Inhererited garden, vegetable plot and vines.

[D-BEAN]

Hello, I have recently started sharing with a view to taking over one day my Grandfather's (age86) very large garden. Despite his age he is not so green fingered and has never composted ! - (one of the first things I have remedied). He has always burnt his garden waste and we currently have to metal bin fulls of ash.
Can anyone tell me if this can be put to any use in the garden? We have a very large vegetable plot with a soil which has a tendency to being sandy since my grandfather has rid it of any stones over the years. We have 10 rows of grape vine from which he makes aprox 500 bottles of red table wine per year. A long boarder of Roses in a fairly barren looking bed. The rest of the garden is made up of grassed squares and sand allies with a few shrubs and trees.
New to this, Thanks for any advice.

[TonyF]

Where are you D-Bean?

[shirlthegirl43]

Hello and welcome to the vine D-BEAN. Lucky you with all those vines!! I know nothing about sandy soil and will leave advice to those moe experienced with that. Have fun learning.

[SarzWix]

Welcome to the 'Vine D-Bean
The ash can be used in the garden if it's only burnt plant waste (ie no plastic, coal etc), I think it contains nutrients which help with fruiting/flowering. But I don't know if it would do much to improve sandy soil? For that I think you need well rotted organic matter - compost, farmyard/horse manure etc. Do you have any riding stables nearby?!

Found this info;

Ashes from fireplaces and wood burning stoves are a good source of potassium and a lesser source of phosphorus and some micro-nutrients, depending on the type of wood burned. So if your soil has a potassium deficiency, wood ashes can be a good amendment.

However, they can also be a source of heavy metals that you don't necessarily want in your garden. And they contain a good percentage, about 25%, calcium carbonate, an ingredient in garden lime. If your soil is very acidic (5.5 of lower), wood ash can improve your soil pH. If your soil is neutral or alkaline to begin with, adding wood ash could raise the pH high enough to interfere with plants abililty to take in nutrients.

Wood ash should also be avoided around acid loving plants like rhododendrons and blueberries.
Bottom line is that a small amount of wood ash will add some nutrients and be beneficial to most soils. Large amounts should be avoided.

Sounds like a soil test might be a good idea

[lainey lou]

Hi D bean, I'm with Sarz, get lots of lovely organic matter into that plot!

[Janco]

I have a very sandy soil which is great to work on but loses nutrients and water rapidly. As said by others, the vital thing is to get as much organic matter on it as you can. I put on as much compost as possible and well rotted cow's manure and/or horse manure. I need to do this every year and before almost all crops (not roots as they fork too much).
The grape vines sound great. Best of luck with everything.

[moggssue]

Just dropping in to say hi and welcome - and good luck with the new plot ...

[D-BEAN]

Hi, thanks for all your replies and advice. Yep will certainly be putting lots of organic matter on the garden. It hasn't had any for years. My grandfather took over the garden in 1956 and has never has a compost heap!! He's occasionally put grown mustard on parts of the plot and dug that in. I've constructed a large 3 part compost bin using chicken wire and old wooden posts. With the winter clean up and 3 children fed on alot of veg and fruit we have a lot of compostable matter. My only problem is that the compost is not yet ready for use, at least not enough of it for the need, so will have to get some in. There is a pony club near to us, but if the manure needs to be well rotted, how long does that take? and do I add it to the compost heap first to mix it with my compost?
In november i've tried for the first time to put leaves in black plastic bags with holes punched in the bottom. Can't wait to look in them to see whats happen, but from what i've read in GWO I need to leave them a bit longer. Where is the best place to use what I get from these bags; Flower beds, round trees, or in the veg plot?
I've also just made a huge cold frame using old rock and stone tiles found around the garden, with plastic sheeting stappled over a couple of wooden frames. Can't wait to get some seeds growing. Not got a green house yet, that will be next years project.
One of my projects this year is to get the children (1/3/5) involved and interested. Planning on growing lots of cherry toms, sweetcorn, and sunflowers with them, but if anyone has got any other ideas, not only growing stuff but other garden activities or projects anyone has had good experience with kids, I'd welcome them gladly.
Oh and in reply to Tony-F, we're in France (the vine gave that away i think!) near Angers(49). We're a french family; I'm half english, maried to an english man.

[Glasshousevirgin]

Amazing reading your posts and look forward to more.
How is your grandfather reacting to the changes you have brought in?
All the best with it

[SarzWix]

There is a pony club near to us, but if the manure needs to be well rotted, how long does that take? and do I add it to the compost heap first to mix it with my compost?

If you're really lucky, the pony club may already have a muck-heap which has been rotting for a while?! If not, you can create a heap for the manure on it's own, put a pile of soil on the top & leave it for a bit, then plant a pumpkin plant on the top? The pumpkin will appreciate the warmth created by the manure rotting & also the high level of nutrients, and the children might like to see a big pumpkin growing! Or you can mix it in with the ordinary compost heap, and I think (?) that it will speed up the rotting down process.
The leaf mould you're making won't have much nutrient content, but helps to condition the soil, so you can use it anywhere really.
My kids really liked growing potatoes, especially the salad ones grown in containers, so that they could tip the pot over and find all the potatoes, it also encouraged them to eat the skins which they normally complain about!
Oh, and strawberries of course are very popular , and we've planted raspberry canes this week too.

[D-BEAN]

Granddad(Pepe) is a bit wary, but mostly secretly glad of the help he's getting maintaining and working such a large garden. He's also really mostly happy to have his great grandchildren living in and sharing his house, playing in and using the garden, his greatest wish being that the house and garden stays in the family for generations to come. It's by no means a castle, just a small village house, but it is a castle to him.

[D-BEAN]

Love the potato pot idea. And the pumpkin, especially as we had to buy one last year for Halloween.

[Nicos]

Hello there D-Bean..welcome to the Vine!!
Sounds like you have a fun project on your hands

Looking forward to hearing what you get up to over the next few months!

One important thing for you is to make sure you are able to store plenty of rain water whilst it's still lashing down...you'll be glad of it in the summer.

Google Image Result for http://www.atlanticonline.uk.com/images/products/Large-IBC-Container_th.jpg

This 1000 litre white storage container is the sort of thing which can be obtained for free.
Have a word with your local green candidate in your commune and they may be able to put you in touch with a company which is getting rid of some.

We inherited a couple with our French house which had been used for transporting some sort of salt, so they need a thorough wash out and taps fixing into them before we can use them.

Any photos????( just being nosey!!)

[Glasshousevirgin]

Good to hear Pepe is adjusting. Must be lovely for him to have you all around I am sure. Sounds idyllic to me. All the best with it all and keep us up to speed - if you get time that is lol

[TonyF]

Right D-Bean, let's see what we can do to help here.

The white plastic things that Nicos described can usually be found at dechetterie or at your cantonal recycling centre. If you can't get a freebie, you can buy them, they cost about 100 euros each, they're excellent value and very hard wearing though you may need to raise them on blocks to get the gravity feed going. I'd ask also at your local wine co-operative, they usually know where these things can be found and they probably know Pepe if he's producing that amount of wine.

As at the Mairie whether your central dechetterie supplies compost free. Ours does though you need a trailer to haul it away. It's the well rotted stuff, green waste that's then given back to the people in the cantons/communes, there's a specific amount you're entitled to, that should help with the sandy soil and it will help until you get your own composting system going.

Speak to other people in your area with potagers - France has 9 distinct temperal regions and what grows well in 24 may not grow as well in 49, this applies to varieties of veg., soft fruit and hard fruit trees. The locals - and if you're in a fairly rural area, there will be plenty of potagers about - will be best able to guide you tho being on the Grapevine will be a big help.

Start scrounging. Many builders, roofers etc just burn pallets, old roofing laths and the like. If you see a house being built, building work going on etc, stop and ask those on site if you can have the old timber - great for making compost bins, using as stakes for tomatoes, making raised beds, all sorts of things.

Buy the French gardening guides, especially the recent 2008 Rustica booklet on potagers - bang up to date and very clearly explained. There are also similar publications about soft fruit, pruning fruit trees, growing vines etc, all of which are likely to be available in the larger brico sheds like Leroy Merlin or Jardiland. They're all around 6 euros 50.

Btw, the vines aren't a clue, there are at least 15 countries in the EU where you could be living where vines are grown for large scale domestic use, not only France.