[aine]

hi there

looking for more advice. my brother is going to do some work around my house with a mini digger next week. i was thinking that it would be really handy to gtew my flower beds dug out as i would be years doing them with a spade.

just going to ask him to take the grass off and i can dig down myself and edge it.would that be ok?

i wont be able to afford to plant anything until next year...just wondering should i get some well rotted farmyard manure and dig it in, so as to have the area fertilised, or is there anything else i should do? should i cover it with plastic?

then i'm wondering about a suitable edging. i know nothing about railway sleepers. if i put them in (i mean my brother!!), how do they need to be set...in concrete? do they rot? is there anything else i need to know

thanks!

[Sive]

If you take the grass off as planned, remember to stack up all the sods and cover the top of the pile with some plastic and in a few months it all rots down to a fabulous loam. Don't throw it into a skip !!!!

[mcgrueser]

Nice idea with the sods Sive...This may be a stupid question (though there is no such thing in here i've heard!!) but does the plastic have to be coloured/non see-through plastic? As in, if i used clear plastic would the sun getting in still allow some of the sods to grow?
I only ask because i have a lot of clear plastic that i can use as opposed to black plastic, for example...

And when you say cover the "top" of the pile, do you mean literally just the top layer of sods or make a tent over the whole lot for it to effectively work?

[Sive]

I've never done this myself, but have seen it discussed on gardening programmes and apparently it makes a good quality loam. Common sense would suggest you'd need to exclude light...would you agree?
So an old bit of carpet or some such covering would probably work better.And anyway you would stack all the sods upside down so that would repress grass re-growth too.

[aine]

thanks for that SIVE. thats a fantstic idea.i never thought of that. i wonder would it definitely need to be covered? just asking cos we have a dog and i think he might take a liking to the plastic!!

do you have any more advice or answers to any of my other questions because you seem to know what youre talking about
thanks

[James Kilkelly]

Most of the tips contained in this post ( Planning Old-fashioned Perennial borders for Modern Gardens ) will apply to your situation aine.