Hello there, we are running out of space in our veg plot and are planning to dig up part of a paddock to grow larger crops of onions and potatoes
I seem to remember there is a pest in grassland that could cause problems. Is there anything we could do in advance to prevent problems later?
Digging up grassland
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sue-the-recycler
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Hi
I think its wire worms and possibly chaffer grubs. I know when I dug up some grassland I had real problems. I only used the open ground once and put raised beds on it the following season after letting the chickens have free range for a month or so. That seemed to fix the problem.
I think its wire worms and possibly chaffer grubs. I know when I dug up some grassland I had real problems. I only used the open ground once and put raised beds on it the following season after letting the chickens have free range for a month or so. That seemed to fix the problem.
Any alternatives to chickens?? We've just acquired some extra land at the bottom of our,previously, tiny garden and we've spent the last few weekends eagerly digging our first veg.plot. the land was just open field previously but I didn't know that could course it's own problems! what do these worms & grubs look like? what problems do they cause? help,please?!
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spinningfishwife
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It`s wireworms that are the problem, isn`t it? They live in permenant pasture, then when you start cultivating root crops they go for these instead.
There was a article in Kitchen Garden about making lazy beds in grassland, btw. Perhaps one of the forum admin folk can help if it`s availible online? In the meanwhile, here`s a link I found out on the web...might help...
http://www.countrylife.net/
There was a article in Kitchen Garden about making lazy beds in grassland, btw. Perhaps one of the forum admin folk can help if it`s availible online? In the meanwhile, here`s a link I found out on the web...might help...
http://www.countrylife.net/
Val
Hi Salopfowl,
I have taken the following method from an old gardening book which may help you
it say's that you cut in half carrots and potatoes and spear them with short canes to mark their positions,you then place carrot/potatoes with the cut surface downward and buried just beneath the surface of the soil (2in) this they say is an effective way of trapping wireworms.
Hope this is of some help
Kevin
I have taken the following method from an old gardening book which may help you
it say's that you cut in half carrots and potatoes and spear them with short canes to mark their positions,you then place carrot/potatoes with the cut surface downward and buried just beneath the surface of the soil (2in) this they say is an effective way of trapping wireworms.
Hope this is of some help
Kevin
Having taken over 11 acres of pasture which I intend to create a market garden I tried several methods last year. A local contract farmer failed to turn up to plough it. Anyway I prefer having smaller plots for planning and rotation purposes. The following method we fould very easy with the assistance of a rotavator.
A)Cut the grass to as low as your mower can go, or make the beds as soon as the sheep have been moved off!
B)Do 2 or 3 passes with the rotavator so that you get down to just below root level.
C)Mark out rows for ridges about 2 metres (6 feet) apart.
D) Shovel all of the loose soil & grass debrie on to the ridges mark out at C)
E) Plant ridges with your crop.
F) Rotavate the spare ground again for 2 or 3 inches and again shovel this onto the crop row.
G) Either rotavate the spare ground to a seed bed and grow a green manure or other crops. Or Mulch with a material of your choice and wait.
My partner and I managed to make a 20 metre square bed in about 2 hours....although the shovelling was hard work (My job) and my partner was catching me up with stage F while I was still on stage D! So maybe 2 shovellers to 1 rotavator is needed.
I grew potatoes on the ridges and a selection of salad veg, peas and turnips on the 'spare' ground. The potatoes were very easy to lift although some grass did grow. I have now covered the ridges with black polythene for the winter to suppress the weeds and warm the soil in spring. I hope next summer to have the hay from the surplus land made into small bales so that I can move this around easily and use as a mulch.
Our ground is very heavy clay so I will be making more of these beds and putting LOADS of organic mulch on the spare bits this year.
A)Cut the grass to as low as your mower can go, or make the beds as soon as the sheep have been moved off!
B)Do 2 or 3 passes with the rotavator so that you get down to just below root level.
C)Mark out rows for ridges about 2 metres (6 feet) apart.
D) Shovel all of the loose soil & grass debrie on to the ridges mark out at C)
E) Plant ridges with your crop.
F) Rotavate the spare ground again for 2 or 3 inches and again shovel this onto the crop row.
G) Either rotavate the spare ground to a seed bed and grow a green manure or other crops. Or Mulch with a material of your choice and wait.
My partner and I managed to make a 20 metre square bed in about 2 hours....although the shovelling was hard work (My job) and my partner was catching me up with stage F while I was still on stage D! So maybe 2 shovellers to 1 rotavator is needed.
I grew potatoes on the ridges and a selection of salad veg, peas and turnips on the 'spare' ground. The potatoes were very easy to lift although some grass did grow. I have now covered the ridges with black polythene for the winter to suppress the weeds and warm the soil in spring. I hope next summer to have the hay from the surplus land made into small bales so that I can move this around easily and use as a mulch.
Our ground is very heavy clay so I will be making more of these beds and putting LOADS of organic mulch on the spare bits this year.
I don't suffer from insanity .... I enjoy it!
Vivianne
Vivianne
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bigpepperplant
hi, I've also been turning grassland into beds over the past year or so. With some beds, I simply removed the turfs and dug down, with others I rotavated. So far, the grass and weeds seem to be at bay, but I'm sure I'll have to keep a constant eye on them. Re pests, I don't know about wireworm but chafer grubs are everywhere – big, white semicircular grubs, watch out when you squash them, horrible stuff flies out – and they seem to be at the scene of the crime when a plant inexplicably dies. They cut them off just under the surface. Inside you can use a biological control, but I think outside you'll just have to kill them when you see them... Apparently, eventually they disappear once land has been cultivated for a while. That's what I'm hoping anyway...
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salopfowl
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Thank you all very much for the replies - very helpful
We have plenty of chickens and they'll be there as soon as they see a spade being wielded. Have also found several mentions on the web about trapping wireworm using sliced potato, so may give that a try.
We have plenty of chickens and they'll be there as soon as they see a spade being wielded. Have also found several mentions on the web about trapping wireworm using sliced potato, so may give that a try.
I've read all this with interest, since I am also intending creating a veg patch from pastureland. I've been clearing ground with pigs. It's a bit drastic but very effective. I wonder whether they eat the pests. They seem to eat most other things. I'll find out when I plant.