As you know, if you have been reading this blog, my garden is 'a little' overgrown to say the least. What's more, it isn't going to get any better if I don't work hard at it. So in recent days, I have set about finding the best methods of clearing a veg-plot-to-be. It is surprising just how little information there is out there about how to do that! Looking for books on the subject yielded titles about how to make a beautiful garden out of a not so beautiful garden, but nothing at all about how to turn a neglected and derelict plot of land into a productive vegetable garden. Internet searches only revealed gardens that had some special aspect to them, such as the Abbey Gardens near the DLR in London, but not HOW they did it, just what they had to do to get permission to do it!
What I did find however was that Autumn is the best time to start (and finish) clearing the weeds, hence the title of this post. It isnt usual that we consider Autumn the season of new beginnings, but when it comes to the garden (and schools) it really is the start of the year.
There are three basic methods:
1. Douse the lot with weed killer - this is a nonstarter for me, because I want to grow my veggies as chemical free as possible. Having neglected the garden for years, I know for sure that there are no chemicals on the land, so it would not be the best start to reverse that and pour noxious chemicals all over it right at the beginning, not to mention the potential damage to the environment.
2. Cover with a weed suppressant, like thick dark polythene, old carpet, or cardboard and leave for a year. That would mean not growing anything till 2013, which in turn means no veggies next year.
3. A combination of weed suppressant and hard work. Now much as I tend to shy away from hard work, it looks like this is going to be the method to use.
I have already dug over some of the plot earlier in the summer and to my surprise the weeds haven't returned as much as I expected they would, which I suppose means I did a pretty thorough job of getting them and, more importantly, their roots out the first time round. The parts where I just cut back the weeds though will need cutting back again.
So the plan is looking like this:
1. Cut down the existing weeds as near to ground level as possible (again - already done this twice this year!).
2. Cover those parts that cannot be dug immediately.
3. Make the frames for the first deep bed (I have some long planks of wood that I intend to re-use for this purpose. The only thing I have had to buy is some wood for the stakes to support the frame.)
4. Put the first frame in place, dig the soil within it, mix in some compost. Remove as much of the weed roots as possible as each spadeful is dug.
5. If not planting immediately, cover with a weed suppressing material - and I have just the thing - copious quantities of cardboard from when we had some wardrobes fitted earlier in the year! Must remember to weight them down, or they will be blowing all over the neighbours' gardens instead.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 for the other beds as they are needed or whenever the winter weather allows. Simples!
Benefits:
1. I will undoubtedly get fitter as I dig away, though the aches and pains at first probably wont feel like it! I am under no illusions about how hard it is going to be!
2. Some land will be ready for use immediately and the rest can be brought into cultivation bit by bit as needed.
3. The weeds in the undug areas will have trouble growing next Spring, so there should be fewer of them to bother with.
4. I can (eventually) eat the produce without worrying about the effect of any chemicals on either the environment or me!
Right, better get to it while the sun is shining!
