Just been offered a strip of land

[Fraxinus]

... for a small garden/allotment, it is free to use and is approx 3 to 3.5 metres wide by 22 metres long so we really want to try and make the most of it.

This time of year planting options seem limited so we are thinking make the best of it this year and try to get it really going next year.

So any advice for the short season ahead or for early next year?

Ta for any info in advance.

Rob.

 

[uncleboob]

Plenty of time for growing quick cropping salads. If it were me I'd spend this time getting beds ready and thinking about where I might like fruit trees/ bushes. Also good to start by getting your Eco- system sorted, why not take this time to put in habitat piles or a little pond for wildlife?


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[Robson Valley]

Go through your favorite recipes and then some. List all the fresh herbs that you could make use of, fresh or dried.
What are your favorite fruits and root crops? Other veg like peas & beans?
Do you own a freezer? I'm down to my last kg of 2014 carrots.

 

[British Red]

Plenty of things can still be planted. I plant all my years garlic in October. Time now to plant brassicas ( brocolli, cabbage, sprouts,). Bare root fruit trees can be planted in November. Loads of time left for lettuce and raddish.

 

[Quixoticgeek]

For planting in the winter rather than now, but have a look at espalier fruit trees, it's a really efficient way or producing fruit in a small space. Plant along the northern side of the plot (so they are south facing), and they won't shade anything, they take practically no space that way.

J

 

[Fraxinus]

I will post pics later as I am just off to make a start on it but good info so far, defo gonna put some brassicas in along with some carrots and Swede plus some beetroot that I have been growing from seed.
It will make sense when you see my pics. I think.

Rob.

 

[xylaria]

I put the seeds in yesterday for broccoli swede and polish turnip. I am putting more lettice seed down today. Aslo the time is right for improving tue soil but adding muches and manure for next year. I am experimenting by putting potatoes in this week, there is no sign of blight but I might put a cloch over them.

 

[Fraxinus]

Since we moved here in April we have transformed the flower beds that are around three sides of the cottage, I don't have pics from before but it was a proper mess (I even managed to break a tine of the fork I inherited from my Grandad digging out one of the tree roots) but I have taken some today so you can get an idea.

This is part of the herb garden, but the Golden Beetroots are stifling the herbs a bit so we are removing the larger ones later today, leaves to go in salad tonight with the BBQ ribs and the beets with tomorrow's roast chicken. In this pic there are two types of mint, two types of Oregano, a lavender and several flowering plants you can't eat put in by Suzy to spite me. Oh! and the old rose bush I cut right back to a stump which is producing some lovely flowers now.

Further along we have the old heather we are trying to keep then some fennel and parsley and yet more of Suzy's flowers and more of our beets.

Rounding the corner we have another straggly heather some basil in the round pot more parsley, then sage and an aubergine plant more beets and those pesky flowers and a magnolia tree.

Here we have a whole glut of beets a Bay Tree and some lettuces in the plant troughs on top of the french drain. So we have been busy.

The new bit of ground is this...

The fence runs north to south, north being the telephone pole end, with a large spoil heap of earth in the middle from when they dug out our parking area and french drain.
The land has been unused for 7 years but someone attempted to clear it to fix the end fence back in spring. It is riddled with bind weed, nettles and bramble.

I made some inroads today, just over 9 sq. mtrs dug, some of the spoil heap spread over it to depth of good soil and a lot of bramble cut back to the other side of the left hand fence and some overhanging branches cut back.

Back aching work, due to the amount of roots to be cleared from every fork full but it is a start.
Ta for looking in,

Rob.

 

[cranmere]

That's a useful little strip of land. I would resort to a systemic weedkiller to clear the worst of those bindweed plants and dig out as much of the roots as you can. It's a devil to get rid of otherwise but once you've knocked it back hard once you can keep it under control.

There are lots of things you can plant now. I always put in carrots - get a first early variety because they mature quickly, and also try one of the standard late croppers because if we get a decent autumn you'll get a good crop from those that can stay in the ground and be dug as you want them. Spinach does well planted late because it's much less likely to bolt. Many of the oriental leaf vegetables are better planted late too. Then there are various salad vegetables that grow quickly. It might also be worth taking a trip to the garden centre and see if they still have any plants of things like kale.

 

[wolfsam]

What's the soil like? It looks pretty beat. Have you got access to any horse manure or large amount of compost?
Our clayish soils need a heck of a lot of conditioning. 20 years later and still a nightmare to work.

 

[British Red]

You absolutely must eliminate that bindweed before trying to grow anything there. Indeed (sorry) digging it before weed killer was a really bad idea as each bit of root left becomes a new plant. You need a glyphosate based killer on the rest before digging.

 

[Quixoticgeek]

Just to second the weedkiller on the bind weed. Devils own plant that.

J

 

[xylaria]

Lasagne gardening where wet cardboard with various mulchs controls weeds well. And can less work than other methods.

 

[Laurentius]

You absolutely must eliminate that bindweed before trying to grow anything there. Indeed (sorry) digging it before weed killer was a really bad idea as each bit of root left becomes a new plant. You need a glyphosate based killer on the rest before digging.

I have persistant bindweed and much else but I absolutely refuse to use any form of weedkiller, I do not want it ending up inside of me.

 

[British Red]

There are other ways to eliminate it with time. A smothering cover of cardboard or hessian backed carpet for 12 months or more. I'm not big on chemical either, but bindweed is a nightmare.

 

[Fraxinus]

So if I treat each new growth of bindweed, 'cos I'm sure I would not have gotten every bit of root out that should kill it off over time and I will treat any bindweed that stays green along the fence over this week to see that off too.
Thanks for the heads up on that stuff, I had no idea it was that big of a problem.
We got some seeds yesterday and I think I'll sow them in pots first then transplant out to the patch to give me some time to deal with the weeds and perhaps get some more dug over.
I put two types of squash seeds in a propagator yesterday morning, they wanted four quid for a few butternut seeds but we have one to use today so will give those seeds a try, I am guessing they will need to be dried out first though.

Thinking on what was said earlier, by Robson V, we already have most of the herbs we use planted around the cottage and the golden beetroot was chosen because we love them but they are so expensive from the artisan grocers we usually have to buy them from they are viewed as a treat. The leaves added another dimension to the salad last night btw, so an added bonus to own grown.

Thanks for checking in and have a great day.

Rob.

 

[uncleboob]

There are other ways to eliminate it with time. A smothering cover of cardboard or hessian backed carpet for 12 months or more. I'm not big on chemical either, but bindweed is a nightmare.

It's a tricky one but there's lots of info to suggest that glyphosate is a carcinogen...quite a lot of long term studies revealing all sort of nasty consequences, WHO recently put it on its list of hazardous chemicals, sadly the UK hasn't followed the French example and banned it. I'm with you on mulching, I'm blighted with the dreaded horsetail,blummin stuff is everywhere do have resorted to raised bed and frequent DEEP mulching!


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[badoosh]

Bindweed horrible stuff,killed all my privet hedge in my garden.
Got it under control by pulling it up every time it starts to shoot.
Ive been in my house 25 yes and watched it slowly kill off all the privet hedge 3 gardens down on either side.
Couple of fruit trees for me and long term a sweet chestnut tree, just love them.
Can't go wrong with a bit of wild garlic

 

[xylaria]

There are other ways to eliminate it with time. A smothering cover of cardboard or hessian backed carpet for 12 months or more. I'm not big on chemical either, but bindweed is a nightmare.

I have done two methods that supposed to get rid of weeds as I got garden that hadn't been touched in a decade. I didnt use cardboard I used wet newspaper (used ferret bedding) in a thick layer. It was much more effective than double digging for weed control. I have bindweed, nettles, bramble and dock in areas I did. The dock was delt with by both, dandilion and nettle carried on like I hadnt done anything in double dig and reduced to some patches in the mulched beds. The bindweed is easier to see in thw double bed but there is much less in mulched bed. Slugs are worse in the mulched bed. I will use some chemicals, but not glyphosate, slug pellets are ok. I still have plenty of slow worms

 

[Stevie777]

Ever thought of a Vertical Garden AKA Wall Farm. Google image ( Vertical Garden Using Guttering ) and you'll get the picture, Here.. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=V...Cw#imgrc=_&usg=__C01y1LBADEumAzt_5OLj5ZCDoFk=
...Great way to get the most out of a small bit of land and a plus for keeping the slugs and snails at bay.