This is the place to discuss not just allotments but all general gardening problems and queries which don't fit into the specific categories below.
(formerly allotments and tips, hints and problems)
We moved here in the summer but due to general problems moving house and baby having been in hospital a couple of times we haven't got done what we planned with our new gardens .
The biggest area is out the front of our house but is currently covered with a huge sheet of blue plastic then covered with gravel - and I think maybe some kind of unused water feature thingy in the middle - looka a state and we want to take it all up and try and make some beds - what do you think the best way will be to go about it ??
(Due to previous residents not looking after house/garden - it has become the bin of our street and people just throw in their empty packets etc so hoping this will stop too)
any advice welcome - oh and I know I'm going on a bit but clueless LOL how will I know if the soil is suitable for growing in ???
~I came, I picked, I preserved~
~If I always try harder than yesterday to make a difference in the world, one day I might just make it~
you can buy kits to test soil PH and type and add fertlisers, compost and other things to improve it if needed. personally with our 2 houses, we just dug up the grass and planted and all our crops have been fine
I have a good sized but virtually useless front garden as that worries me. I have been trying to think of things that won't be reconised and just look like weeds even
Potatoes might be too much effort to steal ..? I think I'd be inclined to risk it with stuff from seed (therefore reasonably cheap if it goes AWOL) or grow veggie in concentric circles so they look decorative - it's surprising how clueless people are about what is edible
I forgot to add - how to do it?
A bit at a time would be favourite, in my opinion, unless you have the money and energy to clear all the gravel into a skip. When you can see earth, just plant it up and see what happens.
thanks everyone - off for a bit of a plan with hubbie - thing is nothing ventured, nothing gained, just cant bear the thought of all that space being wasted - if its vandalised then so be it - but loads of the neighbours have flowers and posh tubs and baskets (mostly older people here) that do fine
~I came, I picked, I preserved~
~If I always try harder than yesterday to make a difference in the world, one day I might just make it~
Why skip the gravel, use it to make paths around the patches or improve drainage if necessary.
One word of warning, my garden was exactly the same, it had been put down to suppress bindweed which sprung up again when my neighbours mother decided to kindly cut holes in the sheeting and plant daffs.
The soil has been dug over and treated but we still get sprouts coming up so all our plants have to be grown in raised beds ontop of the sheet.
Christine wrote:Potatoes might be too much effort to steal ..? I think I'd be inclined to risk it with stuff from seed (therefore reasonably cheap if it goes AWOL) or grow veggie in concentric circles so they look decorative - it's surprising how clueless people are about what is edible
I hoping that as long as it doesn't have reconisable fruits it'll be safe. Some people have nice gardens here and they are left alone
Hi, Newbie Mum, Whereabouts in Fife are you? I am just over the water in Stirling, it's probably a good time to let your soil rest and plan for spring planting. I too am a little worried as I have just got an allotment and have horror stories of vandalism here in the past. You can but try, dreadful not to go ahead with your plans for fear of vandals, that's them won. Rgds, Pam
I second the "a bit at a time" sentiment. Flip the edge of the sheet up and shake the gravel away from that edge onto the rest of the sheet, cut the clear section of sheet away, and cultivate that bit as a test to how well things grow. Or similar.
DON'T take all the sheet up at once 'cos if there's something like couch grass or ground elder you'll only be able to cope with so much of it. If you decide that you really want to take the whole thing up, buy some green manure seeds (you can get them in bulk from Moles as well as in smaller amounts from the usual catalogues) and sow them to cover anything you don't want to cultivate straight away. They'll also impove the soil, and which one you choose depends on how your soil test kit comes out.
Speaking of soil, depending on how long the sheet has been down it may be quite compressed, but it's likely to have been laid over grass so it should be fairly rich in humus and just need a dig over and some fish, blood and bone or similar. If you're really lucky it's only been down for two years and you'll find that it's top quality loam under there. You never know!
if there are any weeds growing through gaps in plastic then that suggests soil isnt toxic at least. I think the raised beds idea people have suggested sounds good, as you could cut holes in the plastic where the bed is but the paths can be left gravelled, saving weeding them. How about an edible hedge of rasberry canes at the very front? you would lose some fruit to passers by, but it might be a nice boundary to reduce people trapsing in to grab your veg. I seem to be very confident in my suggestions for someone who is so unsuccesful with his own crops. HMM
"the thought of liing problems should come as naturally as the thought of liking ice cream"
Thanks for all these ideas !
Definately like the idea of raised beds.
There is a brick wall at the front and an Iron gate so not sure many would bother about trying to steal veggies anyway.
Have decided it all needs to come up as there is glass and other rubbish mixed in with the gravel (not safe for little one), so should we put down plastic of our own and put raised beds on top of those then gravel paths between them - I'm thinking from the advice this might be the best idea ??
Hmmmm fruit bushes - what's a good position for these ?? against the wall ??
~I came, I picked, I preserved~
~If I always try harder than yesterday to make a difference in the world, one day I might just make it~
In my opinion, I wouldn't put plastic under the beds, as some plants will want to push their roots deep and this will inhibit them. Break up the surface with a fork (or rotavator if you're in the mechanical mood) wherever you are putting the beds (but not, obviously, where the paths will be) then build the beds on top. This means you won't have to build beds higher than is convenient - you could easily get away with a few inches to start with and see how you go.
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and people just throw in their empty packets etc so hoping this will stop too)
LOL how will I know if the soil is suitable for growing in ???
so all our plants have to be grown in raised beds ontop of the sheet.
