One of the bigger tasks I set for myself this growing season was to establish the Top Garden area properly. I knew it was going to take a lot of work because it was covered in scrub and other garden rubbish and that's just what was above the ground. Then came the really important part of establishing any new garden and that is: getting the soil right!
The top layer of soil was kind of loamy which is OK but not far below that was some serious clay and a few stubborn tree roots. I wanted to make sure my new gardens had a reasonable depth of soil as I intended to grow potatoes to begin with.
What it needed was organic matter so I got a mixed load of mushroom compost and organic compost. Having gotten rid of as much of the clay as possible I then mixed the remaining top soil with the compost. I made sure the garden would drain properly by sloping the solid clay underneath.
It was quite a workout which I had to do over a period of a couple of weeks just whenever I had the time. My aim was to have it ready for planting potatoes on Labour weekend (25 October) which I managed to accomplish.
You've done a good job of what looks like a lot of hard work. It sure is worth it i the long run though when you start harvesting the crops. I got my 1st batch of peas & broccolini on the weekend.
ReplyDeleteI think I've got Broccolini in my garden too. I bought a punnet of them thinking it was broccoli but the flowers on them seem to be long and leggy and not so big. Do you leave the whole plant in the ground after the main harvest to encourage side-shoots?
ReplyDeleteThat's alot of hard work. I agree with Tony. It will be worth it in the long run I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteI must a glutton for punishment when it comes to big jobs in the garden. One day I'll be too old for all this hard work.
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