Love in the vegetable garden is like love the world-over – it is hard
work – but the more loving effort one pours in, the greater the harvest.
Plants work hard, so they need a top quality site, soil and management.
But, first the gardener has to make his bed- with all the loving care he
can muster.
vegetable bed
He uses walkways, or duckboards, so that no-one walks on the precious
vegetable bed.
crawling board
Winter digging
The time to dig the garden has changed. Recently we have had wetter autumns. So the garden is often very wet in November and too wet to dig.
The soil structure is damaged, if it is paddled (stood on) when wet. Now we dig just after Christmas to prepare for onion sets.
Drainage is the passage of water through the soil. The drainage in the
vegetable garden will differ from one soil type to another. Sandy soils
drain quickly, clay soils drain slowly.
Gardeners should do everything possible to help drainage. If the
drainage is restricted, the water will not be able to get away. Water
will collect on the surface of the soil. The fruit and vegetables will
die and the soil structure will be ruined. This means that it will be
difficult to create a seedbed in the future.
To encourage drainage in the kitchen garden:
* avoid walking on the garden, particularly when wet. Make narrow
beds, which can be worked from the path. Use a wooden plank to
stand on if on the bed.
* keep drains clear and free, so that they take water away
* do not overwater
*The water holding capacity of the soil is the ability to hold the
water in the soil. It is held by surface tension around the soil
particles. The water holding capacity of each soil will vary. Sand is
not able to hang onto the water as easily as the clay. So sandy soil
drains easily & will need watering more often.
If the gardener understands his own soil he will know when it needs more
water to bring it back to its full capacity. He will be able to
recognise the state of the soil by the colour, texture and feel of the soil.
Fruit and vegetables need a constant supply of water, so that they can
continue to grow happily. If water becomes short (below full capacity),
the plants will become stressed, growth will slow down and the plants
will be more susceptible to disease
Take precautions to avoid a setback in the garden during a cold spell:
* move tender potted plants inside
* cover delicate plants in the garden with polythene, cloches, old
curtains, conifer branches, horticultural fleece
* delay buying plants
* mulch to keep warmth in soil
Work the soil:
* dry, cold conditions are ideal for cultivating – soil structure
will be maintained
* prepare seed beds, by knocking the soil into small crumbs
* The onion plot has been covered to keep the rain off
* now the sheets are lifted to let the wind blow in & dry the soil
fork&rake
* the soil was raked & lifted to dry it
Finished digging the potato plot today. Then covered it with the polytunnel. This will keep the rain out, and allow the soil to dry ready for planting.
dig soildig soildug soil
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