Showing Em what I'd been up to while she's been away and she suggested checking how the first water butt was doing. Very surprised to find it's almost full already! Haven't had loads of rain so I presume that corner of the house gets a lot of the run off from the roof. Now need to think about an overflow.
I'm thinking of maybe putting another water butt above it by building a frame or something. The advantage of that would be that the water from a higher one could be transported straight to the beds. For now with the lower one I'll have to carry it up in buckets, or pump it up. Em suggested looking into solar pumps.
Either way we're due for heavy rain at the end of the coming week, so I may try and get something in place by then - most likely an overflow for now if I'm going to go down the pump route anyway.
Sunday, 16 May 2010
Monday, 10 May 2010
Water Butt #2
A few days ago I bought the second waterbutt to go next to the shed. I still need to put guttering on the shed to actually collect the water, but the main task was clearing out the ground at the end of the shed.
There was a lot of mess that had been left by the previous occupants. I moved some large pieces of wood from behind the shed, and some bags of 'stuff'.
There was also a mound of 'maybe soil' at the end of the path along side the shed. This is ultimately where I wanted to put the water butt.
The stuff in the bags turned out to be more slate chippings, some very muddy soil with a brick in the middle, and general yuckyness. The pile at the end that I hoped would be soil with some chippings in it, turned out to be a large pile of chippings with some soil in it.
I started by clearing all the things from the bags away and cleared much of the pile of chippings back. As I was clearing this I came across many worms which I carefully moved into my veg beds to help with the working in of the manure. I then put a board across where I wanted the edge to be and filled it with chippings.
This extended round behind the shed for another couple of feet and managed to use up all but a couple of buckets of the chippings. I then covered it with some of the blue bags of soil left over from the sifting of the veg beds. And then started to build up the front of the board with some of the large stones that I'd taken out of the veg beds originally (and which had been having a temporary home under the arbour).
Next I built the stones up some more and put the remaining wooden posts across. They didn't quite reach all of the way, so I made the left end up with some more stones. I then filled this area with more soil and built a small raised area of soil on the right side so it was roughly level with the railway sleeper.
I then put in the water butt and its overflow. I'm not expecting to get much from the shed roof - only half is even in the open as the rest is covered by trees, but its the principle of it.
I still need to level them up at some point - probably just before putting the guttering on the shed - but that'll do for now as it means I've tidies the areas behind and next to the shed. I've also managed to use up a lot of my leftover soil, chippings, posts and large rocks, which is great.
Finally I put a load of soil in amongst the rocks to try and bed them in a bit, but made sure that the rock imediately below the water butt's tap was removable so that I can create a space for a watering can when I need it :)
A lot more effort then the photos may make it look - but as well as getting the water butts in place, it's just so much tidier now and there aren't any dumping grounds still left, which feels great.
There was a lot of mess that had been left by the previous occupants. I moved some large pieces of wood from behind the shed, and some bags of 'stuff'.
There was also a mound of 'maybe soil' at the end of the path along side the shed. This is ultimately where I wanted to put the water butt.
The stuff in the bags turned out to be more slate chippings, some very muddy soil with a brick in the middle, and general yuckyness. The pile at the end that I hoped would be soil with some chippings in it, turned out to be a large pile of chippings with some soil in it.
I started by clearing all the things from the bags away and cleared much of the pile of chippings back. As I was clearing this I came across many worms which I carefully moved into my veg beds to help with the working in of the manure. I then put a board across where I wanted the edge to be and filled it with chippings.
This extended round behind the shed for another couple of feet and managed to use up all but a couple of buckets of the chippings. I then covered it with some of the blue bags of soil left over from the sifting of the veg beds. And then started to build up the front of the board with some of the large stones that I'd taken out of the veg beds originally (and which had been having a temporary home under the arbour).
Next I built the stones up some more and put the remaining wooden posts across. They didn't quite reach all of the way, so I made the left end up with some more stones. I then filled this area with more soil and built a small raised area of soil on the right side so it was roughly level with the railway sleeper.
I then put in the water butt and its overflow. I'm not expecting to get much from the shed roof - only half is even in the open as the rest is covered by trees, but its the principle of it.
I still need to level them up at some point - probably just before putting the guttering on the shed - but that'll do for now as it means I've tidies the areas behind and next to the shed. I've also managed to use up a lot of my leftover soil, chippings, posts and large rocks, which is great.
Finally I put a load of soil in amongst the rocks to try and bed them in a bit, but made sure that the rock imediately below the water butt's tap was removable so that I can create a space for a watering can when I need it :)
A lot more effort then the photos may make it look - but as well as getting the water butts in place, it's just so much tidier now and there aren't any dumping grounds still left, which feels great.
3rd Bed Finished
This was a few days ago now, but I've finished the 3rd bed, and have now covered it as well.
I'll give it a week to let the manure work in and then I can start planting!
I'll give it a week to let the manure work in and then I can start planting!
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Separating beds and more preparing
Bit of a photoblog for me this one. A picture's worth a 1000 words and all that.
In my head this was done over a few days, but it all seems to have been on 30th April. We were off out that evening and over the Bank Hol weekend, when rain was forecast, so I was keen to get as much as I could done before then as it would be easier while the soil was dry.
Stage 1 - Dividing
First task was to dig a trech 2 spades deep. I'd got some wood from an old Ikea 'Billy' bookshelf, which was conveniently 1 spade(ish) wide.
I started by trying to join the 2 pieces of wood together so I could slot it in 2 deep, But that proved too difficult to do, and then to handle, so eventually I reverted to just one piece at a time. This may make them slightly misaligned in future, but hopefully not enough that it matters.
With the first piece of wood in I filled the bottom few inches of the trench with many of the stones I'd been removing... good to know they got a use after all.
Neareing the top of the first piece I started using soil so that the stones wouldn't work their way up again too much.
With soil filling to the top of the first piece I balanced the second on top and then filled the sides with soil too.
Having carefully measured to start I found that the deep part of the second trench was smaller as one of the sleepers was inset relative to the others. So a recut later and I found that it still wasn't enough! D'oh. Another recut and it went in fine.
Again infilling with the stones for the first few inches and then soil for the rest.
And ta dah!
Stage 2 - Sifting & Top Manure
Then it was onto each 'plot'. I now have individual plots! I removed the soil to a depth of a few inches and then sifted any big stuff from the surface. I then added another, thin, layer of manure and mixed it in by hand. I then covered the remaining few inches by sifting soil onto it.
It was a bit time consuming, but again I think the results will be worth it. I piled the soil I'd removed from the top of the plot onto the plot next to it, and then sifted from that pile back into the original plot.
A little remedial action was also needed in the corner of the bed. You can't see it from this pic, but there is a gap where the sleepers don't quite meet, so I've filled this with some large stones (removed earlier). Should be fine I think.
The soil amounts worked perfectly in the end. For the third plot I sifted a large pile onto the 2nd plot, so that once I was down to the appropriate depth I could mix in the manure and then just shovel some of the sifted soil back on top.
I was running out of time at the end, so had to leave the thrid plot with a few inches still to go, but with the thin layet of manure in - it's this that needs to settle for a week before sowing, so that was the priority.
Finally for the day I put the sheeting back over the first couple of beds. I couldn't find what I'd done with the sheeting I used before or I'd have covered the last bed too.
It's still to be finished with a top bit of manure and soil, but at least the main part of manure can be working it's way in for now.
And I've still got the entire lower bed to do - but as that's just one spade's depth I'm confident I can knock that off at some point.
The filled buckets tell their own story. All full of the sifted material - many stones, but also many small clumps of the clay soil. I'll use these either in my planters for potatoes/strawberries/herbs etc mixed with other stuff, or for building the section at the back of the shed where the other water butt is going to go. We'll see.
For the final inches of the third plot I'll start to use some of the semi-sifted soil from the blue bags, which'll free them up a bit.
For now, job's a goodun :)
In my head this was done over a few days, but it all seems to have been on 30th April. We were off out that evening and over the Bank Hol weekend, when rain was forecast, so I was keen to get as much as I could done before then as it would be easier while the soil was dry.
Stage 1 - Dividing
First task was to dig a trech 2 spades deep. I'd got some wood from an old Ikea 'Billy' bookshelf, which was conveniently 1 spade(ish) wide.
I started by trying to join the 2 pieces of wood together so I could slot it in 2 deep, But that proved too difficult to do, and then to handle, so eventually I reverted to just one piece at a time. This may make them slightly misaligned in future, but hopefully not enough that it matters.
With the first piece of wood in I filled the bottom few inches of the trench with many of the stones I'd been removing... good to know they got a use after all.
Neareing the top of the first piece I started using soil so that the stones wouldn't work their way up again too much.
With soil filling to the top of the first piece I balanced the second on top and then filled the sides with soil too.
Having carefully measured to start I found that the deep part of the second trench was smaller as one of the sleepers was inset relative to the others. So a recut later and I found that it still wasn't enough! D'oh. Another recut and it went in fine.
Again infilling with the stones for the first few inches and then soil for the rest.
And ta dah!
Stage 2 - Sifting & Top Manure
Then it was onto each 'plot'. I now have individual plots! I removed the soil to a depth of a few inches and then sifted any big stuff from the surface. I then added another, thin, layer of manure and mixed it in by hand. I then covered the remaining few inches by sifting soil onto it.
It was a bit time consuming, but again I think the results will be worth it. I piled the soil I'd removed from the top of the plot onto the plot next to it, and then sifted from that pile back into the original plot.
A little remedial action was also needed in the corner of the bed. You can't see it from this pic, but there is a gap where the sleepers don't quite meet, so I've filled this with some large stones (removed earlier). Should be fine I think.
The soil amounts worked perfectly in the end. For the third plot I sifted a large pile onto the 2nd plot, so that once I was down to the appropriate depth I could mix in the manure and then just shovel some of the sifted soil back on top.
I was running out of time at the end, so had to leave the thrid plot with a few inches still to go, but with the thin layet of manure in - it's this that needs to settle for a week before sowing, so that was the priority.
Finally for the day I put the sheeting back over the first couple of beds. I couldn't find what I'd done with the sheeting I used before or I'd have covered the last bed too.
It's still to be finished with a top bit of manure and soil, but at least the main part of manure can be working it's way in for now.
And I've still got the entire lower bed to do - but as that's just one spade's depth I'm confident I can knock that off at some point.
The filled buckets tell their own story. All full of the sifted material - many stones, but also many small clumps of the clay soil. I'll use these either in my planters for potatoes/strawberries/herbs etc mixed with other stuff, or for building the section at the back of the shed where the other water butt is going to go. We'll see.
For the final inches of the third plot I'll start to use some of the semi-sifted soil from the blue bags, which'll free them up a bit.
For now, job's a goodun :)
Sunday, 2 May 2010
My Butt Works!
We've finally had some proper rain and I went out and took this...
Success :) In about a week's time, once the patch is sorted, I'll try and put some drainage on the shed and get the second water butt up and running, running... geddit? :)
Success :) In about a week's time, once the patch is sorted, I'll try and put some drainage on the shed and get the second water butt up and running, running... geddit? :)
Friday, 30 April 2010
Plan for the Patch & update
Well, here's my plan for the patch. The green L shape is the higher area (2 spade depths) and the blue area the lower patch (1 spade depth). It's my aim to do the 3 plot rotation in the upper 3 parts, and leave the lower for the annual leafy stuff.
I also remembered this afternoon that I intend to put boards in to separate the upper beds to prevent diseases spreading while using the rotation system - which is a key part of using the rotation system in the first place.
I did manage to get most of the log roll in place this evening. I had 2 log rolls, which I had to trim and join in the middle.
But it already looks good and still leaves space for kneeling down to sow, weed, and prune, etc.
There wasn't any easy way of attaching it, so for now I've settled for putting a few screws into the sleeper to prevent it moving backward. These are onlt stopping the bottom couple of cm, so it may well lean over at the top once the soil's in. But we'll see.
The soil is going to stop the logs falling forward, so that part should be fine. I've managed to affix it at one end to the sleeper, but not at the other, where I'm just relying on a couple of screws. So I'll have to see how that works too.
So next it's remembering to put the wood in to divide it up. Then back to the plan.
I also remembered this afternoon that I intend to put boards in to separate the upper beds to prevent diseases spreading while using the rotation system - which is a key part of using the rotation system in the first place.
I did manage to get most of the log roll in place this evening. I had 2 log rolls, which I had to trim and join in the middle.
But it already looks good and still leaves space for kneeling down to sow, weed, and prune, etc.
There wasn't any easy way of attaching it, so for now I've settled for putting a few screws into the sleeper to prevent it moving backward. These are onlt stopping the bottom couple of cm, so it may well lean over at the top once the soil's in. But we'll see.
The soil is going to stop the logs falling forward, so that part should be fine. I've managed to affix it at one end to the sleeper, but not at the other, where I'm just relying on a couple of screws. So I'll have to see how that works too.
So next it's remembering to put the wood in to divide it up. Then back to the plan.
Thursday, 29 April 2010
First spade depth done - extra plans
Well it was this morning that I finished having turned in the manure to a depth of 1 spade (from the bottom). What with the aerating of the soil it's more like 1 1/2 spade depths, but that's fine. I'm still going to fill the soil to the top and then work in the next lot of chicken and farmyard manure.
One thing I have decided is that I am going to raise the level at the back to the same height as the rest of the bed (orange lines below).
After looking around I'm going to use the grass edging that looks like lots of little half posts. They do them in a rool-out line from the garden centre.
So that's next on the agenda so that I can level the soil across the patch before doing the final manure bit.
The other thing that I needed to work out was what to do with all of the soil until I need it for other things.
My plan is to move my mulch sacks to the patio, and put the bag of soil next to the shed as a temporary measure. I've learned my lesson from before about not putting it on the grass, which is why the blue soil containers are currently all balanced on the railway sleepers. My next task was to find a suitable bag.
Fortunately there's a bag that they do at Homebase called a HippoBag. The idea is that you use it like a skip - you buy the bag, fill it, and then call HippoBag to come and take it away. The taking away costs more, but I, like many others, just bought the bag to use as a bag without needing to use the skip part :)
I'm hoping it'll fit nicely in the space - which I intend to clear of debris before using. So next up is using the wonderful bit of man's gardening kit I bought a while back... The GardenVac 2700W Turbo!
One of the problems with the garden is that a lot of edging has been filled with slate chips. As you can see from the patio it's really easy for leaves and other organic matter to collect in these areas - its the same for the side of the shed, but more so. They don't sweep out as you move the slates, so we're hoping the uber-leafblower should do the job.
So, my to do list is now...
One thing I have decided is that I am going to raise the level at the back to the same height as the rest of the bed (orange lines below).
After looking around I'm going to use the grass edging that looks like lots of little half posts. They do them in a rool-out line from the garden centre.
So that's next on the agenda so that I can level the soil across the patch before doing the final manure bit.
The other thing that I needed to work out was what to do with all of the soil until I need it for other things.
My plan is to move my mulch sacks to the patio, and put the bag of soil next to the shed as a temporary measure. I've learned my lesson from before about not putting it on the grass, which is why the blue soil containers are currently all balanced on the railway sleepers. My next task was to find a suitable bag.
Fortunately there's a bag that they do at Homebase called a HippoBag. The idea is that you use it like a skip - you buy the bag, fill it, and then call HippoBag to come and take it away. The taking away costs more, but I, like many others, just bought the bag to use as a bag without needing to use the skip part :)
I'm hoping it'll fit nicely in the space - which I intend to clear of debris before using. So next up is using the wonderful bit of man's gardening kit I bought a while back... The GardenVac 2700W Turbo!
One of the problems with the garden is that a lot of edging has been filled with slate chips. As you can see from the patio it's really easy for leaves and other organic matter to collect in these areas - its the same for the side of the shed, but more so. They don't sweep out as you move the slates, so we're hoping the uber-leafblower should do the job.
So, my to do list is now...
- Attach log roll
- Fill soil to new level
- Turn in manure(s) & cover with sheet
- Move mulch bags out
- De-leaf next to shed
- Put down soil bag and fill with all extra soil
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