Hi. I'm a firm believer that with the right knowledge and tools you can grow food just about anywhere.... but the problem is I don't really have much experience!
My garden is filled with very heavy clay soil which I initially worked into to try and aerate and put some compost in. Having heard about some permaculture and the Fukuoka method of natural gardening I'm not sure this has been the best idea. I'm also thinking I should have just built some raised beds and not bothered with digging!
The veggies are struggling to get adequate nutrition now, and all of them should have matured in 6-10 weeks. It's now been 6-10 MONTHS, and they're still not mature! I've added some sheep pellets as fertilizer, I've tried (unsuccessfully) to use a pelletised pea straw mulch over the top, and I've bought an organic plant food to try and help them along.
I desperately need advice on how to improve this garden, preferrably permacultural ideas and solutions. It seems whenever I go to the garden store they give me very conventional advice and I'm just not that into it.
I've included some photos and will add some more of my feeble attempt to mulch the plot a bit later, when the weather improves.
Please help me!
Thanks so much for all your help! I can't believe how fast that was :D. When the weather calms down a bit I'll call up one of my friends and we'll do some building up of the garden. We have some old planks of wood in the cellar that we can use to build raised beds, hopefully.
Any ideas about square foot gardening? I'm tempted to try it but instead of wasting all that work I've done on the soil so far I could add to it? Thanks again! This site is great!
HI Michael, a raised garden would probably have been a good idea, look up lasagne garden , a friend of mine swears by this. basically as much organic matter and (river) sand you can add to the soil the better, gypsum is good to sprinkle around to break up clay soil. winter is a slow time in the garden so don't be discouraged! spring is here! AS romain and lucy said above , potatoes are a great crop to break in a new garden, you can just place them on the top and mulch with lots of straw on top.
Hi there,
I'm afraid I can't provide any help, just a bit of sympathy !
We are in exactly in the same situation, having moved in recently and trying hard to establish a garden on wet clod muddy soil. My broad beans are probably about 10 cm high after having been in there for months and months. Most of the rest is being eaten by slugs...
I have in fact given up for now and I won't plant anything else until the weather warms up a bit and plants are actually vigourous enough to survive the onslaught.
Potatoes are the only thing that seem to be doing well (above the surface anyway). If you haven't planted any you should try some, they are supposed to be good at breaking the soil too...
Replies
Any ideas about square foot gardening? I'm tempted to try it but instead of wasting all that work I've done on the soil so far I could add to it? Thanks again! This site is great!
I'm afraid I can't provide any help, just a bit of sympathy !
We are in exactly in the same situation, having moved in recently and trying hard to establish a garden on wet clod muddy soil. My broad beans are probably about 10 cm high after having been in there for months and months. Most of the rest is being eaten by slugs...
I have in fact given up for now and I won't plant anything else until the weather warms up a bit and plants are actually vigourous enough to survive the onslaught.
Potatoes are the only thing that seem to be doing well (above the surface anyway). If you haven't planted any you should try some, they are supposed to be good at breaking the soil too...