[Bantymad]

Hi i'm new to the forum and have grown a few vegies this year for the firs time, think i have made some mistakes witch with help can put right next year. I'v grown runner beans, tomatoes, carrots, sweetcorn, potatoes, and salad things. Bean poles to short only used 6ft ones and most of the beans are crouded at the top, with lots of leaves but do have lots of beans to. Tomatoes..well lots of leaves, lots of flowers. but only seem to have fruit at tops of plants. Have planted it all in a boarder and some in tubs but am in the process of moving chickens to make room for a space of 6 metres by 5 metres for next year so any help or tips on prepareing slightly clay soil for next year would be very greatfully recieved.

Glenda

[Livinhope]

At least your beans should be easy to pick and as long as they have something to climb height, at least what you have, shouldn't be too much of an issue.  Regards the toms I have grown from seed and found that they don't fruit until higher up the plant whereas commercially grown plants fruit much lower down.  The only reason I can think is that I don't harden them off early enough and mollycoddle them too long.  My toms I grow in tubs and have taken the leaves back to halfway so that the fruit gets more of the feed.

[Bantymad]

Problem is where i only used 6ft canes they have grown about 2ft higher so have all tangled across the top, not sure if i should try and cut back some of the leaves as it's so dense. As for picking them, i'm only 5ft 2ins!! I got toms from garden centre and planted in tubs, think i should of pinched bits out somewhere but not sure where.

[Livinhope]

With the toms, bush you don't pinch, cordon you do, unless someone knows different.  There are differing opinions.  If you can reach the beans I would leave them alone, the leaves probably keep them cool and tender to a certain extent.

[potatogrower]

for clay soil, just add some cheap compost, sand, and manure and dig it all in. if you have a rotivator handy then that will make life easy and breaks up the clay soil. i get 3 70 litre compost bags for £10 from a local allotment shop, thats the best price i can get here. i wouldn't use wet manure so if you can get dried manure then that would be ideal to aide digging. not sure but think builders sand is what i used maybe someone could kindly clarify this.

[SG6]

Dig in whatever comes to hand and is inexpensive. You want to break up the clay structure. As PG say cheap compost, sand, fine gravel (forget the proprer name), manure, I have thrown in fine bark chips at times. Basically whatever I had lying around.

Find that shredding something that hasn't grown well (Broccoli) and adding it to the ground or compost heap particularily satisfying.

[Yorkie]

not sure but think builders sand is what i used maybe someone could kindly clarify this.

This has been discussed a couple of times before but I can't remember whether we actually reached a definitive answer on this.

I have always thought that builders sand was inappropriate for horticultural use as it clumps too easily (or some other reason like that).  Others have agreed and disagreed!

So can't actually clarify one way or the other (at least I tried !) 

[Bantymad]

Thanks everyone
will leave beans and toms alone, would sharp sand be ok to use? the chickens have been on the ground since sept last year so is that ok? i have friends with horse so can i use current dung or well rotted? Also i have things growing in tubs so when they are finished can i also usu the potting compost. I have been digging it over every few weeks for the girls. Also i read somewhere that comphrey is good to grow and then dig into ground? any thoughts on this.

[Yorkie]

I think sharp sand is OK.

Fresh poo is generally too 'hot' for plants and needs to be rotted down before putting into contact with plants or it burns them.  You could put it on the soil fresh and leave over winter if you wanted, or else just compost it / leave it in a heap for quite a few months first. 

Should be OK to use the chicken site for plants next year.

You can put potting compost on the soil for next year, just don't put tomato compost where you are growing spuds or tomatoes - same family and you want to encourage crop rotation.

Comfrey is a great soil conditioner and compost activator.  You ideally want the sterile Bocking 14 variety (no seeds) as the wild variety is, er, wild in its ambitions to take over the plot and the world!

[sunshineband]

You could also consider a green manure over the area, as this will help condition the soil as well as add nutrients from deeper down into the layer you will br growing veg in 

[Bantymad]

Okaaa so if i dig quite deep and add sharp sand, potting compost etc, i could then spread manure over the top and leave over winter!? and sorry for being dim but where would i get the comphrey? and what is green manure?  so much to learn so thank you all for the help, am realy enjoying my garden this year.

[sunshineband]

Your plan for digging in sand etc and then spreading manure is a good one.

If you wantted to grow a green manure, read this article of John's, which explains the purposes etc. You don't need to do this as well as spread animal manure at the same time.http://www.allotment-garden.org/fertilizer/index.php

PS There are lots of useful articles around in the buttons at the top of the page as well as at the beginning of the forum (stickies, these are called  )

Comfrey is a herb that adds huge amounts of nutrients to the soil when composted or used to make liquid feed 

Hope that helps 

[Bantymad]

Just found the stickie section!! will stick to digging in and spreading muck over. thanks for the link will have a good look through all different sections.

[sunshineband]

Happy reading -- I warn you, it's addictive 

[Springlands]

Happy reading -- I warn you, it's addictive 

Very, very addictive  Aw well has given me something to do in all this wet weather.