New Beds Conundrum

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

Hello There,

I have just moved house and want to get cracking with some new beds. Currently the area in question is rough grass. I am in a quandary about what to do.

So far, I have taken the turf off a small area (top 1 - 1.5") and stacked these upside down ready to cover and dig back in when boken down in a year or so.

Next I was planning on digging over and breaking up the soil and then digging in few bags of compost (municipal if I can get it, or, some peat free commercial stuff) and some well rotted manure (if I can find some safe stuff).

I stopped though after reading about no dig and raised beds etc.... I read some of Charles Dowding's site and a fair few threads on here. I can see the logic but it seems that it will take a few years for that to come to fruition? The soil is obviously quite compacted, but it looks as though it will be fairly reasonable once all of the debris is removed from it.

Dig or not dig? If not dig, what is the best method of preparation so that I can get something growing?

Thanking you.

[zazen999]

I remember seeing David Devant and his Spirit Wife supporting My Life Story. Happy Days.

You can just lay cardboard down, with compost or manure [or just weight it down] and plant through. A bulb planter will assist you in this. The cardboard softens in a week or two usually.

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

I was just playing 12 reasons the other day, I remember seeing My life story in a strange aircraft hanger type place - where it was slips my mind.

So, now I have removed the turf - leave the underneath compacted? Lay cardboard over it, put compost/manure or weight down. No loosening at all? Will stuff really get on alright?

What sort of depth of compost?

Thank you for the reply.

[Carbon Gold]

As long as the manure is well rotted, you can plant straight into it. No-dig would be the least back breaking option if you have easy access to manure, compost and cardboard for raised beds. If your plot is very weedy then it is worth going slow and covering, as recommended by Dowding, for 6-12 months (12 months is for killing off / weakening particularly pernicious weeds). I have lots of couch grass at my allotment so I have some beds I am planting straight away and some that I am going to cover for longer. Perhaps you could do a mix.

[zazen999]

Depth - anything you can.

Look at Lasagna Gardening - Two_sheds on here is always posting about it. It's essentially what you are doing. Not the time to say but you didn't need to remove the turf first - but it's too late for that now.

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

Looks like I really need that time machine. Only kidding, it's only an 1.5 hrs lost and to be honest I needed to get out of the house!

I will look up Lasagna Gardening, sounds great.

I will admit that I still have reservations though, perhaps once I have looked it up my fears will subside.

[Samurailord]

With lasagne gardening you could put the turf back upside down and cover it with cardboard, then a thick layer of manure (at least 4 inches) then some soil or compost, then some straw or more manure and a final thick layer of soil or compost.

You would then be able to plant into the pile straight away - I did this on several of my beds last year with great success, but if you want to plant deep rooted crops like carrots or parsnips you might be better off with a double dug area, simply for the additional depth.

Andy

[zazen999]

I was just playing 12 reasons the other day, I remember seeing My life story in a strange aircraft hanger type place - where it was slips my mind.

the 'Number 9' in that video - we obtained off the band after a gig in London Village - and I had it for about 5 years - used it as a seat in my flat and used to lean all my vinyl up against it. Sigh.

[zazen999]

Looks like I really need that time machine. Only kidding, it's only an 1.5 hrs lost and to be honest I needed to get out of the house!

I will look up Lasagna Gardening, sounds great.

I will admit that I still have reservations though, perhaps once I have looked it up my fears will subside.

One really good way is to put manure or compost along a long half metre wide strip, and then put your spuds in the manure, add whatever is to hand - straw, compost, old weeds etc, and cut the turves so that they are hinged on the side of the strip - and fold them over the top of the potatoes and then just leave them be. By the time you come to harvest, the potatoes are clean and the grass has rotted down and lo and behold - you have a long new bed with very little work.

Called a lazy bed.

[SarzWix]

When I first got my plot I dug over 2 beds and lasagna-ed 2 beds, which meant I was ready to plant sooner. Sweetcorn, squashes and spuds did really well in the lasagna beds, onions and roots went in the two dug over beds

[Two_Sheds]

Look at Lasagna Gardening - Two_sheds on here is always posting about it.

sorry 'bout that

Lasagna Gardening ~ Raised Bed Lasagna Gardening ~ Lasagna Composting

This is what I started with in 2010:



1. our lasagne bed

2. planted up

3. just one thing that came from it

4. some more crops from the area that was a weedy old car park. Compacted and horrible, full of couch grass and yarrow.

5. a view of the beds, in the car park

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

Being a glutton for punishment I have been down the garden this evening digging! However, the area I have deturfed and dug I will next add some compost/manure to and use for rooty things.

Whilst I was out I went armed with some rather large cardboard boxes and laid them out on the next area I was planning to hit, I then covered with some of the upside down turf. I might just give this a go!

Thank you for all the helpful replies.

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

What happened to the no. 9?

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

Sorry, another Q....

I read some of the info on your link two_sheds, it explains about layering green and brown items. Would peelings etc not be attractive to Mr Rat?

[zazen999]

What happened to the no. 9?

It got left in Huntingdon in a shed when I moved once. It was too big for the next flat. It was over 6ft tall and made of polystyrene and painted bright yellow