Advice needed - Preparing soil quickly in new strip of veg patch

[NotPercyThrower]

Hi, I built some raised beds last year after moving and all went well. I am ready to plant my potatoes and have just decided to dig up an extra strip of garden for the potatoes, leaving me extra space for other things in the beds. I have removed the turf and dug it over. The soil is good, but not far down is clay; hence the raised beds. Plenty of neighbours grow in this soil, so I know it is fine.

What is the best thing I can do to very quickly add nutrients to the soil allow almost immediate planting of the seed potatoes. I don't have any well-rotted manure or compost.

I don't mind buying stuff, but would like it to be as cost-effective as possible.

All advice welcome as I'd love to plant those potatoes now. Thanks.

[Two_Sheds]

Your existing soil will grow potatoes just fine. It's a common misconception that we have to add things to soil in order to grow veg.

I would not earth them up, instead I mulch with grass clippings and coffee grinds (which keep weeds down, keep moisture in the earth & add nutrients).

[Two_Sheds]

Clay isn't a baddie: it's very nutritious and holds water well. Over the years you'll be adding garden compost etc to improve drainage and put the nutrients back in (that the veg take out)

[chris]

Clay is full of nutrients - the trick is to open it up, to allow water and air into the mix. Otherwise, it can become all claggy and waterlogged. Digging in as much organic matter as you can will open it up.

You could plant in the top soil, then mulch with grass clippings, wet newspaper, straw etc this year...

[chris]

bleh, the time it took me to write that dealing with two kiddies TS nipped in and beat me

[Two_Sheds]

two kiddies? I've got a wriggly puppy on my lap with the laptop and a greedy parrot on my shoulder, both trying to get in my porridge bowl

[zazen999]

Try lazy beds as mentioned yesterday.

[NotPercyThrower]

Thanks both. I have just had a chat with my 4 year old and he has agreed that we will spend the morning planting potatoes.

My mower mulches, so I don't get grass clippings. But I have chickens so have a weekly supply of chicken muck and straw, so I guess that would be good to dig in throughout the year.

Thanks again.

[rustylady]

Fresh chicken poo is a bit "hot" to apply direct. I would pile it up or add to the compost heap and leave to rot down.

[Newton]

My mower mulches, so I don't get grass clippings.

What is this? Do you mean the clippings are left on the grass? I am intrigued? What does it do with the clippings?

[MojoJojo]

A mulching lawnmower normally puts the grass through the blades a few times so it gets cut up very small, and I think it then drops it back on the lawn.

[Sarico]

i think i read somewhere ( i think 2 sheds wrote it in a post) that this way you self-feed the lawn... when the clipping rot down they released the nutriment back to the lawn...

[di]

Rake 'em up and put on your veggies....who wants a nicely fed lawn?

[rustylady]

A mulching lawnmower normally puts the grass through the blades a few times so it gets cut up very small, and I think it then drops it back on the lawn.

Problem is, if the grass is growing fast you get an awful lot of grass clippings on the lawn and they don't rot down very quickly.

[NotPercyThrower]

What is this? Do you mean the clippings are left on the grass? I am intrigued? What does it do with the clippings?

I have 3/4 acre of paddock/garden/orchard and it would create a huge amount of grass clippings, so I bought a ride on mulching mower. It cuts the grass, blows it up and cuts it again and blows it back down into the grass. The clipping are very small and if you mow regularly they almost disappear. As mentioned above it adds nutrients back into the soil.

If you let the grass grow too long it doesn't work as well and you can see the grass on the top.

It basically means I can mow the whole area and not worry about emptying a collector or storing huge amounts of grass. It works for me.