|
Advice |
|||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Useful links: Dr. Hessayon's gardening books Henry Doubleday Research Institute (HDRA) The Royal Horticultural Society Seed suppliers Soft fruit and fruit trees Tool and equipment suppliers (online):
|
This advice is intended for new members of the Society who need some help getting started. It should help anyone get to grips with their plot in the shortest possible time. 1. How to clear an overgrown plot 2. Basic tools and equipment you'll need for cultivating your plot
1. How to clear an overgrown plot The most usual problem on our site is getting rid of brambles which have grown into the plot and then after that, getting rid of couch grass. Unless you have a lot of time and energy do not try and clear your plot in one go - take your time and clear one section at a time. Brambles - cut down the plants using as long handled tool as possible such as a long handled slasher, but a spade will do the job if wielded at an angle downwards. Don't work in wet weather (so as to avoid tools slipping from your grip) and wear long sleeves, trousers, boots and stout gloves. Another (but slower) way to clear brambles is to use a pair of long handled loppers and cut each bramble shoot down to ground level. Whatever method used, wear thick gloves and use eye protection in case a bramble stem hits your face. If you are wielding a long handled slasher, be VERY careful of people around you and especially of anyone walking or standing behind you. When you have cut down the foliage and stems, the next step is to get as many bramble roots as possible out of the ground. This can be done with a spade but the easiest way to get bramble roots out is to use a "grubbing mattock". Smaller, easier to wield and more efficient than a pick-axe, a grubbing mattock has a short chopping blade and usually also a cutting blade which makes it ideal for getting out roots. But whenever you use a mattock be sure to wear safety footwear. Grubbing mattocks can be purchased locally at DIY stores such as B&Q. Take all the cut brambles and roots to the nearest dumping area to your plot for collection by the Council. Couch grass - Also known as twitch grass, Elymus repens is a very invasive and persistent weed. It has strong underground stems (rhizomes) from which new shoots are produced in spring and autumn that quickly produce tufts of leaves and yet more rhizomes. Resist the urge to rotavate your land if couch grass is present. Rotavating just chops up the roots and spreads them around the site. The most effective (but definitely non-organic) way of eradicating couch grass is by using glyphosate weed killer sprayed on the grass stems when it is actively growing. However these products are not selective so care is needed to prevent spray landing or drifting on to other cultivated plants and causing damage. If you want to garden organically or otherwise object to using weed killer then you can carefully dig over your plot and tease out every piece of couch grass you find. But you will almost certainly leave some small fragments behind so you will have to keep removing the new growth for the first few years. Make sure you do not compost the pulled up couch grass - it's very resilient and can survive in the edges of heaps; its best to take it all to one of the dumping areas for eventual collection by the Council. If you are not able to dig your ground over and pull out all the couch grass, and want to avoid using weed killer, another option would be to lay black plastic, old carpet or weed control fabric over your ground to suppress the weeds and weaken them to the point they fail. However this can take up to two years to work properly with perennial weeds (such as couch grass) so it is not a quick fix. Tools needed for clearing an overgrown plot
2. Basic tools and equipment you'll need for cultivating your plot As a minimum you will probably need the following:
Its never to soon to start composting. Click here for information on composting. Get at least two compost bins for your plot (paint your plot number on the lid and /or sides) and start putting in all your green waste from the plot (not the couch grass!). Bring your shredded paper waste from home and all your vegetable peelings (not onions though - too high a risk of 'white rot' disease.) Mixing shredded paper and kitchen waste makes great compost. There should be no need to add compost accelerator, just a bit of soil added occasionally to the bin will speed up the process nicely.
Sheds and equipment The door, door frame, walls and roofs of sheds should all be sound. Any damaged or rotten sections need to be replaced. Door hinges and padbars (hasps & staples) should be secured with threaded coach bolts with back plates or large back washers. Hasps are easily wrenched free if this is not done. Use good quality close-shackle padlocks; these cannot be easily levered or cut. Buy good quality locks from a reputable manufacturer both you and any criminals will recognise e.g. Squire / Master Lock. Consider lining the shed with plywood sheeting. This makes it much harder for anyone to break through the sides of your shed after lifting off cladding. Think about installing a battery operated shed alarm available from DIY stores. Inside the shed, chain any tools through their handles to each other and then to large heavy items such as lawn mowers or cultivators. If you have neither of these fill a bucket with concrete and, using a masonry fixing or embedded chain, lock your tools to this. Property mark tools and other valuables with your post code and house number; engraving or scratching is the best permanent method. Record serial numbers of all equipment and keep the records safe. Make your equipment distinctive! Paint your plot number in BIG letters on your wheelbarrow, buckets, bins and larger tools. Do not leave spades and other tools lying around your plot because they can be used to lever open shed doors. Site safety is an important issue for everyone. Observe the low speed limit on site (10 mph). Be careful in the use of chemicals. Avoid lone working when using power tools. Any dogs you may have with you must be under strict control. Report any suspicious activity on site. If the matter is urgent phone 999. If you have any non-urgent concerns about site safety or security please phone Daniel Smart on 0773 9629 607 or email him at romfordsmallholders@hotmail.com
|
||||||||||