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preparing area for veg next year
irishgardener
Posts: 29
in Fruit & veg
Hi all
I want to grow veg and fruit bushes next year
I have a large area that I can use. It is all grass currently. Is there anything I can do now and over the following months to get the area sorted?
Thanks
0
Posts
Oh there is so much you can do. For starters, remove the grass. Dig over the plot and decide what you will be planting and where it will go. It sounds as though you have enough space for some decent crop rotation so put aside an area for the fruit bushes then divide the rest of the plot into three or four areas. Here is a short video on crop rotation and there is plenty more information out there on this subject. http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-practise-crop-rotation/
Strip the grass off using a turf cutter from handihire or similar. It makes the job a lot easier . Turn the turves upside down and make a turf stack, water and cover with black plastic. It will make a lovely soil for a potting mix.
Get as much well rotted farm yard manure as you can and put it on the area you want to grow veg next year, except for areas for root veg like carrots.(They fork in freshly manured soil). If you get it on before winter, the worms will pull it down over winter and put the soil in good condition.
You can order your fruit bushes and raspberry canes now for delivery when they are dormant. Prepare the area where they are going to go, and plant as soon as they arrive, unless the soil is frozen.
Ceres and fidgetbones, thank you both for your replies
Lots of helpful information for me. Looking forward to getting started!
Hi Irishgardener
Looks like you have a project wow licking my lips all over again from when I started mine.
Hard work little and often so you vary what you do to keep you keen and interested is the game
Great point Fidgetbonesyes brings up about the turfs stacking as I did this exactly by hand to part of my allotment when I took it over.
A few years on they have repaid me in many ways with courgettes, pumpkins, cucumbers and there is still more to come.
I did plan initially to build the stacks three I have cover them to rot down however decided to built them with the turfs a bit like laying bricks filling in the middles with compost and soil but left the last foot and filled with cow manure and now anything planted on top is prolific and the returns are huge
There is so much you can do to get it started and this site is so helpful so please keep updating your progress with a few pictures if you can as it gets everyone excited about the progress
good luck and happy gardening
Chris172, sorry I only seen your reply now
What amazing photos and produce...yum yum
Question - when you turn does over and stack like that, do they not get full of weeds again?