A few Stoopid questions from 40 year old virgin!

[VirginVegGrower]

Ain't it chits up, belly in Zazzy or an I thinking of something else?!

[jumpinjackjones]

Photos

ok.... here is the whole plot.... bottom right is the fruity bit (although you can't really tell from the photos), bottom left is the strawberry zone....


this is from the other end by what i presume to be a compost area... the plot goes down to the stripey jumper on the spade


compost area? a few raised bed full of stuff...


Don't know what this is?!!!


Fruit zone up closer...


ok..... thank you sooooooo much for your replies. very wise words indeed. have just got back- it really didnt look this bad yesterday... am definately going to adopt the little and often approach and like the idea of doing just a few metres at a time. i work in a place which has cardboard in abundance to am going to go down that route... Was going to get there ultra early this morning and hit it- but it started snowing the moment my shiny new spade hit the soil. and its freeeezing!!!!! so it's going to be next friday, weather permitting!

More questions..... is that a compost area or just a dumping ground? Why are daleks skin tight but this open to the elements?
Those raised beds...... what are those brown sticky things? shall i just bin everything?!

I will stop pestering you and start digging soon!!!

Jaw dropping moment..... the 'chits' go up?!!! I have a lot to learn!

[Aberdeenplotter]

1) What do i do with the leeks and sprouts if they're no good? i assume if i throw them in the compost thing they will just rot? is that good or bad? (the compost thing is on my plot- not communal- and is pallets on their sides with no roof on)
Empty the compost out of the "compost thing" first. That is a valuable source of nutrients for your new crops. If your sprouts are unuseable, chop them up with a spade and give the stems a good working over with a hammer to split them. This helps them decompose. The leeks should be useable. If they are in the way, dig them out and heel them in to use later. They will run to seed shortly though so bear that in mind. Otherwise, again chop them up and add to the pile.

2)When i dig, do i just turn everything over and break it up with my new shiny spade? I surely don't have to pick all the weeds out?
Beat way is to take out a trench at one end of the bed and take the soil to use at the other end. Dig out any perennial weeds, like docks, nettles, dandelions,couch grass etc and throw aside to dispose of later,skim the other weeds off the top of the next row with your spade and place upside down in the bottom of the trench, fill the trench with soil from the next row creating the next trench as you go and repeat till you complete the bed. Finish by filling the final trench with the soil from the first one

3)If them little stick things are fruit, can i dig them up and replant them in some sort of order?

yes but best to try to identify them before replanting. If they are in the way, lift and heel in until required

4)i am planning to grow potatoes but it seems to early to plant them yet... do i need to buy some seed potatoes and have them 'chit' somwhere before i plant them?

There is absolutely no need to chit. They will grow perfectly well without pre chitting. Chitting is just a method of preventing the spuds growing tryphid like sprouts if they cannot be planted immediately

Many more question will follow- but the first stage is just going to be digging, i fear.... i will also post some pictures to illustrate some of my questions...

Do a wee bit at a time. Little and often gets the job done without causing yourself injury. Enjoy

Next question

[zazen999]

Ain't it chits up, belly in Zazzy or an I thinking of something else?!

Mr VVG?????

[zazen999]

After seeing the photos, I'd leave the fruit for now and do what I said earlier; but once I'd dug out any perennial weeds, I'd add some compost and then put the cardboard down. Seeing as you have some.

And I'd not dig over a path down the middle to give me access.

[out in the cold]

That looks a decent wee starter plot JJJ.

Cheers for the clarification folks re the spuds and nutrients. As I said earlier, I have probably misunderstood what the kid was saying and got things backwards. He is not the type of person to be at the wind up either, so more than likely my error.

[Two_Sheds]

all organic matter is ok as long as it is not diseased

... or is likely to regrow in the compost heap: bindweed and couch grass will.
Don't waste perennial weeds though: rot them down in water to make a nutrient rich feed

i work in a place which has cardboard in abundance

Fantastic, that's making easy work for you. It's one of the best mulches, and actually adds goodness to the soil, unlike plastic weed membrane

Why are daleks skin tight but this open to the elements?

Daleks are just "tidier". I prefer them, myself. There's a definite knack to using them, but I much prefer them to the open wooden heaps kidney beans | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

what are those brown sticky things? shall i just bin everything?

They might be too-closely-planted raspberry canes. Are they prickly?
Don't bin anything until you know what it is. There's no rush.

I have probably misunderstood what the kid was saying and got things backwards.

I think you handled that with good grace. Some folks would have stropped off at being questioned

[Alison]

The main benefit from planting potatoes in a new plot is that it is probably the best crop to use as an aid to cleaning the soil of weeds. It isn't the spuds that do the trick, it is the constant movement of the soil. You dig the soil, you set up ridges and plant in between, you pull the soil back down over the spuds, you pull soil back up again several times as you earth up as the shaws/haums develop and finally you move the soil again as you harvest the spuds. Additionally because of the dense top growth, any weeds beneath the shaws/haulms are deprived of light and thus don't develop.

I've posted this before but think it's worth reiterating that although I'm sure you're right that there are additional benefits gained from the earthing up causing disturbance of weeds etc, the first year I had my plot I grew a load of potatoes in an uncultivated bit of the plot which hadn't been dug over. I simply cut back the weeds, pulled out the raspberry canes and covered the ground with cardboard. Cut holes in the card and planted the seed spuds with a bulb planter and forgot about them for the season. Dug them up in September after the haulms had died down and had a fab crop - not only that, but the ground was VERY easy to dig, far better than the previously rather compacted ground and the mass of surface weeds had been very much weakened. If I'd been able to clear the ground enough to earth up I'd have done most of the clearing work the hard way.

[Graham K]

Buy one, and one only, very good book (do your OWN homework to find it). It doesn't matter who it's by but be sure you understand everything from front to back cover, and then do exactly what it says!

I have accumulated quite a collection of books, all good reading and all with different and varying advice. I have found it a lot easier to stick with just one and plan everything around one set of advice.

Good advice (you will find plenty here) is very helpful, poor or unsure advice just makes the whole thing more and more confusing.

Make a plan, and stick to it! You may/will make mistakes, I and I'm sure many others have, but stick to the plan. Understanding what you did wrong will make you a better gardener, remembering what and why you did it wrong is a lot easier if you can look back over the plan and change it or tweak it next time.

[jumpinjackjones]

Thank you so much, team!

Am definately going to make use of lots of free cardboard- i suffer from back problems so anything that makes life easier i will gladly sieze upon! i have a ready supply of well rotted horse plopsies so i'm going to chuck some of that around the place too! I take it planting through cardboard means that 'earthing up' isn't necessary/possible?

And those brown sticky things aren't prickly....

might rip it all up anyway as i want those sort of raised bed things for seed beds if i can get the soil fine enough....

Hope it warms up! freezing innit?!!!

[Two_Sheds]

I grew a load of potatoes... covered the ground with cardboard. Cut holes in the card and planted the seed spuds...and forgot about them for the season.
Dug them up in September ... the ground was VERY easy to dig, far better than the previously

Just to be clear (not to you Alison, to others), this happens because of the cardboard, not because of the potatoes

Understanding what you did wrong will make you a better gardener,

Making mistakes is the ONLY way to learn, anything. Trying again, trying something different, getting a different perspective on something, it all makes you better.

I take it planting through cardboard means that 'earthing up' isn't necessary

Yep, and the spuds will come out nice and clean too

i want those sort of raised bed things for seed beds

I wouldn't, personally. The soil is going to be FULL of weed seeds, and you might not know the weedlings from your seedlings, and pull the wrong things out.
Unless you want to make a stale seed bed, that would be OK

"The stale seedbed ... soil is cultivated about four weeks before drilling to stimulate germination and encourage the first, and usually biggest, flush of weeds" which are then pulled out, before you sow your veggie seeds

Plus, the allotment is full of things that will eat your seeds and seedlings, whereas if you sow at home, in modules and 3" pots, you have more control over what goes on. Plus, well grown strong seedlings resist slug attack better than direct-sowings

[Alison]

Just to be clear (not to you Alison, to others), this happens because of the cardboard, not because of the potatoes

Great though isn't it? Means that you get clear ground AND a crop - winning all round

[Potstubsdustbins]

Nothing to add to what has been said above. But if you want a good book The New Vegetable & Herb Expert by Dr D G Hessayon is hard to beat IMO and not expensive either.

Potty