How are the veggies coming along?

[ABtrees]

Been quite good this year .......

[Peasgood]

10 minutes ago, Paul in the woods said:

Looks like corn smut, Ustilago maydis, a sort after delicacy I gather.

I looked it up earlier and it did say it was a delicacy.

I won't be trying it but my son reckons he will.

Only affected one cob on one plant, very bizarre looking stuff.

[5thelement]

First batch of squash cureing in the sun before being overwintered in the cellar. A mix of butternut, crown prince and potti marron.

[5thelement]

Picked a bunch of Tomatillos that had started to drop and some mixed hot chillis.

If you have ever had proper Mexican Salsa Verde, then Tomatillo would have been the main ingredient. They ripen green and have a distinctive tangy taste.

There is an orange variety that is used in Thai cooking also.

[Ty Korrigan]

 

First ever serious veg plot, carte blanche.

I laid black plastic over 200m2 of grass last Summer.

Broke it up with a sub soiler behind my Solis which struggled a little as it hasn't got ag tyres but managed to rag up a great deal of invading bamboo which screens the neighbours cannabis crop.

Installed root barrier to halt said invasion and keep peace with the cartel.

Borrowed a mates rotavator and ordered some easy to grow crops.

Soil is deep and rich, few stones only the odd boulder...

I've been tipping some chip to compost.

Applying for permission to erect a decent size of poly tunnel.

I'll install a large horticultural rain water tank as we are in drought conditions already.

Also, lay traps against voles which are a serious pest of veg garden here.

That is Komatsu Clive on the Komatsu, one of my fat groundies.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 4, 2023 by Ty Korrigan

[Mick Dempsey]

@Ty Korrigan impressive, but you may have gone too big.
 

A mistake we made was to cultivate too big an area which made maintaining it a chore rather than a pleasure.

 

We scaled down to a few smaller beds after a few years.

 

Nice looking soil, if you use wood chip a bit of builders lime to reduce the acidity will help or your brassicas will fail.

Edited March 4, 2023 by Mick Dempsey

[nepia]

I agree.  Beware supply contracts with the supermarkets 

[Stere]

Hoe-ing is the key before any weeds appear/ get big. A  larg-ish area can be kept weeded with not that much effort or minimal digging  esp with that good  soil structure you have.

 

Your soil structure/ tilth looks  perfect - very lucky as it makes a massive difference to the effort required versus a heavy clay etc.

 

Wood chip is ideal  for paths & to avoid soil compaction.

 

You could use woodchip lay in out like this:

 

 

The now popular idea of smaller  raised beds/permanent path layout  have  downsides 

 

Weeds establish along any permanent edge structures & paths the soil will dry out faster on raised beds in the summer.

 

Can't rotavate etc across the whole plot

 

Less easy acess to push a wheel barrow trailer etc around to tip the compost / manure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 4, 2023 by Stere

[Ty Korrigan]

I'll lose 32m2 to a polytunnnel plus all those woodchip paths you guys suggested.

Honestly no idea how it will develop but as you know my wife is Moroccan and in their culture they prepare most food from scratch so onions and tomatoes are going to figure large in the planning.

The kids are mad for soft fruit, strawberries and raspberries and especially myrtilles/blue berries which will take some skill to get right.

Chooks in an ark that can be moved around the plot once we are in residence.

Fallow area planted with green fertilizer perhaps?

Other areas sown with flower mixes.

Open to ideas!

So far I've had 12 years living in touring caravans before marriage, a year travelling and so far 12 years in tiny social housing.

It will take at least 2-3 years to make habitable but this going to be a huge change for us with 5 bedrooms, a 40m2 living room, workshop and all our business affairs in one place rather than spread out at friends properties.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ty Korrigan]