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Grow your own  permalink

paddock

• Message 1. 

  Posted by forknspade (U15210122) on Saturday, 31st March 2012

  I can get the use of an disused horse paddock to grow veg and was wondering what soil preparation would be need to grow the veg.
  
  All help would be greatly received
  
  Should also say i'm new to grow your own veg

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by BaraGwenith (U14257539) on Saturday, 31st March 2012

  Do check that you don't need planning permission to do this. Change of use from agricultural land.
  
  This may not seem too important to you now, but you would be devestated if you were asked to return the land to a paddock some years down the line when you had done a lot of work on it and had growing crops.

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by As-If (U15116884) on Saturday, 31st March 2012

  It will be like starting an allotment from scratch. First mark out an area that you think will be manageable, then take the turf off. Then dig that area over.
  It`s as you are digging it over that you will get an idea of what the soil is like.
  If it is very stony take out the biggest stones, but don`t take them all out, as a few stones left in help aerate the soil
  
  In the past gardeners advised growing potatoes as a first crop in "virgin" soil. These days some people have disagreed with that idea, but I still think it`s a good one, especially if you are new to gardening, because potatoes leave the soil friable, and are easy to grow. They will be growing away while you decide what to do with the next section of earth.
  Also, now (up until end of April) is exactly the right time to plant potatoes.
  

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• Message 4

  , in reply to message 3.

  Posted by forknspade (U15210122) on Saturday, 31st March 2012

  Thank you for the quick replies
  
  didn't know about the planning permission bit will have to look into that
  
  Had a little dig around earlier and it seems quite stoney luckily i bought a cheap rotovator a few weeks back so that should come in handy

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• Message 5

  , in reply to message 4.

  Posted by BaraGwenith (U14257539) on Saturday, 31st March 2012

  Sorry, all my advice seems depressing, but make sure you remove all perennial weed like dock, thistle, dandelion or buttercup, to name but four, before you rotovate or you will spread the weeds rather than remove them.

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