Author Topic: Whether to throw in the towel... (Read 3106 times)

Jill · « **on:** June 13, 2005, 00:59:25 »

I inherited a site last year from neighbours who moved away but apparently did brilliantly. Inherited raspberries, summer and autumn were great. Asparagus bed, 3 years old, produced 1 or 2 (max) spears a week last year and no better this year. Last year both 2nd early and main crop potatoes got blight, as did tomatoes - am told prevalent on whole site always. Onions got white rot and lost nearly all. Shallots didn't develop properly. Peas ALL got eaten. Sunflowers only 1 out of whole packet germinated. Lettuces only about 6 in total out of 3 packets of seeds. Runner beans did OK but not amazing. Sweet peas didn't get to flower. Sweetcorn pathetic. Battle with weeds is being lost.

Soil is knackered. Is it worth persevering? If so, what can I do (that costs virtually nothing) to improve things? :( :( :(

tamsin · « **Reply #1 on:** June 13, 2005, 07:14:39 »

Do you know what else your neighbours grew? Maybe it would be worth trying to do the same things. Don't know about soil management, I think I'm in the process of knackering mine (so will await other responses eagerly!) Some people have mentioned green manure before. Would this help? And is this your only plot?

Justy · « **Reply #2 on:** June 13, 2005, 07:45:51 »

check out local farmers and stables and ask if they can deliver some manure. Get this dug into the soil to improve it in structure and nutrients. If you are growing organic check out HDRA website http://www.hdra.org.uk/ for advice about controlling pests and disease organically. You can cover things with net and fleece to protect them from things too.

It seems a shame to give in as all growers have bad years (this one is mine I think).

Roy Bham UK · « **Reply #3 on:** June 13, 2005, 07:51:15 »

I don’t believe this I just lost my reply Grrrr! Oh well try again. ::)

I can’t understand that especially if your neighbour did so well in the past, :( try bunging a load of well rotted manure in the soil? Grow your peas in pots until they are small plant size to beat the meeces, put rotted kitchen waste under your runner bean bed.

How old were your seeds? as lettuce grows like weeds and if you have an abundance of weeds then your soil can’t be that bad, can it?

Don’t despair things will only get better you’ll see. ;D 8)

Marley Farley · « **Reply #4 on:** June 13, 2005, 08:09:12 »

:) I agree plenty of manure needed by the sound of it :) Planting spuds is supposed to help clear the ground of weeds. :) Allot of stables round here offer free well rotted horse manure :) check it out near you :)

Lily · « **Reply #5 on:** June 13, 2005, 09:59:50 »

Hi Jill

The last thing you should do is throw in the towel.

Why not clear the site with what you can and spend the rest of the season getting the ground ready for the next season. It could be that the site has been over worked and needs a rest. I remember from school days that every 4th year farmer's fields are left fallow to recouperate from all the growing they have been doing in the previous 3 years. So why not spend the rest of the year getting it into tip top condition, you'll be the envy of the site. :o

You can get in touch with your local council who will arrange to deliver some rotting compost - all that stuff that people have been putting in their brown garden refuse bins for years. As mentioned this will give your great soil structure.

Think of it as a recipe for a cake, without good quality ingredients you will be making either 'Rock Cakes' or 'Sponge Cakes' and I know which I like the best.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Lily ps My onions have got white rot and my garlic has rust, my carrots have never materialised and the frost got my beans. Am I giving up? nooooooooooooooooo, you bet your life I'm not. ;D ;D

derbex · « **Reply #6 on:** June 13, 2005, 11:32:58 »

Try and work with the conditions if you can. My neighbour only grows 1st & 2nd earlies for spuds -reckons main crop aren't worth the effort, someone may know more about the asparagus but it's still early days -how many spears did you pick? If the weeds are coming up then the soil may well be OK (although manure should only help). I don't do well with direct sowing so start most of my stuff off in modules -give it a try, if they come up bung them in, if they don't it's you not the soil and you can ask for more specific help. Peas -I protect the young plants with chicken wire- there was some lying around on the plot when I took it over, if you have a long enough bit you can use it as a support too. Weeds, learn to use a hoe -if you've got nothing much growing then now's a good time to try.

Don't give it up -we all have failures -sometimes lots (don't talk to me about carrots).

Jeremy

Jill · « **Reply #7 on:** June 13, 2005, 12:46:07 »

Oh wow. What lovely peeps you all are. :) Went to bed really despondent and but feel much better now. So manure is the way to go. I know that my predecessor didn't put any manure or soil conditioner at all in during the 6 years he had it so I think Lily's suggestion of clearing and revitalising is the way to go for this year and fingers crossed for next. Asparagus-wise I only picked a few last year and this year I haven't picked any. The plot is at the far end of the site, next to the orchards, with a view of Canterbury Cathedral in the distance - it's just wonderful up there. Off to dig. Thanksx

lancelotment · « **Reply #8 on:** June 13, 2005, 13:19:30 »

Jill, what is the ph level of your soil? What's the drainage like? Try to get as much info together of what you have got as you can. Can you find out what crops were grown where previously, to try to make sure you avoid building up pests and diseases in any one spot. It may be that the previous incumbent had white rot problems in the same spot you have. Try growing crops with a proven record of disease resistance for the problems that you have encountered. Sweet peas can be prone to the same diseases as veg crops. There a few things that have conspired against you and it really was bad luck that they all struck at the same time. Don't give up now, hang in there!! Lance

Palustris · « **Reply #9 on:** June 13, 2005, 19:35:45 »

We used to garden on a sandy soil and manure just disappeared, dug in tons of it, and you would think we had neglected the place. If your soil is a free draining hungry soil then as every one has recommended manure, compost is the way to go and on a very regular basis too. It really does sound as if your predecessors have exhausted the soil.
Almost any green manure would help, either over Winter or on the parts you are not currently using. There are plenty to choose from, look in the Veg seed catalogues on line.
Most of all, remember that it does take time to bring a soil back into good heart, so don't be too impatient or disheartened, in the end you will win.

Jill · « **Reply #10 on:** June 13, 2005, 20:03:39 »

Spent all day thinking about it and have decided next few weeks will be spent clearing and then planting green manure. Will also try and sort out a source of free horse manure (with transport included) to slap down in the autumn. No point in trying and failing to grow anything else until there are some nutrients in the soil, methinks.

In the meantime my shallots, lettuces, runner beans, courgettes, squashes, tomatoes and chillies are all thriving in our garden amongst the other plants . Big relief because now I know it's not me being useless with plants. ;D

Thanks again for your advice and encouragement.

Justy · « **Reply #11 on:** June 13, 2005, 22:00:16 »

another thing that I have found useful is to grow everything in defined beds rather than in long rows. The benefits are that I only need to enrich the beds so reduces overall digging and amount of manure needed, the wooden borders (mainly made of old pallets cobbled together) are a bit of a physical barrier to the weeds and I only have to weed the beds themselves - the rest is just strimmed down. The beds are nothing special - as I said they are really just bits of wood outlining an area. It also makes crop rotation easier. By no means a model allotment ( :-[) but ..........

mark_h · « **Reply #12 on:** June 14, 2005, 21:53:56 »

My 2 pennys worth- how about encorperating grass clippings and shredded newspaper into the soil? Both a easy and cheap to get hold of. If the soil is knackered then everything helps!

Mark

Merry Tiller · « **Reply #13 on:** June 14, 2005, 22:36:02 »

Grass clippings & shredded paper would do you far more good if you composted them first

beejay · « **Reply #14 on:** June 15, 2005, 10:56:22 »

No dont give up. We see so many people on our allotment site who come try to do it all & then leave within the year because they find it too hard. With your view of Canterbury Cathedral I should treat it as some sort of physical therapy so any crops are a bonus. What about planting more fruit bushes so a little more of the plot has permanent planting which, touch wood, seems less prone to the ups & downs of other crops. It is hard work but on balance worth it!

clairenpaul · « **Reply #15 on:** June 15, 2005, 11:40:24 »

Our thoughts exactly - its our first year and although the soil is ok we've had different problems - work, bad back, problems with kids ... the usual stuff, Oh and of course the weather :(. We're treating the lottie as a place to relax and potter about, we're trying to get on top of the perennial weeds and improve the soil ready for next year. We're still growing loads of stuff, (thats using the term 'growing' very loosely as nothing really seems to be growing very quickly at all !!)but we're treating this year as a bit of an experiment.

I do agree with Jill tho - some days we think the same but the pleasure of getting outdoors and away from it all keeps us going. One day we'll actually eat something we've grown :)

westsussexlottie · « **Reply #16 on:** June 15, 2005, 11:45:23 »

Make some good layered compost now ready for next year - layers of shredded paper, grass clippings, fresh manure, weeds, hair from the barber, anything compostable.
Then leave it - next year you'll have some great compost to use to help your poor soil.

Meg · « **Reply #17 on:** June 15, 2005, 11:53:07 »

Sow some beetroot something that is easy to grow so that you have something. My sweet peas that I am trying to do for my mom are despairing me too. Two packets of seeds that came to nothing and I have bought two lots of plants off the market, they just don't like me this year at all. ;D

redimp · « **Reply #18 on:** June 16, 2005, 22:57:51 »

I have to echo clairenpaul completely. I am a first yearer. I have time consuming job which gives me a few more weeks off than most but has akward things falling at awkward times of the year - whose stupid idea was it to do all testing in early summer anyway? I have a got a plot that consists of potatoes (maincrop I am assured will get blight wither and die) and tomatoes (also will get blight am told) onions, cabbages (aphids) and some very slack beans, curcubits and squashes - and loads of bloody couch grass, dock, thistles, ground elder and bindweed. I have completely given up on the idea of clearing it and am now slowly buying weed fabric - but the one thing I absolutley refuse to do is give up. I have wwanted to do this for years and the one thing I do not do (sometimes) is get stressed about it. It is my natural space and the mind therapy it gives me is worth the rent and water charges all on its own.

PS - I can see Lincoln Cathedral and the prison from mine.

Jill · « **Reply #19 on:** June 17, 2005, 00:25:43 »

You lot are fab. Now I really want to go on. Having left it fallow for six months we've got a weed ridden plot to tame again now, and to cap it all we've just received a letter from the council threatening eviction. I've already spoke to the manager and he said he understood the problems and we'd done enough to keep it as far as he's concerned but he has no say with the council. ??? Unfortunately the latest break-in on the site which led to the removal of the administration shed's roof and the theft of the site mower, along with loss of tools by quite a number of plot holders, started with them slashing their way through the hawthorn hedge right next to our plot. So what with council and police visits our site has been spotted and assumed to be neglected. Not sure what they'll make of green manure (assuming the council jobsworths see the light). Haven't seen it on any other plots. :)

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Author Topic: Whether to throw in the towel... (Read 3106 times)