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a have a feeling that i`ve left it abit late but wandered if anyone can help. i have a paved over garden but want to take it up and use the garden as an allotment to grow or own fruit and veg. What should i do first? i assume the soil under the paving is very poor, what can i do to it? do you think i could just do abit at a time as it`s gonna be abit of a task for little ol me

I'd go for the "bit at a time" approach - lift the paving in one section - give it a good dig, and incorporate loads of good organic material - then get some plants in - there's nothing like seeing results to encourage you to do the rest!
Good luck!

What martin says makes sense for just about any soil type, the more well rotted organic matter the better!

At some stage you might want to get a bit more techo and look at soil type, pH etc. but get things going first!

Nev

Why not start with pots? That will get you up and running very quickly, and the results will give you the motivation to rip up the paving in autumn and get your beds ready for next year.

Key things are:

* Bigger pots are better (especially for thirsty things like tomatoes) as they retain more water and you won't need to water quite as often. BUT they will need watering more often than plants in the garden.

* Light coloured pots are better - dark ones can really soak up the heat from the sun and cook the roots.

* Make sure the pots drain - so holes in the base and some broken pots/clean gravel in the bottom.

What to grow?

Well it depends on how much space you have, how big your pots are, and how mad you are!

Look for dwarf, bush and compact varieties, but if you can find large enough pots be more adventurous.

Dwarf french beans, spring onions, compact lettuces, radishes, some smaller squash and some dwarf tomatoes (the latter two in southern England) are all a good start if your pots are outside and on the smaller side. Inside, add cucumbers, aubergine and peppers, plus all the previous plants.

Unfortunately, it's really too late for potatoes and strawberries as they can do well in pots.

If you can find an old bath or similar, then you can grow root vegetables. Treat the bath like a raised bed crossed with a pot - gravel in the bottom, draining down to the plug hole; then clean soil and good compost. Grow beetroot (just enough time for some varieties) and shorter carrots.

With half wine/whisky barrels, you could plant peas or climbing French beans with a tripod to support them. Don't overplant, but you should get enough for a couple of meals off one barrel - and believe me, there's nothing better than pea rissotto made with peas straight off the plant!

Anything with vines or a climbing tendency can be trained up walls and fences, or left to descend from hanging baskets.

And keeping the best for last - I'd strongly suggest growing gourmet vegetables. With container growing, you're unlikely to grow enough to replace your supermarket trips so focus on growing things that add interest and zest to your cooking.

So go for small squashes, raddicchio, endive, peppers, red lettuces, chilies, herbs, sorrel, pak choi, rocket, etc.

All those lovely flavours will soon have you wanting more and the pavers will come up in no time...

Stonehead

PS Must dash as the sun's still out so I'm going to nip out and get a few more seeds in!

What he said. Don't be tempted to lift the paving until the autumn at least, because no matter how poor the soil the wind and birds will have weeds in it before you can blink. You might just want to have a look under one so you know what's coming though - at a guess the soil underneath will be compacted and very low in organic material, but you might have less pleasant surprises such as builders' rubble. Assuming the paving was laid properly you would be looking at concrete, 10cm of ballast (mix of gravel and sand) and maybe some sort of membrane.

Wait until the cooler weather comes in before mounting an assault because it's hot work, and the weeds won't trouble you so much. You'll want to cover your work up once the soil is prepared, until you're ready to start planting. Oh, and think carefully about where you want any paths - you could leave the slabs as a ready made path to save much work (or use unbroken ones laid straight onto the earth as stepping stones).

Good luck, and remember it'll all be worth it... although I don't envy you the job!

wow, lots of info, thanks. I need to get hold of some containers under the paving is just sand, thankfully
I like that I should leave it for a bit and it make sense with the weeds and all. let you know how i get on