New Allotment - Work BEGINS | Converting to No-Dig | JB's Allotment Diaries
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 มี.ค. 2023
- So excited to finally start some proper work on the new plot today! Converting this one to No-Dig.
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New Allotment - Work BEGINS | Converting to No-Dig | JB's Allotment Diaries
A little bit of advice… in case you aren’t aware already. Make them all the beds the same size, or only two different sizes. I’m half way through converting to no-dig raised beds. All are 8’ x 4’. I also fix a 2.5” wide board on the top. This facilitates the hoop cloche frames I am making. This means I can move the frames to any bed as necessary.
Good luck with you new project.
Take all the wood apart and stack it up, rip out all the weeds and undesirables. Then measure out the full size and take some graph paper and draw it out over and over until you like it then set that as your plan and start somewhere one plot at a time. Just organizing the number of beds and the sizes including the paths will satisfy the how it should look. Then do it because you do not yet need to know what will go where just make the beds and paths for now. Organize all the good scraps for reuse then which to trash and what to compost. All the while you can be imagining what will go where because as you work the plot and beds you can map the path of the sun and which areas get the most and least sun which helps to put the right plants in the right places. Have some fun be safe bye for now
Watching this and almost laughing, because a few hours ago, I was helping friends dig up and remove couch grass roots so that they can plant Australian native plants in and hopefully the plants will establish before the grass tries to take over again. They're trying to remove the couch grass from their garden beds which is a lot more difficult with established trees and shrubs in there now.
Couch grass is really something that you have to be prepared to stay on top of if you intend to keep it as lawn or paths.
I have just watched your first couple "new allotment" episodes in the series, and I would be just like you, I think - champing at the bit to get the new plot working to the ideas that I want 😆
Love your new no-dig beds 😁 it's especially fun knowing how you've got them now and how brilliantly the 'new' plot is going 😊
I've had 9 years now with my garden, and I've been dreaming of a particular layout for the last several so that I'm actually now fairly sure that I've worked out exactly what I want for the backyard at least. Ironically, it's going to be several more years before I can build the raised beds that I want, so the garden will be in a constant state of transition until then anyway.
Have you thought about wetting the cardboard after you put it down so it mould to the ground then you can tell where you need thicker compost to end up in a few months with a more level bed once it's sunk and settled, cardboard meshes together slightly better too 😊
Good thinking, I do always wet the cardboard! I just don't show that in this video 🙂
I would remove part of the bed and remake into a 6ft x 4 ft so you can have one bed to grow in. Just my opinion
Dig it up, do it properly, get it right!!! 🤩
Hi JB, I find raised beds should have no more than 4ft width so, you can reach easily, can be any length. Measure your plot so, you can then plan your area. I. The meantime, if you have produce growing in beds, weed then and let them grow, giving you time to decide how you would like to have your area. Hope this helps. Love watching your videos. Thanks for sharing and take care 🙂
Work with what you've got and then make changes as the years progress. Take your time and really decide what works best for you
JB your enthusiasm is contagious! And , since you asked, here’s one idea for that 6X 6 foot raised bed. If it’s in a good location, why not put your blueberry bushes in there? No need to weed out in the center of the bushes, you put mulch down each year and they are fine. Since blueberries like acide soils, a raised bed would be easy to control that part. It depends on where it is in the garden of course for sun and that. I just thought it would save you the work of taking the wood panels apart to reconstruct the entire bed. Good luck with the new lot, it’s full of opportunities!
Just found your channel as im about to view an allotment on friday. I had one years ago so just reminding myself where to start 😂 love this series!
Thank you! Good luck with your new plot 😁
I'd remove all fruit bushes and pot them up, till you can chill with harsh removal. The no dig beds are brilliant. That's what I've done.
I was thinking about this too Bill, do you think they would be okay if I did this now it's spring? I'm not that experienced with fruit bushes!
Those beds at the end are so good! it is so exciting and I totally get your enthusiasm. It is the promise of possibility that makes laying out new beds so fantastic. 😄
Yessss!
Great start JB i know a blank canvas is great but you really get going when you make a start sometimes we make so many great plans and drawings but its an allotment just work with what you've got then make minor alterations in the many years of gardening ahead of you Rome wasn't built in a day
Very true!
Spring isn’t the best time to reorganise your plot when there’s so much else to be done. I’d probably live with the plot as it is for a year and plan to change the layout in the winter
I would leave those fruit bushes in the stupid place for this season. Find out what they are, tie labels to anything that is worth keeping and move them next winter.
I have to say I'm in camp rip it out. I had a couple of beds when i first took my plot, and after some thought I decided it was best to just build my vision. I look forward to seeing what you do with it all.Take care ash, luke, karri
Keep the paths, beds, and soft fruits for now. Mow everything including the beds to look tidy. It helps to see clearly what you have. Yes, do the no dig to your beds. That's it, you got it going....yay! Now, you see it, it will motivate you to keep going. :D
We don’t have wooden sides so we had grass so we cardboard the edges of the beds and woodchip over so keeping grass from getting into the bed
Good stuff, it is satisfying laying a new no dig bed. Well done, looks better already. I would have kept existing raised beds for first year to get it up and running, you’re right though they are an odd shape
Thanks Alec!
Hello JB! Just an idea, you could put a plank in middle of 6x6' bed, for some plants, then next year you can plan your way, just a thought!
Yep. I did this (and stepping stone style pavers) for my large garden beds - worked a treat!
Why touch it two to three times. Do it right the first time by fixing it and save some sanity as well.
This is my thinking too 😃
You have done well with those first beds👍🙋🏻
JB I have an out of the box idea, at least a small try on a small section... if u have access to power or generator..maybe a wet/dry shop vac to suck those bits of plastic up without disturbing it too much,just a thought,love your videos..from Indian River County Florida 👍
Great thinking!
I'd be inclined to use non-printed cardboard for your base layer as the ink is likely to leach into the soil.
Thanks for the tip Chris, everything I've read suggests it's all fine so long as it's not glossy cardboard. Even Charles D himself says it's fine!
I wasn't aware. Thanks for confirming. Charles D is the master after all!
Keep smiling JB!
Hi jb and yes I agree square isn’t good although no dig beds you can walk on a bit. You have quite a lot of work ahead of you. The grass is the nightmare. I think if you not gonna get on top of it all at once I would cover lots of areas with black plastic or cardboard and then gradually work your way through it. That way it doesn’t get any worse as now it’s warming up it will all go mad with growing. But I am looking forward to following you
Contain yourself JB don't get running before you can walk the beds look very good is that a part of the plan or are you just making it up as you go along
That bed at the front of the plot needs to come out and reuse the boards to make a 12ft by 4ft bed for the strawberries and then move the fruit canes down towards your fruit trees
The plot is very much loosely planned! I want to keep the + shaped grass path through the middle, have four large growing spaces (like the bed I've just made). One will be for the fruit bushes, possibly with a cage in time. You've got the same idea as me with moving the fruits down towards the fruit trees. I'm just thinking that now it's spring it probably isn't the best time to move them is it?
What you have done looks great! Great enthusiasm as usual.
Thanks Colin!
I absolutely love you energy. I wanna know more about this new garden bes, keep me in the loop!
Yes it got to flow
Hi JB I would keep the soft fruit and the no dig beds is a good plan, Happy Gardening
Hi jb I would move the raised bed & fruit bushes ! get it to what you like ! You have two plots & they want to look like one lv Irene 😘 xx
Start it all over. Just leave the tree. Clear up the wood and see what you can use. Keep the rhubarb. A nice neat layout with wildness within the individual plots. My two cents worth. I might add that Canada no longer has a penny so ….
I would remove the bed and the fruit bushes, do the other bed that you started. You'll be growing in it soon.
I wish I could do that, but more than 1000 m² weeds and can't buy organic vegan soil anywhere.
Have you planned what you are growing in that bed as some crops don't like manure
Great point Pauline, this manure is well rotted so it is much more like compost at this point. Fresh manure can burn plants but this stuff shouldn't do that. Where it is a mulch too, the plants will actually mostly be sending their roots down below the cardboard into the existing soil. And that soil will get better and better over time with no-dig mulches applied.
If I was you, I would measure the plot, put it on paper and then design what you want bearing in mind the aspect of the plot and where the sun is on paper and put it to action. dont just wing it and see what happens
Did you see my beginner guide episode one? 😉
isnt it expensive to use bag compost?
£3.50 a bag I paid for these. They're well rotted horse manure. In comparison to compost it's extremely cheap! They're also 80L bags, so a really good amount. Bit of a workout lugging them around though
@@JBNat lol that’s not to bad do you have an allotment shop
Is there a bathroom on your.lot ?
No, I think it's very rare to have a toilet block on an allotment
Are you on something asking for a friend 😂
I promise you, I'm just like this 😆
Too much yapping get some work done😊
I've just got my first plot, it's full of couch grass, brambles and gorse 🫣.. The brambles and gorse I can cut and burn but should I dig up the couch grass before making and filling raised bed... Love the new video content x
Thanks Jackie! I think Couch grass will struggle to grow if you mulch it really well with cardboard. Brambles will pretty much grow through anything though! So you're probably best off trying to dig out bramble roots where you can.
@@JBNat cheers 👍