[inishindie]

Hi

I have received an e-mail from Gerald in Cork who is retiring later this year Here are his questions:


"hi gerald griffin cork here retiring aged 66 this august got present of half acre or more for as long as i can use it cannot start until Aug 21 what vegetables can i grow in late august September,October and or December would rotavator be ok? very black soft earth covered in lush grass. thanks geraldg"

Any ideas? I would be tempted to put in a green manure in raised beds or start raised beds and cover them to kill off the grass for next year.. I'm not keen on rotovators and would probably just work on a small area to start with. Sometimes too much could put you off.

Cheers

[Sive]

My better half tried green manure in one raised bed this winter and says he won't use it again....he says it was difficult to dig in and made his first plantings in that bed more of a problem. Just one opinion!
Otherwise my feeling is to start with a small area, and kill off the grass over the winter and start with potatoes in the spring which are reputed to break up new soil nicely.

[Garlicbreath]

If he gets one raised bed ready by November or thereabouts I'd suggest sowing broad beans and/or garlic. I've had great success with both from Autumn sowings.

[inishindie]

Thanks for the tips...

I always forget about sowing broad beans.. that's a good one.

Spuds keeps the weeds down too. Small area are good for keeping up the interest too. I don't have much luck with rotovtors though, they jjust tend to make more mess and p spread the weeds. Maybe I ought to go to one of out local ploughing competitions to see how it's done....Any more ideas?

cheers

[leslie Wylie]

Hi You must be very lucky but all the best in your new garden

Black polythene will be a big help to you . Dig over a bed approx 6ftx24ft let it overwinter and in the spring cover with the polythene make sure the edges are well buried and plant onion sets 6inches appart in rows using cross slits you should have a great crop and not weeding

But a word of advice keep within you working limits

[leslie Wylie]

on second thoughts 66 is a bit old for taking on a new veg plot it would be perfect for a person in their 40s
but carry on with small beds

[Ordinary Man]

I am in a similar situation. I am topsoiling and seeding my gardens these days but I would like to reserve a part of my back garden for a vegetable plot. Should I plant something there now or prepare for planting potatoes in the spring time? I would love to start planting now but what could I plant and when would it be ready for harvesting?

[inishindie]

Hi ordinary man.....

You could still plant salad stuff and leeks to get you going.....

I'm a bit distracted though from the earlier comment from Leslie....

I think 66 is a perfect time for starting new projects.....any age really.

I have a friend who is in his mid 60's and runs marathons as well as looking after a massive garden (I've put on a link so you can see the muscles.)

My mother in law is 80 and runs 15 yoga classes a week and indulges in bodyboarding in her spare time.....

http://inishindie.blogspot.com/2007/10/stroll-in-garden-donal-doherty.html

cheers

Ian

[sunnymount farm]

Like your attitude inishindie.
Donal looks like real goer alright!