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Gardening in the UK

Hello from 'sunny' Yorkshire

18 years ago

Hi - just a brief introduction really. I've moved to a new house recently which has a nice big lawn (not good grass though) and a rudimentary veg patch which I'd like to do something with. I'm a hapless amateur in the garden so if there's any generic advice anyone can offer it will be gratefully received!

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Comments (2)

pnbrown
18 years ago
Sadly, you've come to a mortally-wounded forum - one breath away from expiry. It seems the british have less time to spend on-line than we yanks. Still, if you don't mind taking advice from one......

Does 'new' house mean newly built, or merely new to you? If the former, your garden site may be mostly builder's sand with a little landscaping soil over the top. If that is the case, you can try to amend it by bringing in stuff, or if your lot is big and you don't have shade issues from tall trees or neighboring buildings perhaps move the site to the margins where the native soil layers might still be intact (this presuming the native soil is at least moderately good).

Generic advice: Avoid any slope if at all possible. Don't buy any bulk stuff from nurseries or landscape suppliers that is called 'topsoil'. That is typically leaf-compost mixed with sand. The exception would be if you have very heavy clayey soil, so something like that would be a benefit. Generally you will be better off with barn manure, composted preferably, or fresh if you've got time. Buy hay or straw whenever possible to let compost in piles and keep thickly strewn over the plot whenever it's not planted or as mulch when it is. After a few years that should be all the input that you need.
alison_froglady
18 years ago
Hi Carpsio, I am in sunny yorkshire too. How bright it is here !(not according to the forecast for tomorrow)
I am in Leeds in West Yorkshire and have a fairly smallish garden but it is filled with a 17 feet by 12 feet pond, a small lawn and plants bordering a privit hedge.
I can't give you much info on veg or the latin names of plants, shrubs or trees but I can show you some of my garden, pond and the creatures that inhabit it if you look at the following link to my garden and website forum.
pn is right when saying this forum is near extinction which is a shame. When I first found it about 7 years ago it was really well used. The ads and pop ups really spoiled it over recent years as they got more and more intrusive and my hubby decided that he would make me a forum of my own without any distractions and in a way I am glad to say quite a few from here found their way there. But even mine seems a bit slow at the moment. Maybe everyones got too much to do in the garden..
Alison

Here is a link that might be useful: Alisons pond and garden
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