Grow Your Own Magazine

what can you grow in 4ins of top soil?

What's under the top soil Billyboy?

What kind of thing are you wanting to grow - fruit/veg/flowers etc...?

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Think I may have had a bit more soil, but what I've noticed is since originally digging it over for the first time earlier this year, and now digging in the pony poo and a bit of left over compost, I've actually got more "soil" if you know what I mean! Perhaps you could do that billyboy. DDL

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

mainly rubbish under the top soil shortie. thanks for the advice ddl. ive grown a few things this year to see what would grow. strawberries broad beans french beans runner beans carrots salad stuff rhubarb. all did well but peas just died off. im planing raised beds for next year. need to get hold off about 2ton of manure. anyone know off anywhere near doncaster?

An ideal opportunity to use raised beds methinks!

Have you tried newsagents windows/local newspapers billyboy? Used to live in Barnsley and then Wakefield years ago - used to love coming shopping in Donny - apart from that awful main road (from our side coming into Donny) that was always full of traffic! We reckoned that there were traffic jams at 2am in the morning! never did find out though! Excellent nursery off that road that sells fushias! super! DDL

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

I know a guy called Donny, not that its going to help you

no, no, no Adam! not that one! DDL

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

As an ex farmer can say never bothered when people asked for muck(we always had loads!) try and find a farmer thro a friend or drive past and if friendly ask if they would let you know when they are emptying their midden,should be soon as frosts due and either take a trailer round or say you would pay for them to deliver a load. If you get some when they are emptying it will be able to get older stuff from the back of the heap.

That's a good tip annie. MInd you most places around here are amenable to people pitching up any time to collect. We can usually organise a delivery through the site rep for the lotties but you've then got to deal with it all not in bits (so to speak).

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

I think I've beaten Nick to the age old joke,,,,,3 and a half inch carrots!!!!!!

The bad news is that you either tackle the problem now and dig out any rubbled or compacted pan and add plenty of mucks and worms (also known as bastard digging), even with raised beds you are going to still have drainage problems and parasites/bacteria could build up in the soil creating problems later on. I'd peg out your raised beds and try and get down two spits deep, adding plenty of humus as you go. It will benefit you in the long run. You don't have to do it all at once but it should be done.

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Andrewo
www.andrewoldham.co.uk

Well named innit?

Very well named, all always remember the Alan Titchmarsh anecdote when he trained with Leeds Municipal Parks and trained under an old-timer of a head gardener who would plant something and then whisper to it. The young Alan asked what the old gardener was saying to all these plants, and he replied: "Well, I plant them good, I water them well and then I says to them, 'Grow you bugger'". Just shows no matter how well you get a plant off in life, sometimes they need some extra encouragement.

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Andrewo
www.andrewoldham.co.uk

3 3/4inch carrots.

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My phone has more Processing power than the Computers NASA used to fake the Moon Landings

Sorry Burnie didn't see your post still great minds

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My phone has more Processing power than the Computers NASA used to fake the Moon Landings

what do you want to grow billy boy, lots of things have small root systems.
think i would go down the dig as much as you can, add some s**t, and put in raised beds.
ever thought of containers.

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Yo an' Bob
Walk lightly on the earth
take only what you need
give all you can
and your produce will be bountifull