Selfsufficientish.com

As you know I'm just starting out this year with veggies etc
I am going to ensure my land is well prepared for next year - but am confused (and OK a bit ahead of myself as my this years crops are still babies, 3 inch high dwarf beans - are they supposed to be so dwarf??)

anyway - how do I plant things in Autumn for next spring - if I need to dig in lots of compost
How do I dig in lots of compost if it isn't allowed to be dug in as it burns the soil? I want to use horse muck if I can scrounge some from a farm nearby - as my compost bin is only just starting out

do I plant what I want as per my bible (Readers Digest book) then spread muck on before the frosts a la no dig method (Bob Flowerdew book on the old xmas list)

any tips as ever much appreciated

Hi Sue,

I am just a novice and use my very knowledgable RD book too!

Dwarf beans are pretty small as I discovered this year. I was ready to tie them up to 6ft poles, until Nev told me they'd only grow about 30 cms or so. They did and they were a very sucessful crop. I will definately be planting those again next year.

I can't help you that much but I am sure there is a wealth of knowledge ready and willing to help you here. 8)

Sue - I too am pondering how to dig in compost the autumn before when there are lots of winter veg that will still be there in the ground!

My compost and the horse manure that I scrounged is, or will be, rotted so it won't burn the soil. I shall just spread it around the crops that are there and let the worms do the rest and dig it over once the winter veg are harvested. That's the best I can do.

If you use unrotted horse manure it should be OK on bare soil as it will have the winter to rot down (I think!), but shouldn't be put anywhere near plants.

What is the no dig method? Is that never dig, or just don't dig any more after an initial good digging? (Blimey, lot of digs in that sentence!)

There are no dig methods that involve never digging. For my soil (fairly thin top soil with heavy clay not far down) I think digging the beds over and adding compost can be beneficial - the ones I've worked for a few years that way are slowly becoming deeper and richer. Where I've got shrubs (mine is a very mixed garden) I'll often spread my compost on the surface there.

I haven't got enough room to wait for it fully transform into the kind of compost I want or to have different storage areas for different kinds of material but it works great as a mulch, twigs and fibrous bits and all.

Wulf