[Welsh Merf]

I have decided to carry out an experiment on my plot, based on the advice given, and what I've read here.

To put you in the picture:

The plot, which is sandy in consitency, has been weed-killed with glysophate. I have not seen any evidence of bindweed or couch. I have split my plot into four sections: two large ones, a medium one, and a small one. I live on the Romney Marshes in Kent, and the allotment is at Lydd, which is not far from the sea.

I have rotovated the two larger sections down to about nine or ten inches, and covered them with a thick layer of horse manure. I will now leave them over winter exactly as they are.

The medium section, which has had the communal manure heap piled on it for the last three or four years (but there's none on it now), will be rotovated to nine or ten inches this afternoon. I will not be adding any manure, but I will be covering it with plastic sheeting over the winter.

The small section I will also be rotovating today, to the same depth as the other sections. But I will leave it totally uncovered, with neither manure or sheeting, until the spring.

The experiment:

I have not tried this before, as I've only just got the plot. However, I would like your views on how you think the different sections will turn out next spring, when the planting season begins. It should be both interesting and educational!

[Yorkie]

Good luck!

It will be interesting to see the results, although difficult to compare like with like unless you grow identical crops in all 3.

NB carrots and parnsips don't like recently manured beds.

[waddecar]

If i were to rotovate my clay loam at this time of year i would be wasting my time. At best the fine tilth would collapse in to a dense mass at worst substantial crusts would be created by the effects of winter rains.  (actually this year its more likely to result in gloop than fine tilth!) Either way the work would need to be done again next year before planting is undertaken.

With a sandy soil in an area of the country that enjoys low rainfall you might just get away with it.

You do not say why you have elected for different size beds - it could make crop rotation difficult.

Send us an update please

[HHH]

Hi Merf, I know New Romney and Lydd very well. My late mother lived at Lydd-on-sea and her biggest gardening problem was the dispersal of soil by the strong sea winds. Although this is  gradual it can be a real problem with the very fine sandy loam avaialble in those parts - her soil was imported from sheep-grazing land and laid over a layer of paper and cardboard on the shingle. Added to this the same winds will carry sturdy weeds and thistles a long way.

I think for these reasons covering will have a real benefit during the damp, blowy winters notorious in that part of the world. It will protect the soil from wind erosion and guard against advantageous colonisation by weed.

I'll be very interested in hearing how you get on. Good luck!