The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: StephB on November 21, 2012, 11:20:13 am
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Hi all,
We created a new paddock this year which is approx 30ft x 200ft. We have had the pigs in here all summer, they are now relaxing in the freezer and I want to convert this paddock into my veg plot. :-\
As you can imagine it is a swamp, full of deep puddles and the odd patch of grass. Hubby has tonnes of old builders planks that we are going to create about 8 - 8' x 4' raised beds to start us off.
What my reason for posting is, I REALLY want to get on with getting these beds created and filled with top soil and compost so they are ready to go in the spring. But looking at the state of it down there, I am not sure if i can get started until it dries out.
The whole site needs levelling off and I planned to rotovate it to fill the wallows the pigs have made. I guess it is a disaster to try rotovating when its muddy or would you have a go?.
I just wondered if I am worrying un-necessarily and should just get on with it, or is rotovating muddy ground a disaster?.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
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If its bogging enuff to paddle in leave it until it drys out, if you try to rotivate or put any machinery on it now you'll just make it worse and damage your soil structure.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb220/fowgillfarm/Image068.jpg (http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb220/fowgillfarm/Image068.jpg)
this is what our paddocks look like now and we won't try to do anything with it until it drys up or spring.
Meanwhile draw your plans, peruse your seed catalogues, get on with making fruit cages, rabbit proofing, make cold frame things that don't entail actually doing anything on your land.
Pray big style for dry weather with abit of drying breeze!
Mandy :pig:
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Hi Mandy
I had to laugh, you photo looks exactly likemy paddock :) .
Thanks for the advice, I guess i would just end up covered in mud if I tried to tackle it now. We have had soooo much rain today, I think its going to be a spring job now.
Off to start planning out my veggie plot on paper instead
.
Thanks
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Mandy that is certainly wet. Could grow rice, I suppose.
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Mandy that is certainly wet. Could grow rice, I suppose.
it has crossed my mind that pic was actually taken a couple of months ago and its even worse than that now literally mud soup.
MAndy :pig:
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I haven't even dared look at my garden today.
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Steph see if you can get any well rotted manure ready for when you rotavate .. mean while thickly spread it over the ground as best as possible to give worms every chance to drag some deeper downand start eating it for their casts are a fantastic fertilizer. It will also start to help with surface drainage & help crumb any damaged soil .
Don't rotavate in wet soil if at all possible for you will tend to break the soil structure and produce something akin to pottery clay
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in my perfect world I always planned to follow pigs with hens to scratch the soil to a fine tilth... you could try splitting each bed into a hen penthen simply rake it down ready for planting.
This is my plan... never actually managed to try it yet :fc:
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If you want to get out on your patch, it never hurts to observe where the sun rises, where any frost pockets are, where is sheltered from the frost, where the rabbits run across, prevailing wind, etc etc etc :)
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Hi just joined the forum and noticed this thread.
I am in a similar boat (sorry water pun or punt), anyway, I wondered if covering the grass with anything, where I want the beds to go (as don't intend rotavating unless someone advises me to, as I want to leave grass around and have a sitting area our plot is about 30 x 40 metres), I read somewhere that if you cover the ground with black plastic it will kill the grass and any weeds, making it easier to deal with and warming up the ground in preparation for planting.
I also have the overwhelming feeling that time is of the essence and that waiting til the spring means I will miss the 'boat' in regards to planting, compost heaps, feeding soil etc.
Sorry but I was also wondering with the ground been waterlogged and going forward, should we be using this time to install some form of drainage (or soak aways)?
Thanks for any info
K
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its a really good idea to cover with either black plastic or weed membrane now, ready for spring. :thumbsup:
and nothing to stop you starting up a compost heap, im going to strim a rough area this weekend for that same reason, build the heap well and it will be ready for spring no problem.
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Any covering will kill any current top growth , grass , weeds etc , but it won't rid the ground of any grass , weed seeds that are in the soil waiting to germimate as soon as conditions are right . That will be about the same time as your veg seeds !
Different strokes for different folks .
But now is the time to do any work the weather will allow you to do .
A good compost heap , manure heap will be invaluable . As will any drainage if needed .
Be as ready as you can for spring sowing .
A tarp or black plastic does keep the rain off the ground , so you can just pull it back and get the ground dug when poss , and then cover again .
I personally prefer to clear the ground of grass and weeds as i prepare the ground . Then let the weed seeds germinate , remove them and let the next lot germinate also .
The ideal would be to keep allowing them to germinate till no more appear , about 5 or 6 times , then sow the veg and you get almost no weeds at all .
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Speaking of maintaining beds. Is now the time to get some well rotted manure from the local stables and spread it over the veg bed. I think I read that the worms will drag it down for me so I can just spread it across the top.
Would this also work for a bed that has strawberries and fruit bushes?
This has reminded me of another question I had but shall make a new thread for that one!
Dans
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Yep , perfect time to get it on there . Make sure it is well rotted though , at least 6 months , and that it is mixed with straw and not sawdust !
I always turn it in with a fork , although worms will take some down.
I put at least 2 piled up builders buckets full to the square yard , if i am double digging i put 2 bucket loads at the bottom and dig in , then another 2 on the surface and dig in . Don't do this on the carrot/root bed though . Grow them on a bed that was manured last year and grew a crop after .
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But ok for strawberries and fruit bushes?
Not sure I'll be able to dig in at all, the ground is quite frozen at the moment.... (needs a chilly icon)
Dans
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Yep , ok for them too but it must be well rotted and again not mixed with sawdust but straw. It should smell more like peat than poo !
Any manure/compost can be turned in as and when the conditions allow , mind your back though !