[Guy]

There's no stopping me now!!! this is clearly work in progress , so now you have all seen it , it will inspire me to go and get it fixed!!!
[imgimg]

[rustyme]

well done Guy ....mastered this new fangled techno stuff at last mate...? the first pic blimey ,I could taste the broccoli... and the next one ....well I just wish I could be so neat and tidy ....   I will have to take some new pics of my tip now. I went mad today and did 40'x5' with the pick .....nearly killed me ...although I only have about the same amount left to do ...I doubt if I will do it in one day ...in fact I am sure I won't. But however long it takes , the end is in sight ....

[rustyme]

 
that is a picture of the plot in the first year of growing, strange  really it doesn't look too untidy there ... The plot is wider and longer than that now....(but NOT as tidy!!!).

[Rosemary]

You are both stars!

[Guy]

dont worry - im not always that tidy - but as it was for a photo!!! that was a lot of pickaxing!!! i thought your veg patch looked a bit up and running - til i realised it was an old one!! - not long to wait til its looking better!!

ta Rosemary -  i reckon everything that everyone on these forums does makes them all stars!!! 

[rustyme]

the next few weeks will start to get more and more busy on the sowing side of things. Lots of raking and weeding, huge amounts of manure shifting ( that was SHIFTING by the way !!) . From now on it starts to become a rush to get it all done. Lets hope theweather is kind to us all for our veggies....
 
   Oh and the amount of stone I dig out of the plot would make me a rock star hehehe... but the real stars are those that do a full time job AND keep a holding going ...

[rustyme]

got another 12'x5' done with the pick today . I stopped at that as it started to chuck it down . However, it did stop after a few minutes so I could have done more ....but to be honest, I didn't feel like doing anymore !! I did do some more stone collecting though , not huge amounts , just a few buckets .The weather forecast says that we have a day or so of yukkie weather on the way so I don't know if I shall be able to get the last bit of pickaxing done over the next couple of days . There is only a patch 28'x5'  left to do now anyway , so no panic .

[elizabethm]

Hi russ
your soil looks worrying like ours - stone and more stone.  We grow most of our veg in raised beds but have just started a new area in our field which looks quite promising.  Now we know why our predecessors smiled ruefully when we talked about bringing some stone with us that we had at our old place.

[rustyme]

the picture was taken not long after I first dug the plot. The soil is much more loamy, I suppose you would call it, now . It was very much just like clay in the picture. But a few years of growing and the application of loads of horse manure have changed it a lot.  It still does have loads of stone in it though . It is strange , but no matter how thoroughly I dig and de-stone the plot , it always seems to reappear in equal quantities ? I wonder if the pet stone craze will ever return ...?,I could make a fortune if it did...
 
cheers

Russ

[pigsatlesrues]

You are all so good at this! I dream of having plots like this and do feel inspired to have another go when we move to the other house. It certainly makes sense to have individual spaces making weeding so much easier. The problem for me since I have lived in France is that for the two summer seasons I tried, for the first time ever I may add, I got so overwhelmed with the weeds. I planted young plants bought from the market and tended them regularly, but it was all done in one larger plot.  The runner beans shaded everything and the weeds were a nightmare, so disheartend I gave up and didn't even try last year.

I will plough through all the advice and info on this thread, but in the meantime, COULD SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME ON MY SEED PROBLEM on the garden section.  I really want to put some colour onto the new propery and try and made the huge bank leading up to the road a little more interesting.  One thing I have noticed since assisting/project managing the fencing down there is that the wind is cutting right across that whole area.  Could this be the reason for nothing growing on the bank area?

It could be just the place for the sort of planting in the Scotish areas perhaps - wind proof!

Thanks

Kate

[rustyme]

Kate,
      oh blimey ..two years of weeds and THEN you stopped...the first couple of years is really the worst time for weeds. All the weed seeds in the soil get their chance to germinate after years of being dormant. The best way round it , if you have the patience ?I don't!! , is to clear the plot, dig it and remove all perenial weed roots, and then let the weeds germinate. After a few weeks remove all of those , either with a hoe or just pull them out . Then let them germinate again , remove again , do this 4 or 5 times and nearly all weeds will have gone. That way you have an empty plot for the first year . I can never do it that way , I just clear what is there let one lot germinate , clear and then plant my veggies, and do loads of weeding ...lol. It is though as I said the first couple of years that are the worst . The number of weeds that pop up after that is very few. Another thing to remember with weeds, and is very true , one years seeding is seven years weeding !!! so never let a weed go to seed. Most have loads of seeds and will cover a plot in no time.
    Regarding wild flowers, the thing to remember with them is , they need no fertilizer , in most cases the poorer the soil the better sort of... Most wild flowers will find it hard if not impossible to cope with fast growing modern grass, they will get swamped by it and just disappear. one way to get them established is to make little clear patches of ground and sow in those , like little mini flower beds. They should grow ok in those and go to seed ,and then slowly spread their way about.
 As with all things there is no  easy fast way round it really .... It is just a matter of trial and error , to find out what will grow in the situation they are in . What you have to work out is, do you want all the flowers to be wild type ? and just from that area ? That way you can find out what are native to your area and plan your seed sowing from there, or go the non wild route and sow just what you want there , taking into consideration the conditions that they are being sown into. Hope that helps a bit ....not sure if it does though ..?
   
cheers

Russ

[pigsatlesrues]

Thanks Russ, what you say makes a lot of sense. I will give it a go on the bank and do as you say.  The garden plot is a little way off yet - autumn probably but will take note of the weed info - I need to find some patience don't I. My OH would say I have none so hopefully with your help I can prove him wrong!

Kate

[hebber]

Hello,
I found with my own garden that the best way to find stuff that will grow is just to ask my neighbours what works and then copy that.  In my first year I bought loads of plants by mail order from England and Wales and most of them were entirely unsuitable for the hebridean weatherand either died immediately or struggled for a few months, then died.  I stuck in some plants from the local nursery, that everyone else has here and they took off.  I hope that's not insultingly obvious - but it took me a year or so to catch on to this.

[pigsatlesrues]

It is a really sensible suggestion. The problem is that we are surrounded in fields and there are no wild flowers on our property or around that I can see. This may well be telling me something as you say in reverse if you follow me. 

There must be something that will do the job.  I will persever and see what happens when I get there.
Where we live at the moment, some 5km away, the hedgerows are deep in primroses and wild daffs - what you would expect to see this time of year. That is what I would like to see at the other house.

Thanks again for your input.

Kate

[rustyme]

Hello Kate ,
             over here in the UK it would be illegal to dig up wild flowers but I am not sure if it is the same where you are ? . However at the moment it sounds like both places are yours ?  soooo, you could just move a few from where you are now to where you will be moving too...Therefore you aren't stealing anyones wild flowers !!! You would that way at least find out if they will survive on the new property. You could also buy the big bulk bags of daff bulbs cheap and plant them ....I hate doing that , it seems to take forever. With primroses and the like , a few packets of wild types will provide loads of plants ,and if you sowed those in trays and potted on into 3" pots and kept them in those till large enough to transplant , you could then plant them where you want. Over time at least some will survive , hopefully !. As with any form of gardening , time is the main problem . It takes a fair amount of time to transplant say 200 plants. But you could break it up and just do something like 10-20 a day.  The thing to remember though is don't go for the bigger garden type crosses or varieties , as they probably wouldn't cope with what sounds like a bit of a harsh environment. Just go for wild type ones , they are very hardy . Just a thought though ...have you about growing your own fuel for the house ? Willow... you could easily grow all your own wood . Free heating !!! you could also make baskets from it , even burn the baskets when they wear out . Like I say ..just a thought...
 
cheers

Russ