Clearing an neglected garden

Davesnave

Soil does look remarkably good!

That's the way I 'gardened' here initially, but after laying some drains last autumn, I think there will be little digger activity for me now.....hopefully.

Gers

Those two bushes are red currants which fruited heavily last year but couldn't be reached without protective gear. I'm giving them a chance to fruit again as red currant jelly / jam goes so well with venison.

I've ordered membrane and made enquiries about woodchip. Happy days.

DaftyDuck

Looking good. Remember, that soil will be very compressed after all that traffic. If you do put down membrane without improving drainage, you may suffer extreme puddling.... but only if it rains! :rotfl:

I'm not the biggest fan of membrane or woodchip as a solution... in my experience, it can lead to more problems than the initial labour invested. All the more so, if your soil is very wet.

Gers

DaftyDuck wrote: »

Looking good. Remember, that soil will be very compressed after all that traffic. If you do put down membrane without improving drainage, you may suffer extreme puddling.... but only if it rains! :rotfl:

I'm not the biggest fan of membrane or woodchip as a solution... in my experience, it can lead to more problems than the initial labour invested. All the more so, if your soil is very wet.

Over many many years there has been many many attempts at installing effective drainage, all to no avail. On the land behind my house (which is directly in front of the field) there are enormous brick made vaulted drains installed in Victorian times. They are big enough to walk upright in. Same as in the field to the immediate right of the garden field.

Yes, it’ll puddle, it’s puddling now. At least it will become more useable and productive.

DaftyDuck

.... as you may have seen from photos on other threads, I know about big puddles:D Luckily, being really sandy, they go as quickly as they come.

If the ground stays moist ( you are in Scotland )your bark or woodchip may hold the moisture more. It certainly will acidify the soil, and you'll grow some wonderful fungi.

It's more work without membrane or bark, but it might be better in the long term. Or worse. It's one of those luck-of-the-draw matters, where you will be wrong whatever you do.

Sums up life, that does.

It's looking good, though. Where does the seat go?

Gers

As I'm not a gardener at heart covering and having raised beds works best for me. I'm not up for yearly digging, weeding, planting what is to me a large swathe of soil.

The seating area will be to the left of the entrance and along the fencing as that's facing the sunset. The plot is almost directly south facing. :j

Thinking about seating and sundowners (on at least two days a year!) is getting me excited again.

DaftyDuck

Optimism is a Scottish disease!

Gers

There's a bloke here right now putting down the first of the membrane. He'll come back on Sunday to finish off.

Fencing bloke has been and measured, he'll cut down and use wood from his own forest.

Bark it'll be for the ground!

[URL="[url=https://ibb.co/cKhRTn][img]https://preview.ibb.co/ia4vM7/Pegged.jpg[/img][/url] [url=https://ibb.co/cYSh17][img]https://preview.ibb.co/iqoBuS/Half_done.jpg[/img][/url]"][/url]

silverwhistle

Gers wrote: »

Thinking about seating and sundowners (on at least two days a year!) is getting me excited again.

Have you bought the mozzie net yet?:-)

That soil does look good. You never thought about a season growing spuds before moving on? I grow in raised beds but the basic clay soil here (next stop France) really benefited from it.

Gers

silverwhistle wrote: »

Have you bought the mozzie net yet?:-)

That soil does look good. You never thought about a season growing spuds before moving on? I grow in raised beds but the basic clay soil here (next stop France) really benefited from it.

They're in the back garden hiding in the long damp grass!

As for tattles, no, I don't eat many and everyone else remotely close by grows their own. And I refuse to be made into a gardener! Neither my fingers nor my brain are green and my motivation for it is seriously lacking. :rotfl:

Sitting watching the sun slip away whilst sipping something slightly alcoholic is what I'll be mostly doing in there. :j