Kitchen Garden Forum

I know we've discussed this before on this site when I raised the issue of digging kitchen waste straight into the soil, rather than composting it, but my garden soil is so light and stoney that I'm desperate to do what I can to retain moisture in these dry conditions. I lightly manured and composted it in the autumn, but the winter rains seem to have dissipated much of the benefits and I'm now forced to dig in grass cuttings and kitchen waste straight into the soil to try and retain whatever moisture I can, as other mulches such as composted bark arn't really suitable for veggie beds where you're sowing fine seed or transplanting tiny seedlings. Can anybody suggest another solution? During the past week I've watered the soil last thing at night or in the early morning and it's as dry as dust again by midday.

Dear Primrose, as a temporary measure can you just cover the ground with grass cuttings, soak the ground before placing the grass cuttings, and it should help the water from just evaporating.
I know it will mean waiting where you have sown your seeds though.

It sounds as if you need even more muck and compost digging in, in the Autumn.

I am experiencing the reverse to this....I dug in some green manure a few weeks ago and since then we have had no rain consequently the lumps of soil are baked hard and unworkable..

Rain dances don't work!

Horse manure rotovated in at a rate of 25lbs/sq yard will give you an immediate beneficial effect on light soil. You can often get it free from stables, I know this is a fair amount,(10% of soil mass to a depth of 6inches) but it will vastly improve the moisture retention and soil quality. Anything less than this really will not give you any noticeable effect, you need to bite the bullet and get it done now, rather than battle on till Autumn.

Hi Primrose,
I know a grower who had the same problems as you and trialed placing a layer of polythene as a membrane 18" below the surface and bit by bit he converted an enormous area and it was very successful. His beds were 6ft wide and 100ft long and it took a couple of years for the system to work and he managed to grow things without having to water every few hours.
I know that it may be a daunting prospect but if you did a trial in this Autumn and see what things are like next Spring.
I also agree with Gandalf's approach but combine the two together and you may be onto a winner!
JB.

I would say if Primrose is watering at the moment, it probably means she has her ground planted up, so is after a quick fix.
So the long term cure might have to wait.

Hi OH,
Well I did say in the Autumn! I don't expect Primrose to 'up' her hard earned crops now!
I think in this case Mulching the ground around the plants would work as well as any other method and probably better than most.
JB.

Dear Johnboy, i realized that.

I found the membrane method very interesting, a couple of questions though, do you know if the membrane was perforated, or going in the other direction, was it turned up at the edges a little to form a resevoir.
I can see how this would work really well in certain situations.

I tried the stable manure trick last year and ended up with some serious problems....I do believe, in hindsight, that it was too rich to put on without leaving it a few months to 'go off' so to speak

After last year I have mulched all my key plants with home made compost including our large cleamtis in a stone trough.

Seems to work well.. ground underneath them is still damp. I have done this every year to strawberry and raspberry beds.. but doubled quantities this winter after cracks 1 metre long, 5cms wide and 25cms deep last year in strawberry bed.. and raspberry cane growth was poor due to the heat/drought.

Hi OH,
It was normal polythene and was turned up all the way round which formed a 6" reservoir.
This friend lived in the Leighton Buzzard Area which is the home of the best sand in the land!
As an aside, when I was doing some building work here I said to a local Lorry Driver if you find yourself in the Leighton Buzzard area and you are coming home empty please pop in and get me some sand and the next thing I knew was he turned up on my doorstep with 25 tons of it!
JB.

Dear Johnboy, thanks for that, i actually tend a garden in Leighton Buzzard for the sweetest of old ladies. And my goodness is it dry there at the moment.
Not sure if she would appreciate me lifting her whole garden though.