[clueless but trying!]

Hi all, I'm completely new to growing veggies and have recently started the process. I have a plot that's 9m X 5m and i am in the preparation stage. The top layer of soil and weeds (about 2 ins) was removed and i've rotovated it 5 times. It is in pretty good shape except for one thing - straw. I'm guessing it was the location for a straw feeder one time as in places, there is a lot of straw in some places (packed in bunches and deep in some places). Is this a good or bad thing and how diligent should I be in clearing it. Any advise would be most welcome..... : :?:

[richyrich7]

Hi and welcome  

Get rid of the bunches if you can, whats rest will rot eventually over the year you may want to add a little xtra feed into the soil as the breakdown of the straw will take some of the nitrogen out of the soil which is essentail for plant growth. So add rotted manure or similar.

[Aunt Sally]

I agree with Richy.  Put the bunches on the compost heap and feed when the plnts need it.

I've moved this post tothe GYO section so do pop back to the Welcime forum to introduce yourself clueless but trying!  

[mkhenry]

I always like to help straw break down by hitting and bashing it with the back of a spade or a big hammer.  It breaks down much more quickly then without losing the benifits.

On a compost heap I never like to put too much on in one go. It can start to burn in the right/wrong conditions. :roll:

[gobs]

What is the soil like, please? It is a common break down, losening natural additive on clay.

At any rate I'd be much more worried about you removing top soil, than straw being around.

[clueless but trying!]

Hi,

Thanks everyone for getting back so quickly. The soil seems pretty good, nicely drained and breaks up easily enough. I tested it and it is ph neutral.

The soil removal I mentioned was a friend of mine and his mini-digger! He scraped about an inch of the soil off plot and so took most of the weeds and grass with him, leaving just bare soil with most of the weeding done. This meant I could start rotovating it almost immediatly.

When I finish breaking up the soil with my fork, I'll rake it and then make the drills. At least I know how much time to spend on the straw I find now!