Topic: getting started

[dave61]

after waiting for the council to sort out a site for us my word there is some red tape to try and stop you isnt there? we are now facing the problem of protected grasses near to our latest proposed site next to the canal that runs through our town ( doesnt matter how much rubbish is thrown in there ::) )but try and make some good use of an empty space and everyone seems to come out to tell you why you cant oh well the uk today huh. ok rant over my wifes friend has offered me an area of her large garden which is lawned so when will be the best time to start digging the turf up I am hoping to grt three 2mx6m beds all i need to do in return is keep her hedge cut and kept tidy not a bad exchange  I think many thanks in advance dave

[Old bird]

Sounds good Dave,

Probably best to wait until you get a dry'ish spell of warmer weather.  I say warmer what I mean is above freezing.

Your best bet is to skim the grass off and stack it, upside down, in an unused area for that to compost down, and off you go!!

You got a good deal there I reckon!  I would think that the friend would not be averse to the occasional fresh veg either as a bonus!!

O B

[flitwickone]

good luck im in your boat ;D my fir0st year as well it will be a learning curve for us both ::)

[dave61]

thanx i cant wait to get going best sit on my thumbs for a bit then

[Tee Gee]

i cant wait

I'm with the others I would wait!

Think of it this way; when you remove the turf you will have removed the cold stuff leaving the warmer soil that you want ready for digging!

So it is not all bad!

If you dont wait all you succeed in doing is placing cold soil where the roots of your young seedlings will be and they won't take kindly to that!

[sunloving]

Hello
My advice would be slightly different. I dont know how much time you have to do the work but when i take over a new patch i know that i cant have a long persiod to get it all done i start early on say a quater of it get that stripped dug and weeded and then manure and cover then go onto the next patch. This way you have the possibility of planting something as soon as the ground is warn enough such a as crop of early peas or getting your raspberry/gooseberry canes in now, instead of trying to do it all when the weather has warmed up.

So look at what time you have and what you are growing that might be frost tolerant or go in before say mid march and dig over and prep a bed or two so that you can do this then it doesnt feel like such a giant job if you can reward yourself at the end of digging day with a bit of planting.

Welcome to the site both you newbies and good luck
Isnt if great to have such hope and plans for spring!!

ps seeds at netto are 19p a packet at the moment so a good early cold tolerant crop such as leeks might be a goer start them of on window ledge then plant out when you are ready!
x sunloving

[cornykev]

As said, skim and stack the turf when it warms up a bit.
Good luck with your growing, just a few points :
Will you have free access to the garden at all times
Will composting be OK with your wifes friend
The garden will attract white flies and other pests
Its just a thought, I hope she'll be alright with this and you make a great success with the garden, as said keep her sweet with some veggies.      ;D ;D ;D

[dave61]

thanks all yes i have access to the garden at any time and the offer of planting some veg that she likes went down really well i cant believe my luck really getting somewhere to grow around here is nearly impossible and we live in the countryside so i cant imagine how difficult it is to get land in urban areas