I want it because the soil in that part of the total plot is part clay and instead of adding grit , gypsum and lots of manure I prefer to fill the area with better soil so the plants can have a better chance of producing better crops
I sowed carrots , beetroot , garlic and some parsnips and all flourished apart from the parsnips which have a low take rate
I am in general against the " modern craze " of raised beds but as this will only be a about 1/8 th of the total plot I thought I would experiment and see how I can change a low production area to high demsity producing area like I did last year
You say you have hard clay and a depth of 2" of compost
I would be interested to hear more about this process and which plants / vegs grow well
Everyone is just trying to be Happy.....So lets help Them.
Okay, your approach sounds very logical, experimentation in the garden is good.
Check out CharlesDowding.com for no-dig.
I have heavy clay soil, it was very very hard in summer. I dug it initially but only because I needed to check what was beneath (disused septic tanks), remove, large flints, and remove perennial weed roots. Since then I've grown carrots, french beans, peas, courgettes, parsnips, salsify, tomatoes etc with considerable success. At the start of this year I spread ~2" of compost, much of it home made. A few years ago I laid granite slabs to form paths either side of 1m wide beds. I sowed quite densely, and now the beds are a dense mass of green. At the height of summer getting carrots out was tough because the soil was so hard. But they were very tasty. I harvested two parsnips in early July, about 5" long, 1" wide, very nice.
The only negative I can see is that the clay soil is quite cold, so takes ages to warm up in spring. This can be worked around by placing a coldframe on top. I did that and sowed carrots and spring onions inside. It worked a treat.
Yes indeed. Reckon a square metre - at least - for a healthy courgette plant (and with that mix they'd be pretty healthy). The pot wold need to be very large, Jen.
That list works out at 3'9" if my old-fashioned maths hasn't let me down. I suppose it's settled a bit to fit in the 2'3" bed The worms will do a great job for you anyway and by next year you'll have big juicy eathworms instead of the red compost worms that are there now.
Parsnips are always slow to germinate, and if the seeds are older than last year have a pretty low chance of germinating at all. A recommended technique (which I intend to try next spring for the first time) is to germinate them on damp kitchen paper in the airing cupboard, sow them in loo roll tubes or deep pots immediately they show signs of starting, harden them off straight away and plant them out (still in their tubes before the taproot has time to get to the bottom.
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I want it because the soil in that part of the total plot is part clay and instead of adding grit , gypsum and lots of manure I prefer to fill the area with better soil so the plants can have a better chance of producing better crops
I sowed carrots , beetroot , garlic and some parsnips and all flourished apart from the parsnips which have a low take rate
I am in general against the " modern craze " of raised beds but as this will only be a about 1/8 th of the total plot I thought I would experiment and see how I can change a low production area to high demsity producing area like I did last year
You say you have hard clay and a depth of 2" of compost
I would be interested to hear more about this process and which plants / vegs grow well
Okay, your approach sounds very logical, experimentation in the garden is good.
Check out CharlesDowding.com for no-dig.
I have heavy clay soil, it was very very hard in summer. I dug it initially but only because I needed to check what was beneath (disused septic tanks), remove, large flints, and remove perennial weed roots. Since then I've grown carrots, french beans, peas, courgettes, parsnips, salsify, tomatoes etc with considerable success. At the start of this year I spread ~2" of compost, much of it home made. A few years ago I laid granite slabs to form paths either side of 1m wide beds. I sowed quite densely, and now the beds are a dense mass of green. At the height of summer getting carrots out was tough because the soil was so hard. But they were very tasty. I harvested two parsnips in early July, about 5" long, 1" wide, very nice.
The only negative I can see is that the clay soil is quite cold, so takes ages to warm up in spring. This can be worked around by placing a coldframe on top. I did that and sowed carrots and spring onions inside. It worked a treat.
I now have a raised bed 4 foot x 4 foot by 2 foot 3 inches tall with layers from the top down
12 inches of top soil
3 inches of well rotted and non smelly manure
12 inches of top soil
4 inches of manure
6 inches of top soil
6 inches of manure
2 inchs of gravel and medium stones for drainage
bare soil below the RB....a bit of clay
Loads of red wriggly worms working hard already
Looking to grow several varieties of carrots parsnips beetroots courgettes
The top soil is stone free and the manure is 12 inches down so I should be OK with stubby carrots
? Any other veg to consider Edd
Hi NewBoy2. Be advised - courgettes plants can produce an enormous leaf span. A single specimen could completely dominate your 4x4' bed.
My experience, this very summer. Won't be doing that again. I'll grow them in large pots instead.
Yes indeed. Reckon a square metre - at least - for a healthy courgette plant (and with that mix they'd be pretty healthy). The pot wold need to be very large, Jen.
That list works out at 3'9" if my old-fashioned maths hasn't let me down. I suppose it's settled a bit to fit in the 2'3" bed
The worms will do a great job for you anyway and by next year you'll have big juicy eathworms instead of the red compost worms that are there now.
Parsnips are always slow to germinate, and if the seeds are older than last year have a pretty low chance of germinating at all. A recommended technique (which I intend to try next spring for the first time) is to germinate them on damp kitchen paper in the airing cupboard, sow them in loo roll tubes or deep pots immediately they show signs of starting, harden them off straight away and plant them out (still in their tubes before the taproot has time to get to the bottom.
@Steve 309: I'm sure you've been told that size isn't everything... but yes, a very big pot, 30L or bigger. Or a dedicated raised bed? Bendy bucket?
@Steve 309: Parsnip germination - good advice. To add to that, Dan Unsworth (he knows his onions) deals with that very subject in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SazWYCSati0
Looks good to me.