newbie with questions

[demelzah]

talking of paths would shed felt be any good as i happen to come across a roll of it today

[demelzah]

[daveyboi]

yes definitely bit at a time. That's the advice everyone gives new gardeners isn't it!

Mind you there's a woman on our site spent the entire last growing season clearing, building raised beds, building compost bins... didn't grow one bean. Normally I'd say that is a sure sign they'll get fed up and leave, but this year she's still here and ready to plant. So some people really do like to have it all pristine before they grow.

But they are wrong  ;D

I found that as my little plot was well overgrown the first year was a nightmare so the second year I just grew weeds ... i.e. left the ground without crops and dug the weeds up before they went to seed. After that I have very few problems with weeds. So not such a bad idea to my mind what that lady did..

[pigeonseed]

You're doing very well, Demelzah.

I agree with you about potatoes jimtheworzel - I tried them in undug as well as dug soil - making a slit in the soil with a spade and popping them in, but they were more productive where the earth had been loosened. And much easier to dig up!! Sadly mine made no effort to break up my soil, the selfish blighters.

But digging postponed till late summer (or wheneveryou're harvesting your potatoes) is a blessing, when you get an allotment in spring, and can't clear beds fast enough.

[chriscross1966]

talking of paths would shed felt be any good as i happen to come across a roll of it today

I think it would be dreadful personally.... kind of liek a thick layer of creosote... might be fine for you, but what happens to the next perosn that comes along and wants to lay it out differently.... TBH anything other than slabs is making it hard for the folks who come after you...... one of the plots on the site I'm on has put all their paths in with crushed stone....looks great now but means that changing the layout in the future will be almost impossible.....


Freecycle for slabs, you don't need millions... a row of 2 foots running from the entrance to the back of the plot, 12-18" to act as bed seperators ..... you have to be quick though, slabs go quickly on freecycle.... you might try ebay but the quantities tend to be more than you need.... useful if cheap and local though....

c