Greetings - I have a patch of land that has been just lawned for
several years, and I'm planning on turning some of it into a vegt
patch. Never grown veg before.

The land is virtually south facing and a very slight slope southward.
Plenty of sun all day long.

I'm picturing the patch will be 5 metres long North-South and about 5.5
metres wide.

Having read about crop rotation, I'm wondering about having 3 strips
about 1.5 metres wide, with paths in between. Then I could roate each
strip as a whole.

Or I could do 4 strips, 1 metre wide, again with paths in between.

I was wondering if anyone has any comment on practical issues about
having strips like that, and/or whether there would be any issues based
on experience about the width of the strips.

Many thanks



--

"John Price" wrote in message
o.uk...
Greetings - I have a patch of land that has been just lawned for
several years, and I'm planning on turning some of it into a vegt
patch. Never grown veg before.

snippy

In my opinion, 1.5 Mt is too wide. You need to be able to reach the whole
bed without treading on the soil. I work on 42in.
Pete C

On Mar 24, 9:49*am, "John Price" wrote:
Greetings - I have a patch of land that has been just lawned for
several years, and I'm planning on turning some of it into a vegt
patch. Never grown veg before.

The land is virtually south facing and a very slight slope southward.
Plenty of sun all day long.

I'm picturing the patch will be 5 metres long North-South and about 5.5
metres wide.

Having read about crop rotation, I'm wondering about having 3 strips
about 1.5 metres wide, with paths in between. Then I could roate each
strip as a whole.

Or I could do 4 strips, 1 metre wide, again with paths in between.

I was wondering if anyone has any comment on practical issues about
having strips like that, and/or whether there would be any issues based
on experience about the width of the strips.

Many thanks

--

I take it you are going to keep the paths as grass, if so how wil you
cut them?
How wide is your mower? This could decide on the path width.
Are you going to have a path around the outside?
If not then the 2 outside beds should be narrower if you don't want to
walk on them.
I am asuming you are ghoing to have the beds run the lenght.
Why not put 1 bed accross the garden instead this year, as a trial,
then if it goes OK next year you can add a second, then in year 3 the
third bed this way you will be setting up your rotation, and if you
find after year 1 you don't like the idea you havn't lost to much of
your lawn.
David at the sun drenched end of Swansea Bay.

On 24/03/2012 11:00, Dave Hill wrote:
On Mar 24, 9:49 am, "John wrote:
Greetings - I have a patch of land that has been just lawned for
several years, and I'm planning on turning some of it into a vegt
patch. Never grown veg before.

The land is virtually south facing and a very slight slope southward.
Plenty of sun all day long.

I'm picturing the patch will be 5 metres long North-South and about 5.5
metres wide.

Having read about crop rotation, I'm wondering about having 3 strips
about 1.5 metres wide, with paths in between. Then I could roate each
strip as a whole.

Or I could do 4 strips, 1 metre wide, again with paths in between.

I was wondering if anyone has any comment on practical issues about
having strips like that, and/or whether there would be any issues based
on experience about the width of the strips.

Many thanks

--

I take it you are going to keep the paths as grass, if so how wil you
cut them?
How wide is your mower? This could decide on the path width.
Are you going to have a path around the outside?
If not then the 2 outside beds should be narrower if you don't want to
walk on them.
I am asuming you are ghoing to have the beds run the lenght.
Why not put 1 bed accross the garden instead this year, as a trial,
then if it goes OK next year you can add a second, then in year 3 the
third bed this way you will be setting up your rotation, and if you
find after year 1 you don't like the idea you havn't lost to much of
your lawn.
David at the sun drenched end of Swansea Bay.
Well David, you have upset the weather gods now, expect a deluge for you
any time, while most of us remain droughted!

--
Residing on low ground in North Staffordshire

Pete C wrote:


"John Price" wrote in message
o.uk...
Greetings - I have a patch of land that has been just lawned for
several years, and I'm planning on turning some of it into a vegt
patch. Never grown veg before.

snippy

In my opinion, 1.5 Mt is too wide. You need to be able to reach the
whole bed without treading on the soil. I work on 42in. Pete C

Thanks - that's just the sort of hands on comment that I was looking
for. 1 metre it will be then

--

Dave Hill wrote:

On Mar 24, 9:49*am, "John Price" wrote:
Greetings - I have a patch of land that has been just lawned for
several years, and I'm planning on turning some of it into a vegt
patch. Never grown veg before.


I take it you are going to keep the paths as grass, if so how wil you
cut them?
How wide is your mower? This could decide on the path width.
Are you going to have a path around the outside?
If not then the 2 outside beds should be narrower if you don't want to
walk on them.
I am asuming you are ghoing to have the beds run the lenght.
Why not put 1 bed accross the garden instead this year, as a trial,
then if it goes OK next year you can add a second, then in year 3 the
third bed this way you will be setting up your rotation, and if you
find after year 1 you don't like the idea you havn't lost to much of
your lawn.
David at the sun drenched end of Swansea Bay.

Thanks for this - yes will leave the paths as grass at first - you
prompted me to go measure the lawnmower - it has a 60cm wheel base at
the rear end, so that's what I'll make the paths.

Yes the strips will run North-South - I saw that recommended elsewhere.

Losing lawn space doesn't matter too much - this is an extra plot,
behind my main rear garden. Used to be a wonderful, secluded play area
when the kids lived here (on the sunny side of Birmingham!!!) but now
they have all left the nest, the land is really hardly used - except I
have a few fruit trees, much to the delight of the squirrels and birds!

I've had a look at the soil beneath the lawn - pH is 7 and it seems to
be a nice, dark, crumbly structure, not compacted at all.

I've been reading about double-digging as a first step to preparing the
ground, but not sure if that is something that should always be done
regardless, or whether it depends on some aspect of how the soil is.
Any thoughts?

JIP

--

On Mar 24, 9:49*am, "John Price" wrote:
Greetings - I have a patch of land that has been just lawned for
several years, and I'm planning on turning some of it into a vegt
patch. Never grown veg before.

The land is virtually south facing and a very slight slope southward.
Plenty of sun all day long.

I'm picturing the patch will be 5 metres long North-South and about 5.5
metres wide.

Having read about crop rotation, I'm wondering about having 3 strips
about 1.5 metres wide, with paths in between. Then I could roate each
strip as a whole.

Or I could do 4 strips, 1 metre wide, again with paths in between.

I was wondering if anyone has any comment on practical issues about
having strips like that, and/or whether there would be any issues based
on experience about the width of the strips.

Many thanks

--


You should have started last Autumn. The ground will likely have
wireworm (common in grassland) and need lime.
But you won't know anything until is has been dug over and de-weeded.

On Mar 24, 6:37*pm, harry wrote:
On Mar 24, 9:49*am, "John Price" wrote:





Greetings - I have a patch of land that has been just lawned for
several years, and I'm planning on turning some of it into a vegt
patch. Never grown veg before.

The land is virtually south facing and a very slight slope southward.
Plenty of sun all day long.

I'm picturing the patch will be 5 metres long North-South and about 5.5
metres wide.

Having read about crop rotation, I'm wondering about having 3 strips
about 1.5 metres wide, with paths in between. Then I could roate each
strip as a whole.

Or I could do 4 strips, 1 metre wide, again with paths in between.

I was wondering if anyone has any comment on practical issues about
having strips like that, and/or whether there would be any issues based
on experience about the width of the strips.

Many thanks

--

You should have started last Autumn. *The ground will likely have
wireworm (common in grassland) and need lime.
But you won't know anything until is has been dug over and de-weeded.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

If you are going to double dig then take the turf off and dig it into
the lower level.
You might well have wire worm and leather jackets, they are both
common pests of established grassland.
I'd still go for one bed for this season and then you have time to
prepare the other bedsready for next year,
David at the sun drenched end of Swansea Bay.

If you are going to double dig then take the turf off and dig it into
the lower level.

Sounds sensible. Wioll do.

You might well have wire worm and leather jackets, they are both
common pests of established grassland.

just looked them up on the net - never seen such creatures, but then I
wasn't looking.

I'd still go for one bed for this season and then you have time to
prepare the other bedsready for next year,

I Hear you - think I'll compromise and do two beds.


David at the sun drenched end of Swansea Bay.

"John Price" wrote ...

Greetings - I have a patch of land that has been just lawned for
several years, and I'm planning on turning some of it into a vegt
patch. Never grown veg before.

The land is virtually south facing and a very slight slope southward.
Plenty of sun all day long.

I'm picturing the patch will be 5 metres long North-South and about 5.5
metres wide.

Having read about crop rotation, I'm wondering about having 3 strips
about 1.5 metres wide, with paths in between. Then I could roate each
strip as a whole.

Or I could do 4 strips, 1 metre wide, again with paths in between.

I was wondering if anyone has any comment on practical issues about
having strips like that, and/or whether there would be any issues based
on experience about the width of the strips.


You have a small plot and you want to waste half of it on paths? Paths that
have to be maintained too. That is absurd. Cultivate the whole plot and use
4 posts at halfway along each side to split it up into four squares by eye,
you then have your 4 year rotation and no soil or time wasting paths.
If you soil is sticky you may wish to get some boards to work off so as not
to compact the soil.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

I was wondering if anyone has any comment on practical issues about
having strips like that, and/or whether there would be any issues
based on experience about the width of the strips.


You have a small plot and you want to waste half of it on paths?
Paths that have to be maintained too. That is absurd. Cultivate the
whole plot and use 4 posts at halfway along each side to split it up
into four squares by eye, you then have your 4 year rotation and no
soil or time wasting paths. If you soil is sticky you may wish to
get some boards to work off so as not to compact the soil.

Well "small" is all relative I suppose. I'm talking at present of
building up to utilising about 25sq metres, including the
aforementioned pathways - but I could create a plot 3-4 times that size
if I wanted to.

Anyway I have seen your suggestion during my research of one square
patch with no paths, as well as the suggestion of having paths between
strips. Which is part of why I posted here to pick up thoughts based on
actual experience. The key issue seems to be the one about walking on
the soil being cultivated - I note your suggestion of perhaps using
boards, presumably to spread the weight - but I can see me falling
off!!!

Thanks for the input - but I think in this first year I'll stay with
leaving the paths in place - can always expand the way you suggest if I
decide to expand later on.

JIP

"Dave Hill" wrote in message
...
On Mar 24, 9:49 am, "John Price" wrote:
Greetings - I have a patch of land that has been just lawned for
several years, and I'm planning on turning some of it into a vegt
patch. Never grown veg before.

The land is virtually south facing and a very slight slope southward.
Plenty of sun all day long.

I'm picturing the patch will be 5 metres long North-South and about 5.5
metres wide.

Having read about crop rotation, I'm wondering about having 3 strips
about 1.5 metres wide, with paths in between. Then I could roate each
strip as a whole.

Or I could do 4 strips, 1 metre wide, again with paths in between.

I was wondering if anyone has any comment on practical issues about
having strips like that, and/or whether there would be any issues based
on experience about the width of the strips.

Many thanks

--

I take it you are going to keep the paths as grass, if so how wil you
cut them?
How wide is your mower? This could decide on the path width.
Are you going to have a path around the outside?
If not then the 2 outside beds should be narrower if you don't want to
walk on them.
I am asuming you are ghoing to have the beds run the lenght.
Why not put 1 bed accross the garden instead this year, as a trial,
then if it goes OK next year you can add a second, then in year 3 the
third bed this way you will be setting up your rotation, and if you
find after year 1 you don't like the idea you havn't lost to much of
your lawn.
David at the sun drenched end of Swansea Bay.

I'm finding it too warm already :-)

Bill

"John Price" wrote


I was wondering if anyone has any comment on practical issues about
having strips like that, and/or whether there would be any issues
based on experience about the width of the strips.


You have a small plot and you want to waste half of it on paths?
Paths that have to be maintained too. That is absurd. Cultivate the
whole plot and use 4 posts at halfway along each side to split it up
into four squares by eye, you then have your 4 year rotation and no
soil or time wasting paths. If you soil is sticky you may wish to
get some boards to work off so as not to compact the soil.

Well "small" is all relative I suppose. I'm talking at present of
building up to utilising about 25sq metres, including the
aforementioned pathways - but I could create a plot 3-4 times that size
if I wanted to.

Anyway I have seen your suggestion during my research of one square
patch with no paths, as well as the suggestion of having paths between
strips. Which is part of why I posted here to pick up thoughts based on
actual experience. The key issue seems to be the one about walking on
the soil being cultivated - I note your suggestion of perhaps using
boards, presumably to spread the weight - but I can see me falling
off!!!

Thanks for the input - but I think in this first year I'll stay with
leaving the paths in place - can always expand the way you suggest if I
decide to expand later on.


The concern some show about walking on and compacting the soil is grossly
over-played IME especially if you have got plenty of organic matter worked
in.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK