Help! Clueless in Cardiff

[sairlew]

Hello and Help! We acquired an allotment last year, neglected it for months then hacked down the weeds and covered it in black plasic. I now feel ready to tackle things but I realise that, whereas I am a competent flower gardener, I don't actually have a clue about growing veg!!! The plot is fairly level, sunny and right next to a water tap so no excuses really, the only problem being the very heavy, sticky clay soil. I also have an enthusiastic 4 year old helper with a very short attention span, so I need to work in short bursts, little and often rather than long slogs. Does anyone have any suggestions about how I could get started?? I've tried looking at books but they seem to offer bewilderingly conflicting advice about everything so any practical and manageable advice would be massively welcome!
Yours in eager anticipation,
Sarah

[old tree man]

hi and welcome
digging clay is very...very hard work you really need to dig in an amount of sharp stoney material to break up the clay. an alternative is to make small raised beds and invest in some decent topsoil this will save your back andbring the level of the soil slightly higher to make it more managable.
bookwise when i fisrt started out it was percy thrower lol (showing my age now)
but more updated is bob flowerdew organic bible its fairly easy to follow showing you about crop rotation and companion planting.

Good luck

Russ

[snapdragon]

When I lived on clay I was advised to dig in amounts of seaweed (what I used had been composted a bit), it seemed to work .
Also use a fork not a spade and dig whilst wet - it's often too hard when dry
Little and often sounds a good plan - it will be heavy going

Welcome in

[justskint]

Hi All

Living on the coast I have collected seaweed but, worms don't like salt. Best collect the seaweed at high tide after a big blow and when the rain has washed the salt out, or when its blackish. I composted mine but you can place seaweed in water for three months till rotted, supposed to be very strong and will need to be watered down. Suposed to be the best fertiliser.

PS smell the sea in your back garden. VG

[Thurston Garden]

Collecting seaweed is a good idea, but be warned that it belongs to the Crown, or the owner of the forshore. The Crown owns the vast proportion of the foreshore/seabed (MHWS to 12 miles out).

I managed the west coast of Scotland for the Crown Estate in a former life and did grant several annual consents (at nil rent!) for seaweed gathering for personal use. I doubt anyone will stop you mind if you do take it....but if you wanted to squeaky clean, the CE's agent list is here

A neighbour here had an arrangement with the firm who was contracted to remove seaweed from the beaches after high spring tides. They brought a tipper lorry of it to his garden and he dug it all in.

I am tempted by this, but am mildly concerned by the salt content. I dare say of it was dumped in a gatemouth or somewhere that was not to be cultivated, a few days rain would rinse the salt out. Excess salt can be a killer to most plants - just look at the beds in the supermarket/retail park car parks (of course, nobody on here EVER visits these places ) at this time of year - the plants at the edges of the beds are usually knackered due to the salt being spread on the car park during the winter.

[red]

Welcome Sarah

I grew veggies ok on clay soil at the last place.. and clay means nutrient rich.

I think the trick is, with your helper an all, is to not try and do it all at once. sort out a little bit.. get that planted.. before moving on to next. hopefully the allotment is not far from home.. and if so, then best to plan to do a short amount every day, rather than getting hours done all at once.

veg are often easier than flowers.. bigger seeds etc. what about cougettes - I find them easy to grow... if you get them to a reasonable size before you put them in the ground (ie raising them in pots on the windowsil) then the slugs leave them alone. they pretty much look after themselves.. apart from the picking time.. then you (hopefully) will need to pop to allotment every day to pick!
just a thought.

[ina]

Have you thought of making a few raised beds? It'll be easier to improve the soil in these confined spaces, plus - the four-year-old might find it easier to recognise the borders of these beds...

[sairlew]

thank you all so much for the suggestions. I had wondered about whether raised beds may be the way forward, and will definitely try courgettes if they are easy as we eat loads of them!
Thanks,
Sarah

[Annpan]

Welcome to the site

Something that has not been mentioned yet; legumes can help break-up clay soil.

[Wombat]

Gypsum or dolomite spread over the patch are good for breaking up clay too!

Nev

[marshlander]

You're bound to have some of the area uncultivated in the first year (or two!) so you could grow spuds - still some seed spuds in the shops. Here's an article by garden organic on NO DIG method;-http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organic ... _spuds.php

[Eigon]

Since you're in Cardiff, remember that you are on top of a Rift in Space and Time, so don't be surprised if you find - unusual - things appearing, or growing, in your allotment. Torchwood will be along in due course to take it away....

(Sorry, my inner Dr Who fan couldn't resist....)

[Tigerhair]

Think about what you like to eat and try and grow those things (but ask the other allotmenteers what works and what doesn't there - also how they tackle the ground).

Your ground will improve over the years - what you might like to do this year is just tackle quarter or a half of it - and leave the rest covered up - perhaps put some muck/compost on it and cover it over and let the worms do the rest? Then your task isn't as big.

Wish we could get a task force over there to help you

[maggienetball]

If you decide to grow in raised beds try to source free manure (they're not meant to charge anyway - only for delivery), and community compost which is either cheap or free.

You can either collect it yourself in small loads or pay a one off charge for delivery. It will really help with the clay. My daughter lives in Cardiff and says there is a composting centre there.

I have heavy clay here in Torbay. Also plentiful seaweed! I only collect after a storm because shallow water seaweed is far too high in salt to be of any use. I don't apply it to the ground, but instead put it in the compost heap.

Also I would not recommend digging your ground when it's wet, because it's so blinking heavy you could do your back in. I always wait for 3 days after rain to dig. Nice loose soil then. Don't let it dry out for too long though because it turns into cement. If it does turn to cement, water thoroughly for 20 mins then wait 1/2 hour and your fork should go in - just!!

For starting off, and keeping little one enthused, how about planting some radishes and lettuce. They crop really quickly and there is a sense of satisfaction that drives you on when you're eating what you've grown! Potatoes will break your ground up too. Really though, you should grow what your family loves to eat, and take it one step at a time.

Have fun, keep us posted.

[sairlew]

Thanks, some useful stuff to ponder, especially about the 'rift in time and space' which would explain a lot about life here in Cardiff. I've acquired some seed potatoes (probably a bit late?) and the digging continues (slowly). Just wondering (Maggienetball) if your daughter knows any details of this composting centre you mention, I would be very interested to find out more! Also, a few people have mentioned seaweed, and we are near the coast here but I only ever seem to see the black, crispy stuff (bladderwrack?) on local beaches, is that the stuff to use??
Thanks in anticipation, Sarah