Is it worth it?

Megansmum

Lotus-eater wrote: »

No problem in the area, get the soil as good as you can, same as always.
Looks a lovely area btw. Good space and walls to tie things up to.

The toms don't look very good, do they?

It is mostly sand under a thin layer of soil so I was gonna dig it all out and buy a ton of top soil and add some compost..... Is this the right thing to do??

The toms are a mystery - it's a good job i'm not that fond of them myself!!

Lotus-eater

Megansmum wrote: »

Is this the right thing to do??

Yes, what sort of sand is it? I would be tempted to grow some record sized carrots in it first That is alot of carrots though

Megansmum

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Yes, what sort of sand is it? I would be tempted to grow some record sized carrots in it first That is alot of carrots though

er.......yellow sand?!?!?!? :rotfl:

Lotus-eater

Builders sand then? I mean do you have sandy soil wherever you live and that's where it has come from?
Or is it sharp sand, a very coarse sand.
Builders sand is said to have impurities in it, I have a feeling Davesnave will know more about what sand is safe to grow in.

Megansmum

i'm pretty sure it's just builders sand , when we moved in the whole area was a weed filled poor excuse for a (someone watched too much diy sos or ground force) rockery. Baby was due so we just got someone in and had the sleepers along the edge, the area filled and the slabs you see in the picture were on top making a path.

It would have stayed this way had i not had too much spare time to think about MORE places i could grow my veggies! Darn my new found "i want to grow my own" idea!! Lol. :rotfl:

Kantankrus_Mare

Just had a quick whizz through this thread and want to say a big WELL DONE! :T

From your first thread and fear of creepy crawlies I didnt expect you to carry on but seems you have got the "bug" lol (excuse the pun)

I took on my allotment 3 years ago which was totally over grown and needed tons of work. Never interested in gardening in the least and never even lifted a spade but 3 years on I love my hobby.

Also have a phobia about slugs.....:eek: cant stand the horrible squelchy slimy things. Yuck.!!

So three years on I am growing:

In the greenhouse....peppers, tomatoes and aubergines. Not attempted cucs as we dont eat that many.

At the allotment: onions, garlic,rhubarb, sweetcorn, strawberries, beetroot, spring onions, asparagus, peas, mange tout, potatoes, raspberries, parsnips, courgettes, swedes, sprouts, salad leaves, gooseberries, carrots and sweet peas.

Oh also have blueberries in a pot at home. Just got tiny fruit forming now.

Keep it up...........the rewards are fantastic.

Megansmum

Thanks Mare,

It's a slow process for me and i will probably have "minor" setbacks for years to come! Today was ok though, i saw a MASSIVE spider at the in-laws and looked at it closely until M-I-L saw it and killed it!

Then F-I-L had a snail on his tomato plant and i picked it off for him.:D

I have had ALL the windows at home open today :j - a MAJOR thing this.... I have NEVER let the OH have the windows open cos of spiders getting in!

I still get caught out by bees or wasps - it's the "automatic run reaction" when i hear the buzz close to me! :mad:

I am LOVING the growing stuff though, so i think i am hooked now for life and so the phobias are pretty much kicked into touch :j

How are your sweetcorn coming on? They are the things i am MOST excited about growing....I can't wait until they are ready to pick!!

Next year i want to do parsnips and peppers too! It is great - even though i don't eat much veg myself at least dd1 & dd2 are getting healthy fresh organic stuff and that makes me even more proud!! :j:D:j:D

ixwood

The sand will have just been used to fill or set the slabs in. Just dig it in a bit. Sure it'll be fine.

That's a nice sizeable area. I've definitely be thinking fruit/nuts. What direction does it face?

I've got Apples/Pears/Hazels/Plum/Cherry trees and loads of fruit bushes/berries around the outside of my garden.

Megansmum

Hi Ixwood how you doing?

The area is south facing so i hope i can do just about anything there!?

I have planted a cherry tree and an apple tree further down the garden - i'm hoping to add more fruit trees to that area.

I have 2 blueberry bushes and a pear tree at the allotment - they have only been in a couple of months, would they die if i moved them back here?

I was thinking of adding some rasberry and blackberry bushes, but will i have to wait until next year now?

I love the allotment and i know in a couple of years i will have loads more spare time to devote to it, but right now it is easier to do stuff at home! I don't want to let the lottie go in case i can't get one again in 2 years time!

ixwood

Hey MM. I'm very well thanks. Glad to see you've still got the bug (as it were)!

South facing is perfect for fruit. You could try the more tricky shelter/sun loving fruit like Kiwi, Grapes, Passion Fruit, Peaches, Figs etc.

I'd be looking to use the height available there for something tall. It'll add structure, multiple the wildlife areas/potential (A Hazel or a fruit tree provides homes for loads of insects and therefore food for bigger things), increase the cropping potential and hide the fence.

I've surrounded my garden with (useful/edible) greenery. I have a various Hazel varieties down the East side, with soft fruit bushes in front/under them, Loads of things along the south side (Almond/Plum , Pear, Sweet Cherry and Apple trees, Roses (for the edible hips), Barberry (spiny, evergreen and produces edible "super" berries so makes a excellent hedge), Chokeberry, Gojo Berry etc) and a Morello Cherry and Japanese Wineberry on the north shaded side.

The plants would probably be okay if you moved them, but you'd probably loss any crop this year and it'd be better for them to move in Autumn when they're dormant (and the ground will be moist constantly helping them re-establish).

Raspberries and Blackberries sound good. I like the no hassle, plant, forget and pick plants. Much less hassle then annual veg. And most kids love berries. You probably won't get a crop this year, but you should still be able to get some plants. They'll establish ready to produce next year.

You could try some Autumn fruiting Raspberries and you might get a crop (they fruit on this years growth. Normal ones fruit on last years growth).

I've thought about a lottie, but haven't bothered so far. They are a lot of hard work and require time and commitment.

As an inattentive, lazy gardener, I'm sticking to my gardern and window sills for now. The Human eye/hand is the best fertiliser. I'd blatantly forget about lottie plants. Out of sight, out of mind and all that.

If I did have one, I'd design it be as low maintenance as possible and use it for the bulky things like spuds, Asparagus, Rhubarb and long term perennials that can look after themselves.

Mulching the whole thing would make it much easier to maintain (no/little weeding, digging or watering) and also greatly improve the soil. You could even grow the mulch using "green manures".

I'd also try and secure my boundaries. Allotments are a nightmare for weeds. A boundary of Comfrey and Marigolds should prevent most creeping weeds forcing their way in.