I had a corner of the garden left to go to ruin, where I used to burn stuff etc. It was covered in brambles and little shooting shrubby things. I got it all cleared down to the soil. Trouble is, when I look at the top of the soil it is riddled with small white roots.

I want to lay it to grass (lawn would be too good a word) just grass I can mow and keep tidy. What do I have to do? Do I need to do something to the roots? Or if I seed grass next spring, will it take over? What will happen in the winter (at the moment it's lying flat under a blanket of dead leaves) should I leave the leaves (:-)) what will they do to the roots? Should I weedkiller the roots and the whole area now.

All advice most gratefully welcomed!!!

G



High on Life!

Got a pick of the shooting shrubby things, assuming they are the cause of small white roots?

I'de lave the leaves to rot fown ang give nutrients to the soi;l, and I would never use weedkiller, ghastly poisonous stuff.

Grass is pretty tough stuff (what sort of grass seed do you have?), If you leave the leaves overwinter and sow grass seed in spring, you should be fine, I'd think.





******************

Ramblings

THUSLY

In A Word

Read excerpts and buy books at UKA Press

andrea@ukauthors.com

Thanks - I'll try to get some pics of the rooty stuff tomorrow.

didn't know whether a rotovator would help, chopping them up (or make things worse).

G



High on Life!

Hmmm, could make things worse - ground elder for example, will sprout in even a millimetre of root is left in soil.





******************

Ramblings

THUSLY

In A Word

Read excerpts and buy books at UKA Press

andrea@ukauthors.com

Definitely leave the leaves to rot down over winter. Pour the weedkiller down the drain.

If you're casting grass seed over the area and are going to mow it regularly next year... whatever springs from the white roots won't stand a chance. Grass responds and thrives when mown regularly... nothing else does.

Agree!





******************

Ramblings

THUSLY

In A Word

Read excerpts and buy books at UKA Press

andrea@ukauthors.com

Thanks folks!!! Much appreciated advice! :-)



High on Life!

Just what I was going to say. Regular mowing should finish off any intruder shoots. Of course the white bits could be couch grass. are you fussy about kinds of grass?

Daff
Visit me in my book shop
[www.merilang.co.uk]

Do your roots look like this?







******************

Ramblings

THUSLY

In A Word

Read excerpts and buy books at UKA Press

andrea@ukauthors.com

Daff - I'd class it as 'mowable grass' not lawn :-)

And - no they are smaller. they haven't sprouted anything for months now.

I've dumped all the dead leaves on that patch (using my fab new blower/vacuum mulcher) and will seed it next year etc, as advised.



High on Life!

But hold, Mr. Griff!

Instead of broadcasting a dollop of grass seed... plant half a dozen (or so) sprouted potatoes, about a spit deep, at the tail end of February.

Don't worry about the progeny of nefarious white roots... we're all children of the universe, after all.

Enjoy the resultant new spuds for a coupla meals (or so) at the equinox of July/August 2012, while you are partaking of British Oympic triumph.

many years at home ago we grew some spuds. They were the best I've ever tasted, straight from the ground into the pan.

The next year we were all excited, waiting for them, but when we dug em up they were all distorted and full of holes.We grew beans instead after that, and courgettes/courges.

We have a lot of rabbits here, though. How would potatoes fare? Are their leaves poisonous?

The soil is thick clay.

Wifey might be interested, as in France you can't get the right sort of potatoes do do good roasters. I suppose we could grow some of them. But we are very lazy ...



High on Life!

Yes the leaves are poisonous. I doubt rabbits would touch them. You can also grow potatoes in big plastic bag and then, when the time comes, tip them out. That's the lazy way. I don't even do that. Right now no energy to do any gardening at all.

Daff
Visit me in my book shop
[www.merilang.co.uk]

ah, my wife said to say also the area is under trees ...

here is said corner



grass is a bit unkempt at the mo cos I just blew the leaves off it ...



High on Life!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/2011 04:10PM by e-griff.

Does it get sun though?





******************

Ramblings

THUSLY

In A Word

Read excerpts and buy books at UKA Press

andrea@ukauthors.com

no, it's under trees!!!!!!!

there are 3/4 walnut trees that spread their shade in the spring and summer.

Lately, unless we are quick, we never see a walnut, (much like we never see a cherry -mmm they are nice when you can get one before the birds) - we have all sorts of rodents, including red squirrels (one appeared at the window the other night and watched the TV for a while) . Walnut shells appear in the Peugeot's engine compartment, at the back of my 'writing cabin' and in weird and unpredictable places. We have mice (several types) voles, moles, etc ....



High on Life!

Yes, I know it's under trees, but it depends where the sun rises and sets *sigh*. I have trees at the bottom of my garden, but they still get sun...





******************

Ramblings

THUSLY

In A Word

Read excerpts and buy books at UKA Press

andrea@ukauthors.com

No (they don't) :-)



High on Life!

Right - buggered for the spuds then

Here ya go

Veg: [organicgardening.about.com]

Herbs: [www.herbcompanion.com]

Flahs: [www.gardeningknowhow.com]





******************

Ramblings

THUSLY

In A Word

Read excerpts and buy books at UKA Press

andrea@ukauthors.com

Chickens!

Get half a dozen chickens to peck around your neglected corner.

Build one of those hutches on a pole with a ladder for them to escape the foxes (French invention, I think).

Make omlettes with the eggs... eat with a purging of snails, a slicing of pot-grown tomatoes, a snipping of chives and a slithering of basil... on toast!

problem is that we are only in France some of the time, the rest of the time back home. so keeping any animals would be difficult, and even gardening that would need regular attention. For instance, we go home next week and won't be back until next March. :-)



High on Life!

Can't you take the chooks in the back of the Merc?

Only thing left, really, is flowering shrubs...





******************

Ramblings

THUSLY

In A Word

Read excerpts and buy books at UKA Press

andrea@ukauthors.com

I traded the Merc in *sobs* my wife said she didn't want silver cars any more (although her Peugeot is) .

If we had immediate neighbours, it'd prob be okay.

when we first came here, there were no foxes in the whole region. Now I've seen one or two and the newpaper headlines were saying 'an invasion of foxes'

mind you - our squirrels (like the one who watched TV through the window one night) are red, or sometimes a bit black, but scrawny, not like the fat American greys we have back home.



High on Life!

I'd love to have a few chooks. Can just imagine what the neighbours would say, though. Last time I saw a squirrel was years ago in...Russell Square





******************

Ramblings

THUSLY

In A Word

Read excerpts and buy books at UKA Press

andrea@ukauthors.com

and our friends have chickens and are only too glad to load us down with eggs when we see them - (and they ARE nicer than supermarket ones) nearby there is an ostrich farm and my son got an ostrich egg (I showed the pics here)which we soft boiled and all dipped into (equivalent 22 hen's eggs) - we had to use the white in another meal, but 4 of us finished the yoke.

I've always wanted to fry an ostrich egg in a big paella pan (for me), and present my guests with a fried quail egg each. *dreams*



High on Life!

Quote
Griff
but 4 of us finished the yoke.

You strangled it first, then?





******************

Ramblings

THUSLY

In A Word

Read excerpts and buy books at UKA Press

andrea@ukauthors.com

eh?


Here's a goose egg (hen's next to)



here's the ostrich egg



here's us diggin' in



(the eggcup is a normal size tin can sliced into four and pulled out.



High on Life!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/26/2011 06:46PM by e-griff.

Yoke, dear, yoke





******************

Ramblings

THUSLY

In A Word

Read excerpts and buy books at UKA Press

andrea@ukauthors.com

well, that's what I meant of course. here's the yoke we finished



been meaning to put it up on the wall for ages :-)



High on Life!

That yolk's a joke, surely?





******************

Ramblings

THUSLY

In A Word

Read excerpts and buy books at UKA Press

andrea@ukauthors.com