Topic: great weekend at the lottie!

[clare]

Just had a fab weekend at the lottie and am still floating on a cloud of happiness!! ;D

On Saturday we put in rabbit proof fencing round the plot so the pesky bunnies won't be able to munch my veggies any more (fingers crossed).

It was so lovely and sunny on Sunday that I spent an hour digging some more of the plot and chatting with my lottie neighbour.. then went home to read some of my gardening books and old copies of Kitchen Garden magazine.

so I'm now getting excited about planting my veggies and am going to the shops at lunch time to buy lots of seeds!    :)

Allotments really are good for your health!  

[Fingle....]

They do seem to have a positive effect...I crave going down and playing in the mud at th moment....the thought of it being all lovely in the summer is almost too good to be true !"!

[legless]

me too! i'm sat here thinking to myself 'well, its only sleet, i could still do some stuff'  ;D

[aquilegia]

I can't wait to get out digging, but the (clay) soil is far too wet and heavy at the mo for me to dig alone, and I won't be able to tempt strong hubby out to help* until it warms up a little.

* - 'helping me dig' means we start together. But then I soon get tired and start pottering about doing other things. He is a lot bigger and stronger than I am, so it only seems fair!

[clare]

very true Aquilegia.... you don't want to do too much!  and as hubby has bigger muscles then he can probably dig for longer  ;)

I can't wait for spring to arrive!!  just got back from the shops with loads of veggie seeds and some fruit bushes.... I would have bought more but I couldn't carry anything else!!  ;D

[Fingle....]

Our soil is soggy clay at the moment .. im gonna end up like Conan !!

[Tenuse]

I'm absolutely frantic to get digging as my fruit is arriving this week!

But the soil is soggy and heavy and squelchy and I  know I will damage it if I dig it.  :(

I keep going up and looking hopefully at it with a fork but then putting the fork away again.

Oh well took out my frustrations by destroying our "shed" hehehehe!

Ten x

[Fingle....]

why does digging when wet damage it ????

[Derekthefox]

I have always believed that it is not the digging that does the damage, but the standing on the wet soil. The result is that the soil becomes heavily compacted, almost slurry like, and the absence of air makes it sour. i would appreciate one of our more learned members giving their opinion.

[Tenuse]

Yes sorry it is the compaction that affects the soil structure, not the fact that it is wet. Clay particles stick together really well and compaction squeezes out the air that roots need.

Also it will then dry rock hard and be impossible to dig!

Plus, I don't much fancy hand-furlking out bits of bindweed and horsetail roots when it is like a little pond.

Ten x

[aquilegia]

Bob Flowerdew told me (well, you know, I read it in a magazine) that you should only dig your veg plot once every eight years. Digging does damage the soil structure - it destroys worm tunnels and stops the airation. Also creates clods and brings up weed seeds. I'm sure there was more, but I forgot! Obviously you have to dig it over once when you start, but after that, he says to leave it.

[Tenuse]

Which, once dug, is what I fully intend to be - a NO DIGGER!

Ten x

[aquilegia]

Me too Ten - I keep reading about all these methods of gardening that I really like - no dig, natural (ie - not being too tidy), aka lazy gardener!

[Ragged Robin]

...... am begining to think I'm a very odd gardener; I love digging, and pulling out bind weed roots, brambles too; clearance is another of my favorite jobs; and I find weeding utterly compulsive and therapuetic(have even been known to weed as I look round other peeps gardens.
Happy to come and help within reasonable distances (only joking?).

[aquilegia]

RR - you're not weird. I love digging too - when I want to dig. But I don't want to be doing it all the time - not good for my old knees and back (I'm sure I inherited both from an old relative - they are much older than the rest of me!)

And i love pulling weeds - definitely very therapeutic!

[Garden Manager]

RR - you're not weird. I love digging too - when I want to dig. But I don't want to be doing it all the time - not good for my old knees and back (I'm sure I inherited both from an old relative - they are much older than the rest of me!)

And i love pulling weeds - definitely very therapeutic!

You are not alone either of you. I love it too. Great way to burn a few calories and get fit i think.

There is a problem with no dig as i see it. On heavy soils, there will be a certain amount of natural settling and compaction, over the years. Ok for a few years not to dig, to preserve the structure but there will be a point of diminishing returns at some stage, where structure will be lost and not enough air and water will be able to penetrate the soil to encourage good root growth.

In my veg patch i am (yes yes hypocrite) minimal dig due to raised bed culture. However whilst i did double dig when i built the beds, the effect of time and constantly digging to the same depth, will have negated the benefits of doing this. Basicaly a pan has formed and it is time to deep dig again, and sort the soil out  for a few more years.

By the way, aquilegia, you are not alone with the back and knees. I feel sometimes parts of my body are older than the rest of me, too.

[Tenuse]

I quite enjoy the digging thing, but I don't think I ever want to spend QUITE as much time digging as I will this year, ever again.

When would I find time to grow vegetables if I had to dig it all every year????

Ten x