The answer lies in the soil...........

  • 5 Replies
  • 2681 Views
*

AlaninCarlisle

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: North Cumbria
  • 1943
The answer lies in the soil...........
« on: January 14, 2018, 14:42 »
........as the character in the 1950s radio comedy, Round the Horne, Arthur Fallowfield used to say.
How true is is. When I wanted to expand my veg growing a few years ago, I commandeered and fenced off part of our pasture to establish a new veg garden and polytunnel. The soil there is totally unlike that in my established veg garden, which is what you might call rich, free-draining loam and very deep.

The soil in the ex-pasture patch is shallow, very sticky and frequently water-logged. Despite me throwing muck on it every year for the past six years, it is still very sticky and pretty useless for most crops I've tried on it with the notable exception of celeriac. They are huge, as big as swedes and now very much in demand amongst family and friends (good thing too as I grew 60 this season!). By contrast the celeriac in the established garden with the deep rich loam are puny little things, nut much bigger than a tennis ball.

I'm now wondering if any other reader has found a similar massive difference between soils in neighbouring locations?

*

Offwego

  • Experienced Member
  • ***
  • Location: West Wales
  • 381
Re: The answer lies in the soil...........
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2018, 16:10 »
yes i have , our first allotment was plot 7 very claylike soil  and hard work to do anything with, we have now moved further up the site but only about 50 yards away and the soil is completely different far more open and fertile. i believe as our current plot backs onto a row of houses that they have dumped all sorts over the wall over the years and thats why. The chap that used to back onto our plot was a well known canary breeder and we often dig up broken bird feeders so we think that perhaps the weekly cage  dropping clean came over as well?
the field was also used for horses and as we are now on the top where is is almost level i wonder if the horses used to shelter there against the wall and  in the meantime manure the ground at the same time , far more than they would on a slope .
« Last Edit: January 14, 2018, 18:13 by Offwego »

*

rowlandwells

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: northamptonshire
  • 3150
Re: The answer lies in the soil...........
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2018, 18:07 »
if I remember Kenneth Williams was the voice of Arthur Fallowfield anyway quite rite the answer does lie in the soil

we have two allotments one is quite heavy ground with a mixture of soils some parts less heavier than others the other a more lighter soil one plot lays water logged through the winter months and both are best kept of till spring I like to plough both before winter sets in because I find the ground breaks down better for spring cultivation had both allotments soil tested with no probs

but we need to plant according to the soils because brassicas planted on some parts of the allotment would be a waste of time and one plot is rife with club root inherited from the last plot holder that's why I'm turning to raised beds as an alternative on one plot

I'm pretty positive when it comes to crop rotation and I have decided to grow green manure as part of a yearly rotation year on year one of the best prolific crops on one plot is strawberries moved onto another site every 2 years same allotment re planted same applies to raspberries good cropper

I'm of the opinion that if you know your ground or soil then that's half the battle in growing and achieving good results so as you say the answer definitely does lie in the soil :D :D


*

sunshineband

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Reading, Berkshire
  • 32056
  • Tallest Sunflower prizewinner 2014
    • A Little Bit of Sunshine
Re: The answer lies in the soil...........
« Reply #3 on: January 15, 2018, 09:33 »
Our two plots are next door to each other. Plot 1 has had 7 years of organic matter added to the soil. When we took on Plot 2, which had been meadowland, then untended, the soil was thin and pale, and crops struggled in it

Two year later it is improving slowly

The answer is indeed in the soil, and effort we make to support it
Wisdom is knowing what to ignore - be comfortable in your own skin.
My Blog
My Diary
My Diary Comments

*

AlaninCarlisle

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: North Cumbria
  • 1943
Re: The answer lies in the soil...........
« Reply #4 on: January 15, 2018, 10:43 »
What I find intriguing about my situation is that the newer plot (former pasture) with the shallow, sticky soil that gets water-logged each winter is so prolific with celeriac but poor with just about everything else I've grown there, despite 6 years of manure applied to it.
Is there any logic there?

*

JayG

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: South West Sheffield
  • 16722
Re: The answer lies in the soil...........
« Reply #5 on: January 15, 2018, 11:32 »
Celeriac likes plenty of water, logic suggests that it's also more tolerant of too much water than many other vegetables.

Just about related to the topic, the soil in my area is sandy, and takes a lot of feeding to deliver good results, and that includes the lawn, which barely grows at all in summer thanks to the combination of dryness and lack of food (I concentrate my efforts on the veg garden and have pretty much given up on the lawn.)

About 15 years ago my then neighbours re-turfed their lawn, which grew enthusiastically for many years, much to the dismay of themselves and subsequent owners who would have much rather had a low maintenance 'lawn' like mine.  :lol:
It's only in the last year or so it's become more like my impoverished patch, so I can only assume the small amount of good soil which came with the turf was enough to sustain the grass for all those years (no way any of my recent neighbours would have either watered or fed it!  ::))
Sow your seeds, plant your plants. What's the difference? A couple of weeks or more when answering possible queries!

One of the best things about being an orang-utan is the fact that you don't lose your good looks as you get older



xx
the answer lies in the ground?

Started by rowlandwells on Grow Your Own

7 Replies
1899 Views
Last post September 21, 2021, 09:53
by Gardener and Rabbit
xx
Well I know the official answer but ......

Started by puravida on Grow Your Own

16 Replies
6024 Views
Last post February 03, 2008, 09:24
by Rob the rake
xx
Pre-germination - answer to carrot fly?

Started by bayleaf on Grow Your Own

16 Replies
5721 Views
Last post January 08, 2011, 13:41
by digalotty
xx
100% Organic Answer to the Mole problem

Started by amberleaf on Grow Your Own

22 Replies
4691 Views
Last post June 13, 2008, 23:29
by vegmandan
 

Page created in 0.354 seconds with 39 queries.

Powered by SMFPacks Social Login Mod
Powered by SMFPacks SEO Pro Mod |