be 16foot wide (two railway sleepers) and 25feet long. So each terrace is 5ft long 16ft wide.
It grass at the moment so do I rotovate it in or take the turf off?

The top soil is not very good so do I buy in and if so what? Or do I dig the horse muck heap and use that. The last time I used the horse muck I grew weeds for ages. Its also up hill so hard work getting it there.

At the top I want to grow raspberry's and then at the bottom Hyssop and Borage for the bees. What else can I plant at this time of yr?

Sorry if these are stupid questions, as I see from another thread you don't seem to like stupid question, but I need to start somewhere.

Thanks

Pete

[Annpan]

Not stupid questions at all Pete, sorry you feel that way, we all start somewhere... i daren't think what I was asking when I started out....


You will get several answers about this and the chances are none of them will be wrong, but there are so many ways of doing things just go along with what feels right for you.

Personally....
I would acquire lots of cardboard and lay that out over the grass.... You can spread muck, cut grass, mulch over the top if you like but it isn't essential (though you will need to stop it blowing away)
by the time spring comes around again the cardboard would have rotted down and the grass underneath will have decomposed (putting all those nutrients that are in the grass back in the ground) and turning it into pretty good planting ground, that will need just a light forking over before planting

If you want to plant things just now I would still cover with cardboard and make slits through it to plant in the ground underneath.

You can still plant salad crops and peas, and some brassicas.

Overtime you'll need to mulch or dig in organic matter of some kind, so you'll need to figure out how you can get quantities of it up the hill only once a year or so though probably.



Anymore questions please don't be afraid to ask

[boboff]

Agreed cardboard is the answer to the grass.

Fill in first with Horse Manure, then get anything organic, and top soil to level it off. Use some sand, grit, even Perlite to aid drainage.

Your local tip may be able to deliver 5 to 10 tonnes of compost for a couple of hundred quid.

The raspeberries will go in more of the original soil at the top, with just a manure dressing, the deeper soil at the bottom will be best for your veg, your Borage probably below the raspberries, then the Hyssop ( although this might be nice as a border all round the bed?)

With all that in place I would definately put in some blackcurrants, Strawberries, Rhubarb, with the Perennials then think about Turkish Rocket, Babbington Leeks, Sage, Rosemarry, Bronze Fennel. Use your nice new soil for salad crops this year, maybe a row of peas.

I think the "stupid people thread" is not meant to portray anything other than the fun poked at the "Margo" gardener......

[tisme]

Thanks for the ideas. Cardboard will be down later today on two of the beds the others I will dig and put the horse manure in the bottom, with so gravel for drainage and put top soil back on top so I can use now.

Some nice ideas on veg and herbs as well, so a trip to the local garden center is in order.

Pete (maybe on the way to being one step ahead of being a "mago" :O) )

[chickenchargrill]

I think you're more than one step ahead of being a Margo already. The mistake most Margos make is to do something without asking or researching.

There's still a few things you can plant. I bought more peas, some perpetual spinach and more radish to plant. Someone else had a thread on here somewhere called 'What can I plant now' or something, that had lots of ideas in.


EDIT: It was called Is it too late? Here's the link http://www.selfsufficientish.com/forum/ ... 12&t=23191