A few newbie questions

[Seth L]

Hello folks.

I just took on a plot last week. Been reading loads of this forum and loving all the good advice, thought I would say hi.

My plot is 30m x 6m, only been abandoned since the summer so not too bad a state, just full of crops gone to seed and some grass. I inherited 2 sheds, a lot of old tools and plastic sheeting, 2 rhubarbs and some bushes I think must be raspberries.

So far have dug over one bed and sown some field beans, hoping it's not too late to have them come up for cover over winter. Got some garlics to go in and have onions and daffodil bulbs being delivered this week.

Just a couple of questions:

There is a table-high raised bed up on some bricks, a bit more than 1m2, left by the previous tenant. Was going to take it apart and reclaim that ground space but before I do, is there any use for something like that? Maybe put a clear plastic top on and use it for seedlings? Would love a greenhouse but don't think I'll be getting one for a while.

I have a big compost heap next to one shed, but it's got bindweed growing in it. If I take off a barrowful at a time and hook out all the roots is that compost usable? It's the only place I've found bindweed (well, there and inside the shed) so I don't want to spread it but also don't know what to do with all this compost if I can't use it.


I'm sure I'll think of more questions soon but that's it for now. Cheers

[4Shoes]

The only real thing to do with bindweed is to dig it all out and keep at it.

some will say put it in a bucket of water and let it rot. I'd put it into the domestic waste and get it well out of the way.


Raised be that high would be ideal for "table top" Strawberries. or perhaps put on a cloche (Blue pipe and plastic).

[Bill Door]

Hi Seth L and welcome.

As for your 2 questions I would suggest that you use the "table" for seedlings as you were thinking. Watch that the bottom doesn't fall out though. It will be handy to cover the table and bring on the seedlings.

For the compost I think your plan is a good one. If you have to, sieve it, and make sure the bindweed doesn't survive. Once the compost is clear you will have "brown" gold. You can drown the bind weed or do as 4Shoes suggests.

Good luck and enjoy your gardening.

Bill

[lottie dolly]

Welcome to the vine Seth,good ideas given already,bind weed MMMM,it has been said on here that,let it grow up some canes,then spray or paint with weed killer,it all depends on how you wish to grow,also from my own experience of the stuff,if the ground is covered wher the worst is,the roots seem to come to the top,then are easier pickings,congratulations on your plot and happy growing.

[Baldy]

Welome along. Some good advice already. I tend to burn 'owt that I'm too scared to drown and drown stuff I'm too scared to compost... the ash is useful stuff. Perhaps not too enviro-friendly mind you.

[Bren In Pots]

Hello and welcome to the vine Seth sounds like you've got the making of a good plot there I'd leave the raised bed where it is for now you never know it might come in handy as a seedling /nursery bed.

[Chestnut]

Is the table high bed full of compost and/or straw? I wonder if it might be a hotbed? There’s a couple of youtube videos about them by a chap called Jack First - basically, with a cover/coldframe on top you use the heat generated by rotting manure to give plants a head start in the spring

[Seth L]

Thanks for the welcomes.

The raised bed is full of dirt but I'm not sure what it was used for before. Think I will try to see if it can be used for seedlings in spring.

Thought I would post a few photos, hopefully they work.

Front half of the plot. Light blue shed is mine, brown shed beside it is on my neighbour's plot. This half is mostly grass with a couple of beds that don't seem to have much in them. (The big stack of wood is going to be burned soon)




Back half, my brown shed on the left, bottom corner shows a bit of that raised bed. This half looks more used than the front, has more evident beds.




The junk pile next to the brown shed which seems to have a big compost heap under it, plus 1 of the rhubarbs




The one bed I did yesterday. Dug out the path/trench and put the soil on the bed (I can't afford to buy lots of compost/manure) If I can source some wood chips for the paths that's what I plan. Reckon I can fit 13 more of these beds on the plot.




Looking forward to a few months' time when I can look back on this post and see how much it's changed.

Can anyone tell me if it is or soon will be too late to sow more field beans for overwintering? Was hoping to get beds dug over all the back half atleast by the end of November, and have 1 for onions/garlic and put green manure on the rest, but if I'm going to be wasting my energy sowing beans this late I won't bother.

Also I am planning to put some comfrey in next year, anyone use that and can give me an idea of how kuch yield they get from however many plants they have? So I can try to plan how many I might need.

Cheers

[SarrissUK]

What a lovely plot! That's not a pile of junk by the way - that's treasure! Buckets are so useful, and that metal bin can be used for burning stuff, or drowning stuff even. Even buckets with holes in the bottom are useful as pots, or with the bottom taken out to put a collar around tomatoes to 'earth' them up.
I'm in a similar situation to you, although my plot looks a bit worse than yours... I'm going with the no dig method as I just can't face digging that much, and the no dig method feels very in tune with how nature works

[4Shoes]

Where is you plot? Some suppliers say you can sow into November, but I suspect that is south of here

[Seth L]

Every single bucket and both of those bins have had the bottoms removed so not much use for anything but forcing rhubarb or maybe as you say earthing tomatoes. (I discovered this when I picked the bins up and everything inside them fell through the bottom.)

4shoes I'm in Bristol.

[4Shoes]

Every single bucket and both of those bins have had the bottoms removed so not much use for anything but forcing rhubarb or maybe as you say earthing tomatoes. (I discovered this when I picked the bins up and everything inside them fell through the bottom.)

4shoes I'm in Bristol.

Your probably ok them.

[SarrissUK]

Every single bucket and both of those bins have had the bottoms removed so not much use for anything but forcing rhubarb or maybe as you say earthing tomatoes. (I discovered this when I picked the bins up and everything inside them fell through the bottom.)

Well that sounds like a challenge!

I'd use bottomless buckets for....
- earthing up around tomatoes, leeks, celery
- as worm towers where you basically put in anything you'd put in a composter, to let it break down
- for growing show vegetables in very fine soil

What do the rest of you clever grapes think?

[Jungle Jane]

Congratulations & great looking plot,you’ve got loads of growing space some people use bottomless buckets for potatoes,keep everything it might come in handy except bindweed,is that a special compost bin just for the bindweed to keep it away from the usable good compost heaps,nice time of year for planning & prepping (& seed sales!)

[rary]

Welcome to the Vine, an other use for bottomless buckets is containing mint and as there are several different types of mint you could use them for that, as for bindweed definitely go over the compost to remove the roots, and yes I would use the compost,but only on one or two beds, that way it would be easier to monitor for any regrowth which if removed regularly would kill the weed off. One other point make sure you keep your onion a daffodil bulbs well separated daffs are poisonous and its easy to make a mistake