Back to one of my gardening posts.
When ever we get a dryish day. I get my trusty garden fork and go to the oldest fym pile and fill buckets of black gold.
Then I go to my repurposed plastic oil tanks/raised beds and weed and top them up with well rotted fym:
I like the winter rains to work the ground and old Mr and Mrs Robin Redbreast can help themselves to a chunky worm breakfast if they are cold and feeling peckish.
One bucket of fym in the raised bed.
I dug and forked and filled and carried and spread ten buckets of fym for this raised repurposed bed.
I have at least twenty four raised vegetables beds. Some are made with old wooden decking planks and some are old plastic baths, fish boxes and old heating oil tanks.
Now I am in my sixties and our autumns, winters and springs are becoming wetter. I believe raised beds work much better for drainage, deeper soil and you are gardening at least at knee height.
I often say it on here. You don't have to have a garden or allotment to grow your own organic vegetables. All you need is something to put your soil or fym and compost in.
Anyone else topping up their raised beds at the moment?
Hard work Dave, but worth it.
ReplyDeleteWe inherited a raised bed outside the front porch when we moved in here. P noticed this week that the wood used to build the sides has rotted away so he has been carefully removing it all trying not to disturb the plants too much. It has been a lot of work for him so far trying to cut and prepare replacement lengths of wood before this spell of dry, still weather turns again. Keeps him busy!
Raised beds have really grown on me in recent years JayCee. Will you be going collecting seaweed or getting some well rotted fym? Poultry manure in a bucket is also organic and free from weeds and you can buy it from garden centres. It is hard work but it's worth it!
ReplyDeleteWhere there is nothing planted I have sown green manure to dig in in the spring.
ReplyDeleteYes GZ. I have grown green manures like mustard which is very good for old grass land which wireworm like. Mustard is a brassica so you have to be careful about your rotation. Even weeds can be dug in and used for their nitrogen content. Field beans and peas are great legumes for fixing nitrogen through their root nodules. All good stuff for next year. Thanks GZ.
ReplyDeleteThe only raised bed that I am topping up is the one in our bedroom. I am topping it with a bed topper from "Dunelm". By the way, why do we never roll out of bed when we are asleep? Google cannot give me the answer.
ReplyDeleteMy husband has rolled out of bed a couple of times, poor chap. It woke him up. 🤣
DeleteThat is one natural alarm clock I would not like Jabblog.
DeleteYou wouldn't put a milk bottle outside today YP. Even the rats are wearing fur coats. I think Google is more informative than Wikipedia. Although I quote both when seeking answers. I would like to know if the light goes off inside the fridge when I close the fridge door. Anyone know?
ReplyDeleteI took everything out of the fridge and put my three year old granddaughter in it. I asked her to tell me if the light went out when I closed the door. She was screaming but I promised her a chocolate button. She confirmed that the light does indeed go out when you close the door. This was what they call scientific research.
DeleteThat was a very cool thing to do.😊 Thanks for the heads up on fridge lighting YP.
ReplyDeleteOops! I can't remember whether I published my comment, so apologies if I'm repeating myself.
ReplyDeleteAll your hard work is rewarded by plates full of good, fresh vegetables - well worth the effort.
No worries Jabblog. I agree with you. You can't buy the freshness in the shops what you get from growing your own or you know someone who does. I think box veg schemes are a good idea if you can afford to buy them. Isn't that the story of organics meat or fruit and vegetables.
ReplyDelete