New Gardener - New Allotment space advice

[srwright]

Hi all.

Ok so i am pretty new to growing my own vegetables.

I have a fairly big garden, which i am sectioning so the kids have somewhere to play and the dog has somewhere to run around and the rest is mine as growing space.

I have roughly 30FT by 20ft space to work with. However it is on a slight slope(To be expected in wales lol) the slope gradient is between 10° and 15°

I looked into making some raised beds in order to level out some ground for planting.
However the space i was looking at was going to cost me about £100 for the wood which i just dont have.

So will it still be okay to grow veggies on this slope? i really have no idea lol i have no idea where im supposed to start

I have added a picture of the space i have, Which is all grass atm, however my mum has a small cultivator which i will use to prepare the ground.( Im told i can cultivate the grass into the ground to act fertilizer ?)

I already have some potatoes starting to shoot up in bags ready for Xmas

All help is appreciated
Apologies if this post is a bit all over the place.

[veggiechicken]

Looks like a "normal" slope for South Wales

Instead of raised beds, how about terracing it? Put a row of planks across the slope and bring the soil down behind it to level it off.

Here's one I prepared earlier!

[srwright]

Bit of a bigger slope than me. but i get the idea.

Sorry to sounds stupid but what would i do about the sides?

[Bigmallly]

You could part sink some boards on the sides but looking at the pics they look like retaining walls so that you can at least level the beds a bit. Growing on a slope is no problem especially if it is south facing.

[veggiechicken]

It is a bit of extreme terracing!!
You need a bit of wood at the side, to stop the soil spilling out but it doesn't need to go all the way back to the next terrace up. Really hard to explain but its like a flight of wide step. You can stand at the rear of one of the steps and work the "step" above you - like a raised bed!

[veggiechicken]

There's another photo at http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...tml#post965963

[cariann88]

Hello and welcome

[1Bee]

You know, I'm not sure I would mess around with the slope at all, depending on its orientation - which way does it face?

I'm reminded of the Jersey potato fields.... http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/661...relevance_desc

If you can move about it easily, it's not shaded, and your topsoil doesn't run off in the rain (which I suppose could be off-set my mulching?) I'd use my energies on digging and preparing, not engineering works.

But that's just my take. And I'm a girl, and much happier with a spade than a saw.

[Bill Door]

I am with 1Bee. Don't bother with the saw just yet. try digging looking up hill, little more energy needed but it will help.

When planting or sowing do the rows across the patch and "bank" up the rows from below. This will produce a soil dam across the patch and trap any rain water and stop it running off the ground (we all want more water). You might want to put courgettes and marrows along the bottom of the slope and maybe place fruit along the top (gooseberry, blackcurrant and loganberries etc.). if you do put fruit bushes at the top then dig them in deep so that they can stand soil loss.

Hope this gives you a few ideas.

Good luck and enjoy your gardening.

Bill

[srwright]

Thanks for all your comments, I was hoping not to need to spend too much money on wood.

Unfortunately south is a little bit to the left of where i took the photo (dont know if thats good or not)
But the whole lot gets full sun all day.

It is very easy to move around on the slope. it really isnt much of a slope.

i think i am just going to Rotavator the whole area and pull the soil down from the top a bit as it is halfway up the fence at the top (i have no idea why lol)

then i think im just going to see how it goes for the first year in spring. and if not i will do the terraces


my plans was to have some fruit bushes
up the top. then to have 4 plots with a path up the middle. As i want them all separated to have 1 patch designated to perennials.

[Angeldon]

My Veg garden is on a similar slope to yours and slopes towards the south(ish) . The slope isn't as severe as VC's - still in Wales though - so I haven't needed anything to retain the soil.