Here are the photos of what I have been doing.
First tender rhubarb stem appearing.
My bramley apple tree.
2 gooseberry bushes, a nice big healthy plant in the front and a smaller one behind.
2 Blackcurrant bushes.
Now although I am a theoretical gardener, that is, someone who has read a ton of books on the subject, but has not necessarily had tons of practical experience, I am looking for opinions from those of you who are much more knowledgeable
.
As some of you may have noticed, from the photos of my house, there is a section of my garden that is quite sloped (ok, very sloped) If you look at the photos of this post you can see the slope in some of them.
So I want your opinions on how best to use this slope to my advantage and I will tell you what I have been planning. Bearing in mind that I can't afford to do anything that costs much - I am sure there is plenty of great things I could have done if I paid money to put terraces in etc, but I have to do all the work myself on the cheap for now. So far I have planted my 2 gooseberry and 2 blackcurrant bushes on the slope and I was thinking perhaps that it could be a good idea to use the slope for fruit bushes in general, that way, there is initial planting and then they can be left alone more than other things could. I have 2 redcurrant bushes waiting to go in and I would like to add raspberries to the mix. What would you do with it? Do you think my idea is a decent one and could work? I don't want to cause any damage to the 'structure' of the natural slope and cause the earth to slide or anything like that. All advice and opinions are welcome.
It's a great idea Dan. Our allotment is sloping. The top two thirds slope gently, the bottom third much more steeply. We have all of our fruit planted on the lower third. Everything has thrived- I think they like the fact that the drainage is good.We have blackcurrants, gooseberries, raspberries, white and redcurrants, 2 apple trees, a pear tree, rhubarb crowns and around 30 strawberry plants. We have never experienced any kind of land slip. I say go for it!
ReplyDeleteI don't know what to say about how to cope with the slope other than terracing - have you planted your soft fruits reasonable close together? I only ask just incase you need to build a fruit cage (with netting) to save the birds from feasting on your harvest.
ReplyDeleteTake care
Yes, I will certainly be able to net them all when the time comes, wouldn't want the birds to get the lot!
DeleteDo you want an 'edible' back garden or one with flower beds and borders? If you want the former I would only plant veg you really like to eat and ones that you are able to process easily with the time you have available. Also think about the size of the plants you will grow. Potatoes take up an awful lot of room and so do cabbages and brassicas. If you want a lot of fruit bushes remember that you will get an awful lot of fruit in a short time. Do you use many jars of jam or eat that many crumbles? If you want the 'latter' then bushes (edible or not) on the sloping part sounds like a good idea. Whatever you decide you will enjoy the experience of sowing, growing and eating (looking at) your plants.
ReplyDeleteLove from Mum
xx
Yes, I am going for a completely edible back, leaving ornamental for the front garden. I have made the mistake in the past of growing things that I then didn't like so much, so this year I am just growing things that I like and use regularly, although I might try one 'experimental' crop just for the fun. I thought I would grow potatoes in a bag, as my mum has had great success with that and it saves precious garden space. I make a lot of jam, compote and crumbles so a glut of fruit is not too problematic.
DeleteThanks for your help.
I am not an expert, but my thinking is similar to yours with regards the slope, plus the root system would help for the earth not to slide. I am sure someone more experienced will be along shortly xx
ReplyDeleteThank you, I am thinking the same about the root system. Time will tell.
DeleteMuch of our garden is at an angle of 45 degrees. We have apple and plum trees planted which help stabalise the slope, so I'd say putting your fruit bushes in is a good idea. This year I'm planning to start some veg, and I'm going to make a sort of raised bed using planks to stop the earth sliding down the slope. I've seen this kind of thing used locally, as much of the area where we live (Derbyshire) is hilly. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteLet me know how your raised bed project goes, it is something I may do in the future. For now, I think the fruit bushes are a good way and may help with the stabilising.
Deletedan
ReplyDeletemy advice is not to court advice..... just go for it and enjoy learning on your journey!
Thank you John, in the end I will do what I like anyway, it is true!
DeleteI am no expert, but your apple tree looks a bit close to the fence and the house, will the branches overhang next door when it gets to full size. People usually put fruit trees at the bottom of the garden.
ReplyDeleteAre you planning on mowing the grass around the bushes, it seems strange to plant them in a lawn. I planted my red and black currants and raspberries in big tubs till I decide where to permanently site them.
I would be inclined to terrace the slope, to make it easier to walk round. Can you get hold of some reclaimed stone or brick. A lot of work but if you can get the materials cheaply it might be worth the effort. Are you going to dig all that grass up, or keep some nearer the house. Wondered where you are going to grow your veg.
Perhaps draw a plan on paper. Others might have better ideas.
Don't worry, the picture of the apple tree does look quite near the fence and house, but in reality it is not that close, just fooling the eye.
DeleteI think eventually I may terrace them, but I will concentrate on the veg section first, get that established. I am going to dig a lot of the grass up, I want more production and less ornament back there. I have drawn a plan and I think that it works but only time will tell!
As long as your sloping garden is made into terraces that are kept in check by heavy logs infront of each terrace, or you get yourself some old railways sleepers to hold the front edge of each terrace, you should be fine. Anchor each front edge securely to keep the soil in each bed and you will not lose any soil by over spillage into the next/lower terrace.
ReplyDeleteI`d also check which direction your terraces will face. If you have them South facing you have a winning combination. Then it`s easy to plant anything on those terraces. Just plant tall plants on the top terrace and ajust your planting with lowest growing ones at the bottom terrace.
Any other direction facing terraces might need a bit more planning, as you do not want tall plants to spread too much shade over the lower growing varieties.
Gardening is an ever continuing learning curve. You`ll make mistakes and can correct it by the next season. Reading books to get inspiration is a good idea, but practice makes perfect, doesn`t it? So, just have a go and enjoy the process.
My back garden is a south facer which would mean the terraces would be about South East, which is not too bad.
DeleteI am looking forward to seeing how it all works out, it is fun to give it a go and like you say, learning is only achieved by doing and making the odd mistake.
Slope bushes sound good to me. Plants actually maintain the structure of slopes, so I think if anything they will benefit it. Having open soil (veg patch) on a slope would be more of a pain in the bum though - more chance of rain washing the soil away. The less digging the better, so yes, your plan sounds good to me as long as the plants get enough sun!
ReplyDeleteThe plants will get plenty of sun, it is a due South facing garden and has full sun from first thing in the morning until late afternoon when it begins to disappear behind the trees.
DeleteP.S. On Superscrimpers this week one tip was to keep rhubard leaves after you've eaten the stems, and mix them with water to go a bit rancid, then water your crops with it. The bad smell wards off bugs.
ReplyDeleteSounds a good tip, I will watch superscrimpers on 4 od later this week, so will see how they do it. Thanks
DeleteIt might be time to take a stroll around your new neighborhood and peek over the gates to see what others have in their gardens. Gardeners love to talk about their fruit, flowers and veg. And nothing breaks the ice like asking advice from a seasoned gardener. Many, like you, will be out and about during good weather. Chatting them up will help you learn so much more about weather, soil, tips and tricks from someone local. Books are wonderful to get you going, but for hands-on info - you can't beat a knowledgeable neighbor.
ReplyDeleteGreat selection of of fruits there. My rhubarb won't be showing any signs of life for another month - hopefully by then there won't be as much snow.
Not many people seem to be growing veg too much around here that I can see. There is one house with a greenhouse, so I will maybe keep a look out for them and get into conversation with them about it.
DeleteWith this being the first year for your rhubarb, either don't eat it at all or harvest very lightly so it can bulk up its roots. Also, the current thinking on staking trees is to have a low stake, about 1- 1 1/2 feet from the ground at a 45 degree angle. This allows the tree to rock in the wind and build up its root system.
ReplyDeleteYes, terracing might be good but it is very expensive and involves lots of labour. I grow all my veg in raised beds. That does require some output but pallets would do to begin with.
If you can get hold of a large cardboard box (bear with..), you could cut it from bottom left to the top right corner of its longest side, and sit it on your slope (or measure the angle of course). That will give you the rough shape/angle of your bed. From there, you would need to build it, allowing for a shorter height at the top (around 1 foot or so) and an even higher bottom part at its base (if you get my drift). Measure out the lawn part inside (an old carving knife comes in handy here), remove your wooden box and dig up the lawn part and put to one side. Dig over the soil. Replace the box. Shove half your soil to one side, replace half of the lawn, grass side down into this space. Shove all the soil onto this bit, then replace the lawn that end. Finally, move the soil back over so it is even all over.
That will give you a start point to grow with. You can fill it up over time with soil/compost etc from else where. You will need to stake the outside of the base bit into your lawn to stop it shifting. My raised beds are 1.2m x 1m and 90cm high.
We went to a timber merchant and spent £70 all in all including plastic for the sides to try and slow down the rot, paint preserver etc. This built us 3 large and 1 small bed. The wood was 3" thick. Like I say, you can use pallets and do what some people do and use them whole but cut to fit or break them up. Scaffold planks works very well.
Thank you for the advice, I had been wondering how to measure the slope easily, should I wish to do raised beds on there, and the cardboard box idea is a really good one. It would allow me to get the template just right.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea.
Great ideas from everyone. Yes, as you plant and the root systems develop, you'll have more stability in the ground. Just remember that as you plant those fruits, they are all perennials so they'll be there for the long haul. Oh, and think about the thorns on the raspberries as they grow and you are trying to harvest other things you don't want to have that as an issue (unless you got thornless, then nevermind, ha). Oh and remember the apple tree (and whatever other ones you get later) will someday be big and cast shade in a certain area, so think about that future growth as well.
ReplyDeleteAn edible yard is awesome, we hope to get our trees/bushes in the ground soon. Can't wait to see your progress!!
I did think about the apple tree and so it is in a spot that will never cast a shadow on the garden. I think I am going to go with the fruit bushes for at least some of the slope, it seems a good use of land and like you say, hopefully will develope a root system to keep stability. Maybe one day I will terrace a part of it with a raised bed.
DeleteIf you don't want to terrace and want to keep the slope then fruit is probably the best way to go. I suggest perennial herbs as well as this involves little digging so less chance of soil erosion.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of putting in some perennial herbs as well, like you say, anything that requires less regular digging.
DeleteHi Dan - have you ever heard of Hugelkultur before? It's apparently a good technique for growing on slopes and I'm giving it a go myself this year. Here's a blogger friend's post on it: http://pathtoselfsufficiency.blogspot.com/2012/02/ooga-dooga-hugelkultur.html
ReplyDeleteHi Tanya, Thanks, I'm going to check it out now.
Delete