Growing veggies, advice please

[Dotty0]

Hello there

I have spent a back breaking morning in the drizzle marking out and digging a vegetable patch.  I have alot more to do, but thought it was time to make a start.  I don't have a rotavator, so am having to do it all with my own fair hands.  Whilst digging, I had all these questions popping into my head and thought I would put them to you.  Have listed them to make it easier if anyone wishes to reply.

1. Whilst digging, unearthed several colonies of black ants and white larvae, will they hamper my vegetables? Is there a way to get rid of them and do I need to?

2. I removed the top layer of soil complete with turf, can this be used for anything else.  I assume it should not be mixed in with any other thing trying to grow as it will spread weeds.  There is and will be alot more by the time I've finished, can it be put to use for anything else?

3. I have two kittens aged 5 months.  Are they likely to scratch up and use the soil as a toilet.  If so, is there something to plant ot keep them off?

4. I live in Dept 79.  When is the best time to start planting and what is the first thing I should plant.  Eventually I want to grow a variety of vegetables all year round, but as its my first time I think its sensible to try a little at a time.  Any ideas?

All comments welcome.

Dotty

 

[chris pp]

The turf can be stacked somewhere,  grass side down, just keep stacking in a square or rectangle and when complete cover with black plastic or an old carpet. This will kill everything that is growing in it and after 18 months you will have superb top soil loam.  I never seem to have any detrimental effects caused by ants, as you continue to work the patch and weed etc the ants will move on anyway, in fact as you are disturbing their nests at the moment you are exposing a bit of extra food for insect eating birds. Our cats never use the veggie patch but they may be because they have such a vast area of surrounding land to choose from.   What to grow and therefore when to sow/plant out depends on what you want to grow, make a list of what you would like to grow first.

Organically,   Chris

 

[Iceni]

Dotty

4. Spy on neighbours and do what they do when they do it.

3. If they start the toilet trick, the freshly turned earth will make burial easier.[6]

John

not

[zeb]

Dotty, buy the Rustica weekly gardening magazine from the supermarket. It will tell you what jobs to do and what to plant each week. Although it's in French it's very easy to follow and, with the aid of a dictionary, will help improve your French (if it needs to be improved).

At least with digging you can unearth and remove weed roots like bindweed. Rotovators, as well as a tendency to compact the soil, cut the roots into small pieces and scatter them.

If your cats do present a problem when you are planting, just cover things up with dead bracken or fine netting.

Courage!

[York]

Thank you, its all being noted.

[French Novice]

Hi Dotty

Like you I started my veggie patch last year without using a rotavator etc. I find that it has really helped with the weeds as you get all the roots out. My advice with the veggies is to read a few simple websites/books make a list of things you will really eat and then have a go. Our first crop last year was great and has inspired me to double the size of our bed and add a few things that we find hard to find in France such as corn on the cob and parsnips. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have and friends/family who have stayed love to help out in the summer - especially with the picking and eating! Happy digging.

[Suandpete]

We also live in 79 - and this year are

planning what to put in our veggy plot taking into account the fact

that watering restrictions are almost certain to be much more stringent

than last year.  As you are probably aware we still have quite

stringent restrictions and they have just been extended for another

month.  We are going to concentrate on growing plants which are

less thirsty.  We are also going to repeat what we did last year -

bury pop bottles upside down with the bottoms cut off next to the

plants like tomatoes which do need daily water - so that limited water

goes to the roots which are also thus encouraged to grow deeper.

Bon plantation!

[Patf]

I also started off removing the top layer of grass etc then roughly

digging over. Because our soil is almost pure clay we have had to add

loads of organic material eg cow manure, poultry house straw home-made

compost etc and it's just starting to look like soil. It has always

been very fertile. The locals here rotovate regularly, and do hand

weeding or hoeing once the plants start growing. I get the Rustica

magazine too and it's very good on current jobs and many other things.

I think at the moment they suggest starting things off from seed, under

cover. You can still put broad beans in, but not if the soil is too

wet. Pat.

[Lou]

We are also in the process of creating a veggie patch.  I went off

to the Tabac this afternoon to have a look for the Rustica magazine as

recommended, and found they are currently doing a special bumper issue

on this very topic (labelled "Special Potager" Fev, Mars, Avril issue)

Haven't had chance to look at it in detail yet but it includes sections

on preparing the ground and what to plant etc.

Looks really useful - thanks for the tip!!

Lou

[MargaretD]

We've been trying to get our garden veg patch going for a few years, and in the end four years ago I couldn't cope with only being here for a few weeks a year so covered the whole patch with thick polythene.  Last spring, just four months before movinh here permanently, all my neighbours stood at their fences as I started removing one third of the polythene.  The area was weedless!  Their faces were a sight - gaping mouths.  So I sowed my parsnips, as I knew I couldn't buy them here.  When we arrived in August one neighbour said in french, "I've had to do some weeding.  Under all that polythene the old seeds of parsnips must have germinated - so I'm sure you'll be pleased - I've pulled them all out."  How I idn't kill him.............. 

I've now uncovered the rest of the ground and I'm ready for the planting season -

And Rustica is a great magazine.  I got introduced to it at the hairdressers and now we get our own copy.

As has already been said, Bon Plantation!

Margaret

[Dotty0]

It looks as though I'll be going to the newsagents tomorrow to get a copy of Rustica.  Thank you for all your tips.  One other question, is it ok to just put the seeds in the ground.  I haven't got a green house to plant in small trays, then move to the patch once they have started to grow.

Thanks again

Dotty

[French Novice]

As ever, it depends on what you're growing some can be put straight into the soil such as peas, broad beans, french beans, carrots and quite a few others. Sounds silly, but the best thing is to read the seed packets. Others like the good old tom need to be planted in either seed trays or put a few in small pots and then plant out when they're strong. Also don't forget that you can buy lots of plants in local markets and garden centres - aubergine, pepper, courgettes, onions. It's a good way of building your garden overnight!!

[opas]

I too aquired a potager late last summer.  5 ft high weeds were the first job, and then turning over , like a lot of you with a fork, my gardening neighbours, all men and the youngest must be 70 , think I am crackers.They kept asking if I had a rotavateor, when I answered no, none offered me theirs.

yesterday I had an audience of two whilst I weeded out an area and when I proceded to put seeds in , came over to ask what I was doing. Parsnip and sweeds.....i showed them the packets as I didn`t have the french name for sweed on my tongue, the toothless grins were out! Now I  think their suspicions are confirmed.

I have also bought seedlings from the markets, lettuce, cougette, auberging, red pepper,red and green cabbage and onions. Tonight we are having one of my home grown lettuce with our wraps for tea.

But they are cunning devils therse experienced gardeners, they tell you one thing and then do the oposite, ie, one of them laughed when I said I was planting peas last october.....too early they said, wait till february, hey presto they also now have peas growing in neat rows, so had obviously planted at the same time!

Next laugh for them will be when I try to make a frame to support my tomatoes.

heaven help me IF if grow a prize onion!!

[Tony F Dordogne]

I've been getting Rustica weekly since we arrived (I now subscribe) and it's recently changed format.

It's gone from being what I think was a really good and practical gardening mag (sort of a French Kitchen Gardens mag in the UK) to being something of a lifestyle mag, to me it's recently lost it's organic edge and has gone for a lot of smaller news articles, adverts for garden furniture and that sort of thing, sort of cheaper 'Mon Jardin Ma Maison' type of thing.

Stick with it for the time being though, some interesting stuff in it but not what it once was.

 

[Philmco]

Tony

I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't like the new style Rustica; I don't think I'll renew my subscription.

On another tack altogether, you mentioned elsewhere that you worked for B & Q; my wife was interested as she spent 13 years with them, and wonders whether your path and hers crossed at any time.

[derf]

"Parsnip and swedes.....i showed them the packets as I didn`t have the french name for sweed on my tongue,"

Parsnips are called  Panais (de Guernsey) and swedes are Rutabga

[Tony F Dordogne]

Hi Philmco

No idea whether we met - I was only with the company 4 years worked at West Thurrock, Chelmsford (on attachment), Beckton (tin hats and dustbin lids, on attachment), Croydon (on attachment), Chelmsford and finally Roneo Corner.

Started as a Sunday boy cos I was bored with retirement and own business, ended up store manager.  Couldn't wait to get out in the end.