Help MBE grow his dinner 2012

Aria`s_Tail

I'd go for no. 4.
The way today is going though your pond will be full by tonight!
I managed to do a bit more digging (and evicting of weeds, rocks, glass etc.) yesterday. Almost finished the `bed` to the left of the path, just a couple more feet to go and need a few slabs or something to split it in two. Also got some seedings potted on so not a bad day.

RedLass

Greetings! Gardening newb here. Have been following this thread for a bit and it's been great to read. So many useful tips and I'm really enjoying watching everybody's progress.

We just started our own mini project a couple of weeks back. Have not felt that we can touch the garden in the three years that we've lived here (apart from pruning the leggy, overgrown bushes) because we rent, but the other week we had a moment of what-the-heck inspired by a rare opportunity. Next door neighbour is in the process of totally replacing the fence down the only sunny side of the garden. There were two large bushes there (one of which was hideous Cotoneaster of about 2m width) that would have to be cut right down to almost stumps... so we dug them up. Not without a lot of sweat and back breaking I might add!

So we're re-instating and widening that border and we're turning it into a vegetable patch :j

I'm so excited. Though now that we've started the digging, I appreciate just how much hard work it is to get a patch going. You know, I read all about it... "just turn over the soil to about 2 spades depth, pull out the weeds and dig in piles of compost". Discovered fairly quickly that our soil is heavy clay, full of the GIANT roots of those bushes, years of weeds etc. Still excited though, can't wait to start planting, but there's a good few weekends work to go yet. More if the rain stays. Finding that putting clay soil through a sieve is hard times.

I just hope we're not too late to hit planting time :T

gazza975526570

RedLass wrote: »

I just hope we're not too late to hit planting time :T

You could always start sowing some things in trays etc so they are ready to transplant when you have done all the hard work (It does get easier by the way!!!)

Oh - and Hello and good luck!

RedLass

gazza975526570 wrote: »

You could always start sowing some things in trays etc so they are ready to transplant when you have done all the hard work (It does get easier by the way!!!)

Oh - and Hello and good luck!

Thank you

We're going to be away from home for a week from Thursday, so any seeds I can plant will need to be done after that... so they'd go in at the back end of April. I hope to try runner beans, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers - the latter of the three I was going to buy plugs/plants for. Runners I was thinking of sowing straight into a big planter in the garden in May. So would there still be time to get seeds in indoors for the others? I don't have a greenhouse or a propogator etc... just a windowsill perhaps!

I'm also hoping to get some lettuces, salad leaves, salad onions and carrots going from seed straight outside in May sometime. No idea if this will work, but it's as more for fun than anything else.

You've all been talking a lot about potting seeds... I think next year I'll have to make sure I join the race at the same time! Maybe a bit better prepared then

mrbadexample

alixandrea wrote: »

Is it going to be a wildlife pond MBE, or one with fish in? If the former, build up some earth around the slabs and make extended shallows. The marginal areas of ponds are where you get the most biodiversity.
http://www.pondconservation.org.uk/millionponds
Alixandrea

pink_poppy wrote: »

I know you said you were having a sloping shelf, but is that just at one end??

Wildlife. The sloping shelf will be in the middle, with the round(ish) bit at either end being about 2'6" deep. There will be a marginal shelf around the edge of the deep bits, but deeper than those slabs. Oh, hang on...a picture speaks a thousand words...



Something like that. Red is the marginal shelf for plants etc. Dark blue is the deepest bit, and light blue will be the sloping shelf. Assuming it all goes to plan, and it stops flippin' raining, that is.

RedLass

Our little garden is not very big, but here goes...

This was taken at the tail end of last summer. It shows the only area that gets the sun. I *think* our garden is West facing... not sure though.



These are all early morning pics, no sun yet.

Before taking the bushes out:



Where it's at now - part dug and strung out for proper edge later:



We were going to plant the whole length but as we dug down at the bottom section at the patio end we found some major root networks for the big holly bush/tree on the other side of the fence, and the big bush that we cut right back last autumn. It had green leaves and pink flowers, that's all I know about it! So instead we'll put stones or similar down on that patch and put two planters on top for the beans and tomatoes.

mrbadexample

RedLass wrote: »

I'm so excited. Though now that we've started the digging, I appreciate just how much hard work it is to get a patch going. You know, I read all about it... "just turn over the soil to about 2 spades depth, pull out the weeds and dig in piles of compost". Discovered fairly quickly that our soil is heavy clay, full of the GIANT roots of those bushes, years of weeds etc. Still excited though, can't wait to start planting, but there's a good few weekends work to go yet. More if the rain stays. Finding that putting clay soil through a sieve is hard times.

I just hope we're not too late to hit planting time :T

Welcome Redlass. You're right, the preparation's not always easy. The rewards are worth it though, especially as you only have to do the really hard stuff once. I unearthed a massive pile of rubble when I dug my first bed - it almost put me off for life. It's amazing, but never once have I seen Monty Don stick his spade into the ground and hit a paving slab.

RedLass

mrbadexample wrote: »

Red is the marginal shelf for plants etc. Dark blue is the deepest bit, and light blue will be the sloping shelf.

I know absolutely nothing about ponds, but your plan seems good to me. Will you be planting long grasses and things around that top edge then? I think your garden is proving how much can be done in an area of limited size if you put your mind to it and put the work in. Looking forward to seeing you line it and fill it, ponds are mysterious places to me!

mrbadexample

RedLass wrote: »

I *think* our garden is West facing... not sure though.

Google Earth will show you which way it faces.

And well done you - you must be pretty pleased with the new growing space - it looks ideal. Get some spuds in quick.

mrbadexample

RedLass wrote: »

Will you be planting long grasses and things around that top edge then?

Err, perhaps. Hadn't really thought that far in front yet. I wouldn't mind a bit of black bamboo but it's stupidly expensive. I'll have to wait until I can "acquire" some.

RedLass wrote: »

Looking forward to seeing you line it and fill it, ponds are mysterious places to me!

I'm not. I think I've ordered the liner a bit on the small side, so I'll have to be careful not to dig it too big. The shelf won't be as big as in the picture - can't really be wider than the end bits.

If I can get it half as good-looking as mrbadexample snr's, I'll be well pleased: