Permaculture & Getting Going in the Garden.

hardworkinghippy · Post by **hardworkinghippy** » 15 Feb 2008, 19:53

I'd love to contribute more to this thread (and the forum generally !) but I'm really involved in our local elections due to take place in three weeks - and yes - in part of our programme I'll be mentioning le pic p?trolier.

Starting off the garden in earnest will have to wait too, but I'll hopefully catch up once I get going.

I've been no-dig gardening (and living generally) in a permaculture way since the 80s and for anyone who's not got a lot of free time or a good back it's a perfect alternative to gardening in straight lines, clipping and cleaning and spraying anything that moves.

Eternal Sunshine · Post by **Eternal Sunshine** » 16 Feb 2008, 17:52

We're trialling the no-dig method on our allotment. We got the plot last year at the beginning of the weed growing season and as quick as we could dig & clear the perennial weeds from one section they would just grow another foot elsewhere.

It was quite soul destroying.

Now we're trying a few different things in some areas like flattening the perennials, putting down cardboard & a foot deep of horse manure. When we've planted stuff & it's growing we'll surround it with straw to smother the weeds. Will keep you posted as to how successful (or not!) it is.

Keela · Post by **Keela** » 16 Feb 2008, 18:37

@ Eternal Sunshine. We used this method last year to start two new beds and it was hugely successful. So much so that I'm going to use this method in our new polytunnel which should arrive next week. (The whole area is long couch grass so it looks too daunting to tackle any other way.)

We grew onions, potatoes, peas and beans in the areas started last year. And all were successful. I covered the spuds in old hay and just nestled them into the compost - didn't even puncture the cardboard beneath them. For the onions, I laid newspaper & sand over the compost and punched through it to plant the onion seedlings. And the onions were superb - one of my biggest successes this year.

We did have a few escapee weeds, but generally they were not too hard to deal with and this year the area looks good. I'll just give it a quick fork over and then plant.

(Edit to add - pics are in my original post on this thread.
Edit again - And here are some of the onions from last year.

)

Edit again to add another pic:

In the fore ground are the Lidl blackcurrants etc I bought. I dug holes in the grass, planted them with manure, then put cardboard over the whole area (snugly around plants) and covered in old hay. I added more old hay yesterday for good measure.

Eternal Sunshine · Post by **Eternal Sunshine** » 16 Feb 2008, 19:58

Sally that's really heartening!!

I thought it would work in theory but holding my breath a bit in case we're completely wrong & end up with the best fed weeds on the whole site.

Cannot wait to get planting properly now - roll on spring!

Keela · Post by **Keela** » 17 Feb 2008, 18:31

Perhaps I should mention some aspects that did not work so well.

My pumpkins etc that I tried to plant into the manure heap (cardboard and hay laid over the manure this time) got devoured by slugs. Slugs seem to like cardboard. French beans were likewise munched when I tried planting them into the beds after the potatoes (pic with onions). Broad beans and peas seemed more immune.

So like everything there is some trial and error.

I grew my carrots, leeks and parsnips in beds started and managed in a conventional manner. I think the leeks would be happy in the cardboard and compost beds but not the root veg. (Indeed we had a rogue leek amongst the onions this year and it was quite happy!)

Brad · Post by **Brad** » 17 Feb 2008, 19:00

Sally,

Pics looks great, the way a garden should be.

Brad

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 17 Feb 2008, 19:18

Brad wrote:Sally,

Pics looks great, the way a garden should be.

Brad

Indeed. I am at this moment suffering from 'garden envy'!

Keela · Post by **Keela** » 17 Feb 2008, 19:51

Have to admit I love this spot - it was my gran's before. Now we've been here nearly 17 years and there are still flowers of gran's that self-seed in my veg beds.

hardworkinghippy · Post by **hardworkinghippy** » 17 Feb 2008, 21:07

It's lovely when that happens and it makes you think of people and their love of plants too.

Your garden's lovely, it looks so healthy and fresh.

....and I'm jealous of your greenhouse, we don't have one this year because hailstones and heavy winds did it in.

There are ups and there are downs.

Irene

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 18 Feb 2008, 23:31

RenewableCandy wrote:Just a quick warning, there's supposed to be a cold snap next week, so all you lot who've beat me to it with the planting, get yer bubblewrap/fleece/newspaper at the ready...

Thanks for the 'heads up' on this RC, you may well have saved my seedlings!

I was lulled into thinking it was warm because of the clear blue skies and sunshine, but there has been a very hard frost the last few nights.

One day, I tipped a bit of ice out of my watering can onto my garden table, and it sat there all day in full sun and didn't melt. It's still there now.

In the autumn I bought a little paraffin burner for my greenhouse/cold frame thing, but hadn't used it all winter due to it being so mild. But I have used it these past few nights, and have been very glad of it. Last night, even with the burner the minimum temp in the greenhouse was 1.5C - a close shave there. Without the burner the frost may well have got my seedlings!

The weather's been stunningly beautiful here. The bitter cold, clear blue skies and strong sunshine have been an amazing combination.

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 18 Feb 2008, 23:34

hardworkinghippy wrote:It's lovely when that happens and it makes you think of people and their love of plants too.

Your garden's lovely, it looks so healthy and fresh.

....and I'm jealous of your greenhouse, we don't have one this year because hailstones and heavy winds did it in.

There are ups and there are downs.

Irene

That's pretty severe damage HWH!!!!

SunnyJim · Post by **SunnyJim** » 19 Feb 2008, 00:46

Andy Hunt wrote:
RenewableCandy wrote:Just a quick warning, there's supposed to be a cold snap next week, so all you lot who've beat me to it with the planting, get yer bubblewrap/fleece/newspaper at the ready...
Thanks for the 'heads up' on this RC, you may well have saved my seedlings!

I was lulled into thinking it was warm because of the clear blue skies and sunshine, but there has been a very hard frost the last few nights.

One day, I tipped a bit of ice out of my watering can onto my garden table, and it sat there all day in full sun and didn't melt. It's still there now.

In the autumn I bought a little paraffin burner for my greenhouse/cold frame thing, but hadn't used it all winter due to it being so mild. But I have used it these past few nights, and have been very glad of it. Last night, even with the burner the minimum temp in the greenhouse was 1.5C - a close shave there. Without the burner the frost may well have got my seedlings!

The weather's been stunningly beautiful here. The bitter cold, clear blue skies and strong sunshine have been an amazing combination.

Crikey Andy! What seeds have you got growing this early?? I'm thinking of a few hardy salad seeds soon, and Onion seeds mid next month....

SunnyJim · Post by **SunnyJim** » 19 Feb 2008, 00:47

Actually, I suppose I should really be putting in the sweet pepper and tomato seeds soon. I think they will be in the house on the window sills for a while though....

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 19 Feb 2008, 09:48

I have kale, cabbages, leeks and bunching onions coming up in the greenframe thingy.

Also just planted some tomato seeds on the weekend, but none of those have come up yet. Have put a pumpkin seed, butternut squash, melon and cucumber into pots indoors on the kitchen window sill, plus sowed some celery, chillis and basil indoors.

The South-facing kitchen windowsill is directly above a radiator too, which should help!

Keela · Post by **Keela** » 19 Feb 2008, 10:23

Andy Hunt wrote: The South-facing kitchen windowsill is directly above a radiator too, which should help!

I use the south facing windows without a radiator. I find the radiator burns the plants and dries them out - heat extremes are not good.