New allotment and new soil -advice?

[Woldswoman]

Hello again, I've created an album to show my allotment so please feel free to have a look. I can't quite figure out how to post a decent size photo within messages yet. I apologise for the rather long post.

My new allotment was ploughed three weeks ago and there are some pretty deep furrows/ridges going on - at the edge they are at least a foot. There are some remnants of couch grass but not too much to get worried about. The problem that's foxing me is the soil. I've never worked with such sandy soil and so I'm a bit non-plussed with what I can do or what I should expect.

I've talked to the other allotment holders and they tell me they can pretty well grow anything they like. The flatter ones don't get much joy from swedes. On my plot I can see remnants of sea kale and spring onions.

I went up there on Saturday evening and managed to rake quite a bit (5m by 9m approx) which you can see in the photos. I used the azada to lift out the serious clumps of not rotted couch grass which I'm piling up to make a wall for the compost bin. There's nothing in the way of stones or worms and no-one fences their allotments as rabbits don't seem to be a problem, hooray

Perhaps I've been lucky where I've lived before with black fen soil - chuck in a spud, seed or plant and off it goes. Will this be any different, do you think? I'd really appreciate some advice. Thank you. WW

[iGrow]

Why distrust your fellow plot holders? I do know that an organic vegetable box scheme grower based in Kirton obtains carrots from his brother who farms in the Lincolnshire Wolds.

[rustylady]

Your soil looks lovely. Mine is even sandier than that.

Just plant or sow what you normally would, and see how it goes.

[lottieguy]

Hi Ya, I to garden on sandy soil and one problem is the speed it dries out. I believe in adding plenty of compost/manure to bulk the soil up and make it more moisture retentive. It's lovely soil to work and so easy. I had lumpy heavy clay previuosly. I find my soil very "hungry" and have put loads of compost into it. I tend to set up a rotation if possible and give the spud and bean grtound a good mucking leave the carrot ground and just lime the brassy ground. I to have problems with swedes as they like heavy ground I beleive. A fellow lottie holder on our site grows them in pots first, then transplants them out into a little dish shape so when watering the majority gets to the plant. Seems to work well. The main though is feed the soil well. Happy gardening.

[Woldswoman]

Hi iGrow, I don't distrust them but they have been tending their very rotavated plots for many years and have said nothing about eg watering, manuring, pests etc. It could be they're advising from a 'ready to go' viewpoint and not from an unmanured, very roughly ploughed starter allotment with huge clods of furrowed couch grass. I don't know whether to just plant between the furrows and hope for the best, rotave it, dig them out, manure it, cover it etc.

[rustylady]

It's not really the right time to be adding manure, unless you can get hold of some really well rotted stuff.

Have you built yourself a compost heap yet, do you have or are you planning to get a shed?

Your land might be rough ploughed, but on the plus side it hasn't been intensively growing veg for years so it should be plenty good enough to grow crops this year.

Get some spuds planted, the leaf cover from them and the cultivation required will help clean the bit where you grow them.

What else are you planning on growing this year?

[Woldswoman]

Hi Rustylady and lottieguy, yes, the soil is lovely to handle! It's got an amazing texture to it. It's like walking on sponge. And I think you may well be right about the drying out as I've seen loads of water tanks and butts on other plots.

Thanks for the idea about growing swedes - I have a thing for turnips and fancy a go growing these. Last year in my garden I grew sweetcorn in multi purpose compost and it did really well so I'd like to grow some more but on a bigger scale now.

What are your views on the massive furrows of slightly overturned couch grass at the end? Should I dig these out or cover them or just leave them, do you think? And is it too late to dig in manure? I've been given three rather ancient Leveringtons 50L Organic blend farmyard manure. Sorry for all the questions - you're very helpful - thank you! WW

[Woldswoman]

I think I've cross posted but rustylady has helped with my manure question.

I don't have a shed but would like one eventually. There's a tap on the corner of my plot but I know I'll need to invest in some butts. There's no compost heap yet but I'm using the clods of earth to start on a wall for the bin. And I'm on the look out for pallets - the gardeners friend - a neighbour has made a bench out of pallets. I'm impressed!

[rustylady]

Levingtons is rotted processed manure, fine to use any time of the year.

It won't go far though, so select which crops you want to use it for.

[Woldswoman]

Brill - thanks rustylady :-)

[Kristen]

Don't know about sandy soil, I've only gardened on heavy clay, but if I had furrowed soil I would rotavate it so that I could get it somewhat flat.

But that's going to chop up all the weed roots ...

... although: what sort of plough? A decent, hefty, plough on a tractor uses a "Board" on the front of the main curved Share (if I have the right term) to scrape the top inch or so straight into the previous furrow - i.e. burying the weeds / seeds. If that was the case (rather than something smaller / more simple - as perhaps might be used on an individual allotment?) then a shallow rotavate should not bring those back up to the surface.

If it will easily pull-about to get it "flat" I think that would be better - leave the weeds, and worms, alone.

A bulk load of Mushroom compost any good for "Instant" organic matter to then incorporate? It contains some lime, so will make the soil more alkaline, in the short term.

[iGrow]

WW there is a field next to the entrance road at Snipedales that has sweetcorn growing in it in alternate years, you'll probably be ok with your sweetcorn plans.

[Woldswoman]

That's the tricky bit - I don't know what weeds were on it apart from the couch. It's still bedding itself down and it looks like the plough has furrowed over a good 6+inches in parts. Some of it however, I can just rake round it I've found.

I'm definitely going to go for sweetcorn, turnips, Jerusalem artichokes and pots. I've got some Pentland Javelin and King Eds. I think some veg will be a bit experimental this season just to see how it gets on. Many thanks, I feel much more confident now. WW.