Vegetable patch

[sobeitjedi]

Hi.

I have an area in my garden that's approx 1.5m by 4m which I want to turn into a vegetable patch.

Am I best to dig the lawn/weeds up in this area (the soil is quite clay-like underneath) or put a membrane on top and raise the patch?

How deep does a veggie patch need to be?

 

[enyam]

Dig it over in the Autumn remove as much of the weeds as you can and cover with a membrane (This will stop cats crapping in it) and let the frost break it down.You want a good 6" to 9" of soil really,so in the spring next year dig in well rotted manure or compost to improve the soil.

 

[wrathkeg]

leafmould will also do a lot to lighten clay soils. and it's very easy to make (much easier than compost). it assumes you have access to leaves though...

 

[Deleted2797112]

Hi.

I have an area in my garden that's approx 1.5m by 4m which I want to turn into a vegetable patch.

Am I best to dig the lawn/weeds up in this area (the soil is quite clay-like underneath) or put a membrane on top and raise the patch?

How deep does a veggie patch need to be?

I'd do it a bit differently. I wouldn't cover it. I'd remove the difficult perennial weeds - couch, nettles, brambles etc and if your lawn is dense that too and fork it over lightly then dump as much organic matter (manure, leaf mould, spent mushroom compost, spent hops) as you can get your hands on on top and leave it for the weather and beasties to start working into the soil. It's getting to the end of the season so weeds aren't going to flourish. In the Spring, dig in what's left of the organic stuff on the surface and more if you can get it. Clay soil is very nutrient rich so it's great for growing veg but you need to lighten it up as described for the nutrients to be released.

As to how deep you need, that depends on what you want to grow really. If you want to do prize 'nips, you'll need several feet of fine tilth! Root veg and spuds need some depth, surface crops you can generally get away with a bit less.