Covering unknown ground

[kizkiz]

Hi
Been lurking for a few weeks and thought i might actually post something
Have just dug a plot in my back garden that used to be lawn. I intend to use it for veg, but not until next year now.
All i've done so far is take off the top layer of grass. No real prep

Having read a few threads on here i was thinking of covering with card and leaving until beginning of next year.
Would this be ok to stop weeds taking hold?
Is it worth doing anything else now, such as adding manure?

thanks

[chris]

Welcome to the forum!

You can cover it with cardboard if you don't mind seeing it - or you can cover the cardboard with manure/compost - it'll eventually all rot down and you'll get a lovely mix to dig in. Alternatively, you can sow some green manure - you'll get the ground coverage, and the added bonus of the roots breaking up the soil and depending on what type you choose fix nutrients to the soil too.

What's the ground like? Clay/Loam/Sandy?

Don't forget to stack the sods of grass/soil upside down somewhere- it'll take a good year to break down, but when it does it'll be a lovely consistency ready to be dug back in

[Two_Sheds]

Would this be ok to stop weeds taking hold?

Weeds will colonise any bare soil, so get it covered, pronto. You could just cover it with cardboard, or you could plant something useful (and edible).
I'm sowing radishes, salad, spring cabbage (spring greens) and green manures this week

[Aberdeenplotter]

Hi Kiz, you say you have dug but then you say you have just taken off the turf. If all you have done is taken off the turf, get the plot dug in the autumn and leave it as rough as you like until springtime. The winter frosts will break down any clods ready to rake out ready for cultivation. And the turf you have taken off. In the hope that you have retained it, stack the turves upside down in a handy corner and leave them to compost down. You will then have a lovely pile of loam to play with.

[Curlykale]

Hi Kizkiz

When I first got my lottie I dug it all over (in autumn) then covered it with huge pieces of cardboard (from my local electricity shop - packaging from fridges etc) and piled loads of horse manure on top.

By springtime the card had broken down and the worms had done a great job of dragging the manure down into the soil. The result was fabulous rich soil, ready to plant into, and hardly any weeds. I will be doing the same this year with any empty beds.

[Two_Sheds]

The winter frosts will break down any clods

That's if she's on clay soil of course. My sandy soil doesn't "do" clods

[Aberdeenplotter]

That's if she's on clay soil of course. My sandy soil doesn't "do" clods

Lucky you in some respects but unlucky you in others. I'm really lucky with a good loam although it does tend to be a bit sticky in the early spring. Having said that, I've got problems with white onion rot and clubroot

[kizkiz]

Thanks for all the replies
most important thing first, i'm not a she

I do have clay soil, but nowhere to leave the clods for a year, so they've been taken away.
No, it hasn't been properly dug, just the top layer removed. No way i can dig it in this weather....it's like concrete! However, it is totally weed free, so don't want to just leave it to get full of weeds!

It looks like covering with card and manure until spring would be a good plan then

[rustylady]

Hi Kiz. Welcome to the Vine. Why don't you edit your profile to tell us a bit more about yourself and add your location. How big is your plot, and how big is the garden altogether? You say you had nowhere to stack the turves which is a shame, so I'm guessing it's a fairly small garden.

[Two_Sheds]

most important thing first, i'm not a she

Lol, that's me told then ! (and I'm always telling people off for calling me a he too)

[Two_Sheds]

nowhere to leave the clods for a year, so they've been taken away.
No, it hasn't been properly dug, just the top layer removed.

Oh dear

That's your topsoil, the best bit

[kizkiz]

Oh dear

That's your topsoil, the best bit

Had to be done though. It's been lawn for about 50 years!
The garden isn't tiny, but there's nowhere to use as a waste type area to dump stuff. The 12 foot greenhouse probably doesn't help with that. lol

I'll try and get some pics up when i get a chance

[Aberdeenplotter]

Kiz, hate to break this to you but you could and perhaps should have trench dug the area and buried the turf. That way, you would have kept the precious topsoil. If all you have left is clay then you will have a real problem with cultivation. Any chance of importing some topsoil?

[kizkiz]

yes, easily. I was originally thinking to add topsoil and compost next year.
Cover and manure now, then dig it over and add compost soil early next year.

[Aberdeenplotter]

If you can get the subsoil dug over before you add topsoil, that will give you a brilliant start.