First garden, some challenges ...

[Skippy]

Hello,

I have just started renting my first garden, vegetable patch, for which I would like to favor an ecological or even “lazy” approach.

The land was fallow and has not been cultivated for several years. It is located in the Puy-de-Dôme, and a priori constantly sunny. I do not know anything about it, but I have the impression that the earth is relatively compact and clayey. The cultivable plot is about 16 m by 7 m, with a slope of a few degrees in the direction of the length (contrary to what one suggests the image ... ).

(Sorry for the orientation ...)

Neophyte, I am looking for advice on several points.

1. I mowed this morning, I think I leave the residue as mulch. However, there are still large tufts of grass and grazing vegetation that I don't quite know what to do with? Pull up the clumps of grass, I guess, but the rest? Hoe?

2. I thought I would work the land with a grelinette, but is this sufficient for land that has been fallow for several years?

3. I will be limited in water by the natural contributions of the sky… What is the optimal solution to save the water collected at a lower cost? Porous pipe?

I will obviously have other questions later, especially when planning crops, but I think it's already a good start ...

[phil53]

If you really want to be lazy, do nothing but spread hay on at least 15cm, more if you can. Then, the first year favors plantations type potato tomatoes cabbage zucchini. Big vegetables are easier.

[Christophe]

(Sorry for the orientation ...)

Hi and welcome here

I changed the orientation and used the attachment function to make the image look big on the forum, do the same for your next pictures

[Skippy]

Thank you. I have found a potential supplier of old hay (3-4 years), I will see if I can get this back.

So in this case I do not work the land at all? Do I tear up the tufts of grass anyway? What about the rest?

What if I install a drip, put it under the hay or on top?

What questions ...

[phil53]

Leave everything in place. The drip is better under but install it after it is easier I think.
You can put the potatoes before putting the hay.
If you have thistles, ruminants, and other root crops, you will have to pull them out as they go through the hay. The first year it can be tedious, the following there are more.

[Skippy]

Ok - that suits me ...

For watering flexible sleeves (eg Aqua-Traxx ou T-Tape) are suitable?

Remundo for moderation: thank you not to link too many brands after only 2 messages, it looks like a little disguised spam.

[to be chafoin]

Welcome!

For example, you could gather already the grass that you mowed and that we see on the image on a line or rather a square in the center of your plot to obtain a dense layer of 20cm. Thus grass and grasses that are below will start to die because they will no longer have access to light and everything will gradually deteriorate. To be completed afterwards with the purchased hay. In May or June you could then plant in tomatoes or other summer annuals that you like well.

Hoping that you raise your challenges!

[Adrien (ex-nico239)]

Neophyte, I am looking for advice on several points.

1. I mowed this morning, I think leave the residue as mulching. There are, however, large tufts of grass and grazing vegetation that I do not know what to do? Tear off clumps of grass, I guess, but the rest? Biner?

2. I thought of working the land at the grelinette, but is it enough for a fallow land for several years?

3. I will be limited in water by the natural contributions of the sky ... What is the optimal solution to save the water recovered at a lower cost? Porous pipe?

I will obviously have other questions later, especially when planning crops, but I think it's already a good start ...

If you really want to be lazy, do nothing but spread hay on at least 15cm, more if you can. Then, the first year favors plantations type potato tomatoes cabbage zucchini. Big vegetables are easier.

I would not have answered better than Phil ... except perhaps to add 5cm of hay more to his 15cm ... .

Joking aside, it's better to have a big diaper than a little one.

Attention we said hay and not straw ...

Only small difference maybe with the following post of phil ... if you see something that is not what you sowed through the hay instead of tearing you can cover that hay again ... Tu see in the end it's you who will win. (I quibble but both techniques are good)

On the other hand, let the grass grow outside the boards, it will always make you cut grass and / or insect refuges or food for pollenizers ... etc.

Oh yes do not forget to water your boards covered with hay even if you do not grow anything there.

That's it: cool no?

[Skippy]

Remundo for moderation: thank you not to link too many brands after only 2 messages, it looks like a little disguised spam.

If spammers start linking to two competing brands on two different sites, it becomes sophisticated ...

I put the links because the prices are very low compared to a "classic" drip (between 10 and 16 cents per meter!), I was hoping to have opinions on this type of material, and in particular advice on the thickness (here 150 or 200 µm for the prices that I have just given, when it goes up to double). I read that flexible ducts did not have a very long lifespan: beforehand you have to change them every year, but since I do not know if I will still have this garden next year, it seems to me to be adapted to this point (and they are recyclable).

For the hay my good plan is gone, everything is already gone (two days after the posting of the announcement ...), I will have to find someone else.

Oh yes do not forget to water your boards covered with hay even if you do not grow anything there.

I'm assuming "plank" is the lingo for "surface"?

[Adrien (ex-nico239)]

I put the links because the prices are very low compared to a "classic" drip (between 10 and 16 cents per meter!), I was hoping to have opinions on this type of material, and in particular advice on the thickness (here 150 or 200 µm for the prices that I have just given, when it goes up to double). I read that flexible ducts did not have a very long lifespan: beforehand you have to change them every year, but since I do not know if I will still have this garden next year, it seems to me to be adapted to this point (and they are recyclable).

On this subject I can not help you because I opted for sprinkling ... but we are in the south and we have little problem of humidity.

It would be rather the opposite.

It has not really rained nor snowed since the 20 December, you see a little as one draws the language.

Well this said the drip is very good but it's more work.

For the hay my good plan is gone, everything is already gone (two days after the posting of the announcement ...), I will have to find someone else.

Oh yes do not forget to water your boards covered with hay even if you do not grow anything there.

I suppose "board" is the jargon for "surface"?

Yes, sorry the boards are actually the growing surfaces as opposed to the feet.

"Small" detail that we have a little zapped our installation: think about the organization of your boards length and especially width.

Result of our unpreparedness: today we "redo everything"

In fact it is ergonomics (so laziness) that must prevail in our sense ....
At our level these are really boards not too wide between 60 and 80 cm wide depending on the length of the spacing of your legs.

Enough space to circulate in the footfalls to be comfortable, go with a wheelbarrow ... etc.

Basically, do not have to crush crops to harvest or circulate

That said, do not push either each also does a little as he sees fit.

I just give you OUR experience and NOT how to do it