Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: mrs mud on March 03, 2012, 11:39

Title: is lawn soil rich enough
Post by: mrs mud on March 03, 2012, 11:39

I have started taking up the lawn.  I am burying the turf upside down and then piling all the freshly dug soil on top.  The soil is amazing to handle, I've never had it so good after having heavy clay at my last house.  This soil is so easy to dig, it's quite fine and crumbly yet just sticky enough...I would say it's perfect.

Do you think it will have enough nutrients as it is ?  this year I am just planting peas, beans, spuds, onion sets (already in), rhubarb, gooseberry, and lots of salad and herbs

Title: Re: is lawn soil rich enough
Post by: mumofstig on March 03, 2012, 12:02

I'd still use some Blood Fish & Bone, even good soil usually needs feeding for vegetables to grow well  :)

Title: Re: is lawn soil rich enough
Post by: Janeymiddlewife on March 03, 2012, 13:07

If you're growing spuds, beware of the dreaded wire worm! This article gives more info on potato pests, there are varieties which are more resistant to them. They are a particular problem on soil previously used for grass :(

http://www.sac.ac.uk/mainrep/pdfs/tn631potatotuberpests.pdf

Title: Re: is lawn soil rich enough
Post by: Trillium on March 03, 2012, 15:47

Sounds like you have nice loam, but it doesn't mean its rich in nutrients. The grass has taken much of what it needs, along with any weeds that might have been there.

If you can get hold of any ready compost, as well as the suggested blood, fish, and bonemeal, it would help a lot.

And do be aware that grass harbors not only the wire worm, but also many grubs, so it will be a bit of a battle the first year or so, then likely good sailing afterward.

Title: Re: is lawn soil rich enough
Post by: Babstreefern on March 03, 2012, 16:08

I agree with the others, fertiliser will do it good and a good digging as well.  Soil sounds perfect 8)

Title: Re: is lawn soil rich enough
Post by: solway cropper on March 03, 2012, 20:24

I started my current veg plot from a lawn six years ago and would agree about the wireworm. The first couple of years they were a bit of a problem with the spuds but the soil is now really good after heavy applications of compost, etc. and I don't have many pest problems.

Get composting so that next year you have plenty to add to the soil and you'll soon have a very productive plot.

Title: Re: is lawn soil rich enough
Post by: savbo on March 03, 2012, 20:53

I'd rather have a friable soil I have to enrich than a claggy one...

Title: Re: is lawn soil rich enough
Post by: snowdrops on March 03, 2012, 21:04

Could you get some manure to add,would really make a difference,just not where carrots & parsnips are going if you were thinking of adding them to your list.

Title: Re: is lawn soil rich enough
Post by: mrs mud on March 04, 2012, 10:07

Thank to all replies, great info & much appreciated

I might not do spuds this year because of the wireworm, and I haven't bought them yet.  This patch of lawn is small-ish and more suited to tall beans and bits and bobs, but there is a larger lawned area that I was going to tackle next year, my OH wants to weedkill the lot but I have deterred him by saying I will hand dig it myself a bit at a time, so he is getting on with buiding the second hand greenhouse for now.

Cheers