Feels like beds would be one of those things that, even though it sucks doing, is so so nice when they're done. Haha "granddad sleeping". Hadn't heard that term before 😄Hello to the fox in the beginning of the carrot planting! 👋🦊And fingers crossed you'll get some luck with the carrots this season!
This is an awesome video and shows really how hard it is to get the allotment ready for planting. Thank you for giving us a realistic view of the real work that goes on behind the scenes and not just the idea that it is easy to do.
Clean up before the season is so great but a lot of work JB as you showed. We recently changed over to electric mower and weed wacker- mostly because im getting older and was always having trouble getting the gas powered one to start! What a great decision. I weed wack first, then pass the mower, usually over the long bits the weed wacker made- so nothing really to pick up!!the mower has a chopper option so the cut parts can stay on the lawn to decompose or i can put on the bag attachment and add it to my compost bins. The battery last quite well also❤.
The clumpiness after strimming the grass is definitely due to the time of year (and some of the grass still being a bit damp, etc). Once the weather warms up, and after the first few cuts of the year, you’ll get a level finish!
Brilliant video. We do a lot of strimming here for my business I run on the farm. Petrol strimmer or battery strimmer, it’s always clumpy when you have such long and damp grass to strim. It’ll be so much neater when it’s dry and you’ll be even more impressed with that battery strimmer then. I love my DeWalt one. Interesting about the manure not breaking down. Same thing happened here and ours wasn’t covered over. Think it’s just been so wet, and mostly mild, that it’s literally just sat there… like a soggy blancmange blanket. Dug ours in twice over winter too and it’s not helped. Plenty of fat worms though. I had similar excitement of sowing my first carrots this year too. It’s such a good feeling, after months of projects, to feel productivity coming back too. Here’s to a fantastic season. 😊
I love my little battery strimmer! ❤️ It's not strong enough to smash stuff, it's lightweight and lasts about as long as my back, then I can rest and switch battery before I get back on it. 😊
I've had the same B&D model for 7 years now. Great bit of kit JB. You probably already know this, but 🙂do not release the trigger when you finish a space. Keep the strimmer running as you move on to the next area. This stops the clutch from releasing a new bit of cord which is cut off when you start it again. Only let go of the trigger when you realise that it is not cutting a full range. Also, buy your own cord and rewind the drum(s). Cheaper and you can buy better cord than the B&D standard one
@@JBNat Forgot to add: I only bought a new battery as I "lost" the old one. Then found it a week after a new one arrived LOL The original battery is still going strong. I'm using a cord called "Oregon Nylium Silencio Strimmer Line" - about £7 on Amazon. Amazing stuff, cuts through thick things like dock stalks easily, and I am still on the same refill I bought 3 years ago!
You inspire me to get out in my own garden to do some bits so often! Even tho it's still alot frozen here, there is some small things i can do every now and then. Many times i start watching your videos, i just pause and run out to spend an hour doing stuff before i come back in, like i just did now hehe.. Thx for that :)
If you go back a year, the difference is incredible. One yell of an achievement 😁. You're enthusiasm is so infectious 😂, i feel you're going to have a real good year 👍
Hi JB, I have a battery strimmer and it's the best investment. Your beds are looking really good. Great video update. Thanks for sharing and take care 😊
I'm no good with carrots or beetroot! Best result I had was when I sowed them in pots. Mine are usually lots of foliage, hardly any carrot. However I will try again. Your plot looks so good now!
Oh yes they're as common as you like around here! I see at least one without fail just on my walk to the plot, and there's always a few on site as well. When I'm walking home in the evening around 6pm there's usually at least 6 or so on the cycle track walk home!
So nice to watch something about doing proper beds. I had created new beds last year as I took over my mum's garden. I dug out all the serious roots, put down a lot of matured manure, covered it in Strulch and had some beautiful beds ready to go. We have very clay soil that just goes solid. Today I found my mum had emptied a wheelbarrow of grass and clay soil onto my beautiful beds! I had redone the flower borders and taken out all the clumps of grass and weeds that had grown into the beds, put it in a very old wheelbarrow and she'd just launched it all in my nice new beds. I'm so furious! Trying to be reasonable about it but it ARGH!
My mum tried to help in my garden too - not by watering her potted plants that I'd been keeping alive for her - but moving my pots around because she thought it would clear a path for me. The problem was that I had the pots in those positions to get better sun 😅 Suffice to say, I have decided that I don't like help in my garden any more. The upside is that because I've taken such good care of her plants, when one of my rhubarb died (which was originally a division from her rhubarb plant), she's given me the thumbs up to divide her rhubarb plant again so that I can have a new rhubarb plant to replace it. She was grinning and feeling very proud over the Easter weekend as my sister and I worked in the garden, and commented how lovely it was seeing us do all the things she used to do 😂
Great work! Yes, those two blades of grass were bugging the heck out of me.😄 I just wanted to reach over and pull them out, especially at 24:50 when they were right in front of my face, lol! Hope your carrots do well.
We’ve done two raised beds today. They’ve been pretty neglected over the last couple of years because my bees were right next to them and we couldn’t really keep on top of them without getting bopped by bees. They’ve been moved to their new home now. They were so full of nettles, brambles and one of them had a lot of bindweed plus the most massive clump of lovage. Therefore, despite being no dig beds, I had to do quite a lot of digging to make sure all the nettle and bramble roots were properly out and it took so long! We also had to replace the bean arches we had over them as they’d fallen to bits. They look great now though.
Hi JB The plot is looking fantastic and so much better organised this year. Somehow by defining the beds helps create more manageable areas to work one bit at a time. Well done 👍
We've never had any luck with carrots. This year I've sown 3 varieties of carrot and am hoping for the best. Between spotty germination, slow growth and slugs/snails eating everything growing carrots is harder than it looks
It's been lovely seeing everything come together this week JB. It feels like the scale is tipping into 'proper' spring now. I would so love to have slow worms here, yet to see one in these parts.....not even a pregnant male! 🤭
@@JBNatI have just got my new Mini Hotbin up to temperature having had the first dry day in weeks and done the first mow of the year. Grass clippings are the answer!! I would be curious about how you are getting on with your Mega.
I have a battery strimmer and it does have its place at the allotment on edges especially against the wooden raised bed edges but I don’t think it’s a replacement for the mower when you’ve got as much grass as you and I have. You also need 2 batteries I reckon my spear and Jackson one strims for about 25mins only, so 2 batteries are a must. Great video though JB
Hi jb I can’t grow carrots to save my life ! This guy on my allotment told me to put sand at the bottom of rows & it worked I was very happy! but next time I did the germinating wasn’t great ? have go ? You have worked really hard well done 👏 lv Irene 😘 xx
Hey JB, loving your videos. Have you thought of using seaweed in your beds? As you are near the coast and after the recent storms, can collect lots really easily.
We have lidded containers bought from Tesco but also available in B and Q. Just leave it in the rain for a couple of days washes the salt off. Over the last few days have collected loads around Portchester
I was looking for a battery strimmer I can handle. And saw that exact one I Robert Dyas, hubby was a bit reluctant to try it. We have a heavy cabled one and as my veg beds are a long way down the garden away from the electric supply it is literally a pain for me to do any strimming as the cable actually adds to the weight and I have to carry a heavy extension lead. As I am recovering from a disk issue I need to take care of my back this season. So thanks for that review and the answer to my question about the length of time in one charge was really helpful. I will be going back to Robert Dyas to get one to try. Having raised beds on clay is really the only way to grow, my heavy clay would be implantable still if it wasn’t for my raised beds, my veg garden is saturated at the moment, I haven’t seen it like this for absolutely years, not sine our children’s swing set was there before veg growing. and my children are very grown up now haha! I now need to think about the big grass (mud) path down the middle. Nice in the summer but horrid at the Monet to walk on. Any way you have done a fab job over the winter on the plot and it looks amazing and so inviting for planting 😊
Ooh I hope you have a good experience with the strimmer! It is very light. B&D sell two batteries for these tools, one is 1.5ah and the other is 2.0ah. Worth getting the 2. Our back garden is the same, path down the garden has been turned to mud by the dog! I'm lucky my plot is on a gentle slope and water runs away
Hi JB, you've done well with the strimming and weeding. Time consuming and back breaking, but well worth the time and effort. Pace yourself else you'll surrender and give up.
Please wear eye protection when using a strimmer it only needs a stone to fly up, and it could cause serious damage. Also, be wary of frogs and toads at this time of the year ,it's their breeding season and trimmers kill lots.
yeah it's not so bad when it's just in loose fluffy soil but in the hard clay it just wants to break so it's a nightmare! Can't wait until the beds start to fill up :)
weeding is such hard work - i always forget how hard and how long it takes and sometimes we have to give in to the need to rest. Definitely no dig is the best road to less weeding
Lawn mowers aren't much better I don't think? It's important to wait for the right time. I had to keep pushing it back in the back garden whilst that was full of baby frogs. If you do it when it's a cold day then lizards won't have the energy to escape (they can't thermoregulate). Where there are tall parts I will work gradually down, and I also try and work in one direction so it will flush critters like the lizard I found :)
Most of my raised beds are waist height. Far easier to prep the beds in Spring when you are standing up. I imagine your body was aching the next morning after being on your knees and Asian squatting. Before you say it’s expensive to fill higher raised beds, not really. Season one, treat it like a cold compost heap, dump everything in, the hedge trimmings, weeds, grass clippings etc. Takes a few seasons for the height of the soil to gradually get higher but that’s ok. Your back will thank you for it.
For me, no way. I did a costs video many years back on my first year of it which was fun th-cam.com/video/pzpvedblffk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=jrFMy3v9GJ-EZMUN Huw Richards has done some great work on this. If you're efficient with your time and know your stuff it's very doable. But I'd bet most allotments cost tenants more than they make.
I tried the board over the carrots last year and the carrots got really leggy under the board so I abandoned that idea and resowed. Was OK because I just made sure to water the surface every time I went to the plot. I'm thinking maybe a strip of clear or white plastic sheet would be a better option. And if you make sure you water the drill before and after sowing and sow the seeds deep enough it's probably not really necessary to cover at all. Not 100% sure though. I like the compost in the drills idea. I wish I had known about that a few days ago when I sowed my last lot of carrots. The only way I'm going to know where they are now is when the carrots break the surface. Are you going to cover the carrots at all? I have to on my plot I think. Too many carrot root flies around.
I think both have their place! Ryegrass is the usual one you can buy and it's much less invasive and easier to control. I love having grass to Mow for the compost bin, but woodchip does also break down and compost on paths. I personally prefer the look of a bit of grass too so I don't think I'll be going full woodchip any time soon
As an American gardener I'm a little confused on the choice to cover the "raised beds" with plastic and then compost on top, giving only a few inches to plant in. Why not just leave the bottom open to earth and compost on top of that? 🤔🧐 I have a TON of fireweed pressure in my garden, but after 1 season of keeping them from blossoming, pulling them as soon as you see a sprout, it gets way easier and the pressure goes down. I think that's true of about any weed pressure It's work up front, but it's a long term net gain to have unlimited root depth.
Which part are you talking about? 🤔 none of the beds have been lined with plastic apart from over winter to prevent weed growth whilst I'm not growing anything in them.
@@stepheneastwood4524 okay that's makes more sense. But I thought I heard him say the beds were not very deep, which led me to believe the plastic ran under the compost.
I had an edger in the shed as well and it definitely would have sped things up a little, but I was a bit worried it would undermine the beds as well which would then a) sink and b) no longer be level!
True, I can see how that may be the case. I grew tired of lawn trying to invade my pebble driveway, so I cut a moat behind the edging stones to make the invasion a bit slower. But those were cemented in stones
Noooo close but no cigar hahahaha I'm so sorry!! Thank you so much for the support I'll try harder next time!!! I recorded one yesterday but can't remember what I said yet 😂
what are you doing ,,,🤣🤣🤣🤣 get into those beds with a digging fork if you havent cardboard mulched , much easier than using little hand tools for a big bed
It was only the first two which hadn't been full no dig mulched, but they have been mulched with various things and are getting much less weed pressure. Forking over that whole bed and picking out the couch grass wouldn't have saved much energy or time compared to just digging out the specific bits. And it would have exposed the entire seed bank again and the entire thing would be covered in freshly germinated seed a week later
It was warm and active so I let her scurry off to safety. If it's really cold and they can't move then I pop them on the wooden hibernaculum or under that metal sheet roofing beneath the plum trees 😊
Feels like beds would be one of those things that, even though it sucks doing, is so so nice when they're done. Haha "granddad sleeping". Hadn't heard that term before 😄Hello to the fox in the beginning of the carrot planting! 👋🦊And fingers crossed you'll get some luck with the carrots this season!
This is an awesome video and shows really how hard it is to get the allotment ready for planting. Thank you for giving us a realistic view of the real work that goes on behind the scenes and not just the idea that it is easy to do.
Is that a fox over JB's left shoulder around 21:57?
Clean up before the season is so great but a lot of work JB as you showed. We recently changed over to electric mower and weed wacker- mostly because im getting older and was always having trouble getting the gas powered one to start! What a great decision. I weed wack first, then pass the mower, usually over the long bits the weed wacker made- so nothing really to pick up!!the mower has a chopper option so the cut parts can stay on the lawn to decompose or i can put on the bag attachment and add it to my compost bins. The battery last quite well also❤.
The clumpiness after strimming the grass is definitely due to the time of year (and some of the grass still being a bit damp, etc). Once the weather warms up, and after the first few cuts of the year, you’ll get a level finish!
Brilliant video. We do a lot of strimming here for my business I run on the farm. Petrol strimmer or battery strimmer, it’s always clumpy when you have such long and damp grass to strim. It’ll be so much neater when it’s dry and you’ll be even more impressed with that battery strimmer then. I love my DeWalt one.
Interesting about the manure not breaking down. Same thing happened here and ours wasn’t covered over. Think it’s just been so wet, and mostly mild, that it’s literally just sat there… like a soggy blancmange blanket. Dug ours in twice over winter too and it’s not helped. Plenty of fat worms though.
I had similar excitement of sowing my first carrots this year too. It’s such a good feeling, after months of projects, to feel productivity coming back too.
Here’s to a fantastic season. 😊
I feel your pain. I only had one really bad bed to get rid of the grass and it took hours. Those grass clods are a bugger 😢
With perseverance it does get knocked back and grows slower and slower each year!
I love my little battery strimmer! ❤️ It's not strong enough to smash stuff, it's lightweight and lasts about as long as my back, then I can rest and switch battery before I get back on it. 😊
Hi! I’m from NC, a milder climate from you. Enjoy your videos.
It's all looking good JB, I'm doing carrots in 30L tubs, just found insect net bags with draw strings big enough to cover the tubs
i have loved this weeks update videos well done JB a joy to watch
Thank you!
I've had the same B&D model for 7 years now. Great bit of kit JB.
You probably already know this, but 🙂do not release the trigger when you finish a space. Keep the strimmer running as you move on to the next area. This stops the clutch from releasing a new bit of cord which is cut off when you start it again. Only let go of the trigger when you realise that it is not cutting a full range.
Also, buy your own cord and rewind the drum(s). Cheaper and you can buy better cord than the B&D standard one
I had no idea about that Steve so thank you very much! Great to hear it's done you well over the years too, very reassuring 😁
@@JBNat Forgot to add: I only bought a new battery as I "lost" the old one. Then found it a week after a new one arrived LOL The original battery is still going strong.
I'm using a cord called "Oregon Nylium Silencio Strimmer Line" - about £7 on Amazon. Amazing stuff, cuts through thick things like dock stalks easily, and I am still on the same refill I bought 3 years ago!
@@DigwellGreenfingers brilliant, I will get some for future, thanks again Steve!
You inspire me to get out in my own garden to do some bits so often! Even tho it's still alot frozen here, there is some small things i can do every now and then. Many times i start watching your videos, i just pause and run out to spend an hour doing stuff before i come back in, like i just did now hehe.. Thx for that :)
Love this!!
If you go back a year, the difference is incredible. One yell of an achievement 😁. You're enthusiasm is so infectious 😂, i feel you're going to have a real good year 👍
Thank you so much! I was just going back a few days ago and looking at when I first took on the second plot and it's soooo much nicer now I think!
Hi JB, I have a battery strimmer and it's the best investment. Your beds are looking really good. Great video update. Thanks for sharing and take care 😊
I'm no good with carrots or beetroot! Best result I had was when I sowed them in pots. Mine are usually lots of foliage, hardly any carrot. However I will try again. Your plot looks so good now!
Fantastic work JB, did you see the fox watching you just before you sowed the seeds??😮😂❤
Yeah, I had to watch again to make sure I saw right. In the middle of the day...
I’ve just rewound 3 times to see if I was seeing things!! 🦊
Oh yes they're as common as you like around here! I see at least one without fail just on my walk to the plot, and there's always a few on site as well. When I'm walking home in the evening around 6pm there's usually at least 6 or so on the cycle track walk home!
So nice to watch something about doing proper beds. I had created new beds last year as I took over my mum's garden. I dug out all the serious roots, put down a lot of matured manure, covered it in Strulch and had some beautiful beds ready to go. We have very clay soil that just goes solid. Today I found my mum had emptied a wheelbarrow of grass and clay soil onto my beautiful beds! I had redone the flower borders and taken out all the clumps of grass and weeds that had grown into the beds, put it in a very old wheelbarrow and she'd just launched it all in my nice new beds. I'm so furious! Trying to be reasonable about it but it ARGH!
Tell her she's got to pay for the new bags of strulch and she'll never do it again 😂
She's just trying to be helpful, probably feeling a bit left out
My mum tried to help in my garden too - not by watering her potted plants that I'd been keeping alive for her - but moving my pots around because she thought it would clear a path for me. The problem was that I had the pots in those positions to get better sun 😅
Suffice to say, I have decided that I don't like help in my garden any more.
The upside is that because I've taken such good care of her plants, when one of my rhubarb died (which was originally a division from her rhubarb plant), she's given me the thumbs up to divide her rhubarb plant again so that I can have a new rhubarb plant to replace it.
She was grinning and feeling very proud over the Easter weekend as my sister and I worked in the garden, and commented how lovely it was seeing us do all the things she used to do 😂
i just chuck a bit of vermiculite in the carrot drill, works a charm
Great work! Yes, those two blades of grass were bugging the heck out of me.😄 I just wanted to reach over and pull them out, especially at 24:50 when they were right in front of my face, lol! Hope your carrots do well.
I got revenge on them today 😂 consigned to the compost bin
We’ve done two raised beds today. They’ve been pretty neglected over the last couple of years because my bees were right next to them and we couldn’t really keep on top of them without getting bopped by bees. They’ve been moved to their new home now. They were so full of nettles, brambles and one of them had a lot of bindweed plus the most massive clump of lovage. Therefore, despite being no dig beds, I had to do quite a lot of digging to make sure all the nettle and bramble roots were properly out and it took so long! We also had to replace the bean arches we had over them as they’d fallen to bits. They look great now though.
Great work!! I know how hard it can be!
Hi JB
The plot is looking fantastic and so much better organised this year. Somehow by defining the beds helps create more manageable areas to work one bit at a time.
Well done 👍
We've never had any luck with carrots. This year I've sown 3 varieties of carrot and am hoping for the best. Between spotty germination, slow growth and slugs/snails eating everything growing carrots is harder than it looks
Ah, sorrel…slugs and snails love it! I cut it right back and it’s good for the compost heap.
I’ve been using the same electric cordless strimmer for 14 years. I never run the battery down . Recharge before they are exhausted.
It's been lovely seeing everything come together this week JB. It feels like the scale is tipping into 'proper' spring now. I would so love to have slow worms here, yet to see one in these parts.....not even a pregnant male! 🤭
hahahaha
Loving your beds JB! You will get carrots!!!!
I love the positivity!!! Congrats again on starting your own channel 😁
@@JBNat just remember to water 🥰 aww thank you lovely 🙂
I’ve enjoyed your weeks holiday …..on the plot…..what I’m curious about is your compost bin? Is it a brand make?
Yep! hotbincomposting.com/collections/hotbin-mega It's another gift that I inherited from Steve's plot :)
@@JBNatI have just got my new Mini Hotbin up to temperature having had the first dry day in weeks and done the first mow of the year. Grass clippings are the answer!!
I would be curious about how you are getting on with your Mega.
I have a battery strimmer and it does have its place at the allotment on edges especially against the wooden raised bed edges but I don’t think it’s a replacement for the mower when you’ve got as much grass as you and I have. You also need 2 batteries I reckon my spear and Jackson one strims for about 25mins only, so 2 batteries are a must. Great video though JB
Yes I think you're right, and this did need a second battery which luckily I predicted and had to hand 😎
Hi jb I can’t grow carrots to save my life ! This guy on my allotment told me to put sand at the bottom of rows & it worked I was very happy! but next time I did the germinating wasn’t great ? have go ? You have worked really hard well done 👏 lv Irene 😘 xx
Hey JB, loving your videos. Have you thought of using seaweed in your beds? As you are near the coast and after the recent storms, can collect lots really easily.
I've always been put off by the transporting them in my car part, and I think they need a lot of rinsing and processing too!
We have lidded containers bought from Tesco but also available in B and Q. Just leave it in the rain for a couple of days washes the salt off. Over the last few days have collected loads around Portchester
I was looking for a battery strimmer I can handle. And saw that exact one I Robert Dyas, hubby was a bit reluctant to try it. We have a heavy cabled one and as my veg beds are a long way down the garden away from the electric supply it is literally a pain for me to do any strimming as the cable actually adds to the weight and I have to carry a heavy extension lead. As I am recovering from a disk issue I need to take care of my back this season. So thanks for that review and the answer to my question about the length of time in one charge was really helpful. I will be going back to Robert Dyas to get one to try.
Having raised beds on clay is really the only way to grow, my heavy clay would be implantable still if it wasn’t for my raised beds, my veg garden is saturated at the moment, I haven’t seen it like this for absolutely years, not sine our children’s swing set was there before veg growing. and my children are very grown up now haha! I now need to think about the big grass (mud) path down the middle. Nice in the summer but horrid at the Monet to walk on.
Any way you have done a fab job over the winter on the plot and it looks amazing and so inviting for planting 😊
Ooh I hope you have a good experience with the strimmer! It is very light. B&D sell two batteries for these tools, one is 1.5ah and the other is 2.0ah. Worth getting the 2.
Our back garden is the same, path down the garden has been turned to mud by the dog! I'm lucky my plot is on a gentle slope and water runs away
So exciting getting things in the ground! Beds looking much better. Happy Gardening! 👩🌾🐸
Hi JB, you've done well with the strimming and weeding. Time consuming and back breaking, but well worth the time and effort. Pace yourself else you'll surrender and give up.
On the main paths strim the edges then mow that way the mower picks up the grass for you!
Good tip about using cardboard first on raised beds I only started mine as a no dig a year ago and 🤞 had no weeds come up in them ❤
🐝Thanks for the great video🌻 Just hate and love weeding 🤣
Please wear eye protection when using a strimmer it only needs a stone to fly up, and it could cause serious damage. Also, be wary of frogs and toads at this time of the year ,it's their breeding season and trimmers kill lots.
the beds looks great still done a great job !! 💥💥💥💥💥💥💥
22:15 Why do seed companies put the sow by dates on the bit of the packet you rip open and always damage?
🦎 that’s the only British reptile I’m yet to see in person, not sure if they up here in the midlands. Glad you found him before the strimmer did ✌️
Have you ticked off sand lizard and smooth snake!? I'm still yet to see a smooth snake despite working on heathlands for years!
Always make me laugh JB! Great work!
Those 2 blades of grass at the end.. 😩
Couch grass is a nice raised bed is actually hella satisfying to pull
yeah it's not so bad when it's just in loose fluffy soil but in the hard clay it just wants to break so it's a nightmare! Can't wait until the beds start to fill up :)
weeding is such hard work - i always forget how hard and how long it takes and sometimes we have to give in to the need to rest. Definitely no dig is the best road to less weeding
I got rid of my strimmer after a close call with a frog. Strimmers cause horrible deaths to so many critters, I can't have that on my conscience.
Lawn mowers aren't much better I don't think? It's important to wait for the right time. I had to keep pushing it back in the back garden whilst that was full of baby frogs. If you do it when it's a cold day then lizards won't have the energy to escape (they can't thermoregulate). Where there are tall parts I will work gradually down, and I also try and work in one direction so it will flush critters like the lizard I found :)
Most of my raised beds are waist height. Far easier to prep the beds in Spring when you are standing up. I imagine your body was aching the next morning after being on your knees and Asian squatting.
Before you say it’s expensive to fill higher raised beds, not really. Season one, treat it like a cold compost heap, dump everything in, the hedge trimmings, weeds, grass clippings etc. Takes a few seasons for the height of the soil to gradually get higher but that’s ok. Your back will thank you for it.
th-cam.com/video/9UPSYo6n790/w-d-xo.html
This is exactly what we did in the back garden! Certainly makes life a bit easier.
On Gardeners world they put the plank over the carrot seeds until there's a sign off life 😊
That's the plan!
Recognising that most of it is the love of growing and is a hobby I’d be interested to know your setup and ongoing costs offset by produce value?
For me, no way. I did a costs video many years back on my first year of it which was fun
th-cam.com/video/pzpvedblffk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=jrFMy3v9GJ-EZMUN
Huw Richards has done some great work on this. If you're efficient with your time and know your stuff it's very doable. But I'd bet most allotments cost tenants more than they make.
Unfortunatley taste can't be measured in money terms .Huge huge difference
@@JBNat oh I’m sure, it’s not about necessarily saving money. I just wondered if it would help people understand the costs involved.
@@susiespearing6165 no one said it could 🤨
thans good work jB you the best te moostiun thans te video Top good weekend ✔️🌷🌱⛅☕😎
I tried the board over the carrots last year and the carrots got really leggy under the board so I abandoned that idea and resowed. Was OK because I just made sure to water the surface every time I went to the plot. I'm thinking maybe a strip of clear or white plastic sheet would be a better option. And if you make sure you water the drill before and after sowing and sow the seeds deep enough it's probably not really necessary to cover at all. Not 100% sure though.
I like the compost in the drills idea. I wish I had known about that a few days ago when I sowed my last lot of carrots. The only way I'm going to know where they are now is when the carrots break the surface.
Are you going to cover the carrots at all? I have to on my plot I think. Too many carrot root flies around.
I have been toying with putting grass seed on my plot, do you prefer grass or the woodchip for paths
I think both have their place! Ryegrass is the usual one you can buy and it's much less invasive and easier to control. I love having grass to Mow for the compost bin, but woodchip does also break down and compost on paths.
I personally prefer the look of a bit of grass too so I don't think I'll be going full woodchip any time soon
As an American gardener I'm a little confused on the choice to cover the "raised beds" with plastic and then compost on top, giving only a few inches to plant in. Why not just leave the bottom open to earth and compost on top of that? 🤔🧐
I have a TON of fireweed pressure in my garden, but after 1 season of keeping them from blossoming, pulling them as soon as you see a sprout, it gets way easier and the pressure goes down. I think that's true of about any weed pressure
It's work up front, but it's a long term net gain to have unlimited root depth.
Which part are you talking about? 🤔 none of the beds have been lined with plastic apart from over winter to prevent weed growth whilst I'm not growing anything in them.
The plastic liner is only on the inside of the planks (to reduce rotting); there’s no plastic at the bottom of the beds.
@@stepheneastwood4524 okay that's makes more sense. But I thought I heard him say the beds were not very deep, which led me to believe the plastic ran under the compost.
Well looks like mr fox came to have a look at you he was in the background
I think you might be helped if you cut the grass on the outside with an edger. This will prevent the grass from going under the bed-frame (as easy) 😅
I had an edger in the shed as well and it definitely would have sped things up a little, but I was a bit worried it would undermine the beds as well which would then a) sink and b) no longer be level!
True, I can see how that may be the case. I grew tired of lawn trying to invade my pebble driveway, so I cut a moat behind the edging stones to make the invasion a bit slower. But those were cemented in stones
Those blades of grass 😂
Couldn't believe it when I saw them in the edit!!! Absolute pain!
👍
Was that a cat or fox that photo bombed your video?
Most likely one of the many foxes which frequent the plot!
Lol my name Angela lol 😂😂
Noooo close but no cigar hahahaha I'm so sorry!! Thank you so much for the support I'll try harder next time!!! I recorded one yesterday but can't remember what I said yet 😂
@@JBNat No worries JB you made me laugh Andrea lol Ive been called worse lol Lv your vids lv potty mouth.garden club :-)
what are you doing ,,,🤣🤣🤣🤣 get into those beds with a digging fork if you havent cardboard mulched , much easier than using little hand tools for a big bed
It was only the first two which hadn't been full no dig mulched, but they have been mulched with various things and are getting much less weed pressure.
Forking over that whole bed and picking out the couch grass wouldn't have saved much energy or time compared to just digging out the specific bits. And it would have exposed the entire seed bank again and the entire thing would be covered in freshly germinated seed a week later
Top Good work jb you the best te moostuin thans te video Top Good weekend fried 👍😎🎧🌤🧤🍹🌾🗄🧹😅🌱🪻🌷🌿
Good job, where'd you put 5he slow worm 🪱 🤔🤩
It was warm and active so I let her scurry off to safety. If it's really cold and they can't move then I pop them on the wooden hibernaculum or under that metal sheet roofing beneath the plum trees 😊