Has anybody used lazy beds before. We are thinking of using them next year for potatoes in our new allotment that has not been used for a few years. I would be interested if you have used them and if it was successful
sorry never used one dont know wat one is lol u can tell me lol
Quote from: deboydoyd on December 05, 2005, 18:09:53
Has anybody used lazy beds before. We are thinking of using them next year for potatoes in our new allotment that has not been used for a few years. I would be interested if you have used them and if it was successful
Wardy is the person to talk to, she uses this system with some good results.
Jerry
Apparently you take a 6 foot strip of uncultivated land, put a 2 foot strip of compost down the middle, put the spuds on top, then slice sections of the outside strips and tip them over on the top of the spuds so the uncultivated stuff is on top of them and soil is exposed. What a terrible description.
The spuds grow and apparently the roots break everything up, and you get a crop as well. When the potatoes are harvested it breaks it up more, and hey presto cultivated land.
Sounds good. Does it work?
Found some info through 'google' but wanted some opinions too.
I'm all for doing it the lazy way Deboydoyd but I have a feeling my couch grass would think I'd gone soft and was supplying it with lots of lovely compost ;D Or am I reading it all wrong?
someone on here, and i cant think who has a website and they have a thing about lazy beds.
http://www.keirg.freeserve.co.uk/diary/default.html
That'll be the rarely sighted Gavin.
ahhh, thats the one!! thanks RC.
Noticed you over on the Beeb the other day!
Yeah - it was a bit quiet on here ;D
dsfdgsfdg
that wasn't what I posted!
I put in three paras about being Ok with giving it a try, but still being doubtful about laughing bindweed and marestail, my little friends..
and the gremlins post gobbledegook.
I think you have spotted a flaw in the method, ellkebe ...
Derekthefox :D
I'm going to try lazybeds on my new allotment. I'm going to try potatoes and squash (packet of mixed seeds from Seeds of Italy /should be fun!)
I've got couch grass too, but thought I'd cover the lazybeds with weed suppressant fabric. Next year I'll re-use the fabric for the paths and cover it with bark.
Thanks Adam04 for the link, really precise instructions, I've printed it off and will give it a try.
Good website to read too.
I tried lazy beds on my plot when I first took it on after reading an article in Kitchen garden magazine but I found that couch grass will grow straight through potatoes. I didnt realise what a pest that weed would be. I might have done better if I had used card or thickly laid newspaper over the top. You live and learn but my advice would be lazy beds and couch grass for a potato crop are not a good combination. Sorry
I think I have to agree with loopylizzie ... raised beds yes, because the soil can be riddled and cleaned, but the premise of a lazy bed is essentially just that, all the effort of preparing beds is minimised. Couch pays no attention to this of course, it will just keep on growing, and takes an enormous amount of dissuading from flexing its muscles ... ;D Fortunately, if lazy beds are the only option, then you may still some sort of crop, and the couch can be removed later ...
Derekthefox :D
Had a 3 hour tussle with the evil couch this morning. Show no mercy. Kill it on sight. If you give it an inch it will destroy you and your will to garden.
I don't know how many times I have to say this! All of you digging for victory out there are bringing your couch problems on yourselves. there must be only me on A4a that has no probs with couch and there's only me not digging. Deduce from that what you will. But you'll all keep on digging. Lemmings ;D
I can just visualise your smug grin Wardy !!!
Derekthefox :D
Have I opened a can of worms ? Pardon the pun. My plot is solid couch grass, so am unsure what to do. perhaps i could conduct an experiment, one bed dug, one not.
I no longer have significant problems with couch after digging it out, but with hindsight I think Hercules probably had the easier job.
Quote from: deboydoyd on December 12, 2005, 18:40:05
Have I opened a can of worms ? Pardon the pun. My plot is solid couch grass, so am unsure what to do. perhaps i could conduct an experiment, one bed dug, one not.
I wouldn't use this method if you have couch, my opinion is that the only way to deal with this evil is to dig it out. I use a fork rather than a spade, as it doesn't cut the rhizomes and they are far easier to pull out when they are a foot long.
It is very slow work, but I figure it is best to get right on top of it from the start. I have stripped my whole plot bare so that there are no grass paths from which it can respread.