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Garden full of rubble and weeds - can we go grow veg?

Hello,

We have moved into a Victorian house, where the garden was very unloved. It was covered in weeds (including Japanese knotweed). We strimmed most of it, nuked the knotweed with a glycophosphate - one of the first rounds of many. Once we could finally see the ground it appears the soil includes lots of rubble. We cleared the large slabs that were on the topsoil but there seems to be another layer of rubble another 12 inches down.

We would like to lay a lawn and have a section for vegetables. Once we have sorted out the knotweed, would advice we lay a membrane and add topsoil then the lawn? I have seen these strips of lawn you can get. How much topsoil do we need for the lawn?

How can we grow vegetables? There is a section in huge garden not affected by knotweed, can we grow vegetables here?

 

Posts

  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114
    Vegetables can go in raised beds, then they will mostly be above the rubble.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,617

    This is going to be a long job.

    How do you eat an elephant....in small chunks.

    The area with Knotweed, i would leave for now. Continue to nuke the JKW with glyphosate every time it pokes  a new shoot through.

    Pick the sunniest area for your veg patch. If it has perennial weeds then give them a dose of glyphosate so you start with a clean sheet. You can do that now. Over the winter fork the area over, removing any rubble and roots as you go. If you can get a load of well rotted Farm Yard Manure, lay that on each bit as you clear it.

    In the spring you should then have a good patch you can give a quick fork over to incorporate the FYM,and add a handful of Fish Blood and Bone, and then plant.

    For the lawn area, proceed as above without adding Farm Yard manure.  Seed or Turf in Spring.

    If you spend his winter on thorough soil preparation, it will save you a lot of frustration in the long run.

    I would not use membrane except for paths with gravel on top.

  • Matty2Matty2 Posts: 4,817

    I grow veg in raised beds - started with 3 for crop rotation but now have 4.

    Raised beds are because also growing on what was an unloved garden and so many tree roots (trees now gone) earth was impenetrable, so ideal on rubble

  • Thanks for all your comments. Would you recommend removing all the rubble? There is such a lot of it! But I am concerned about drainage.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,617

    I remove all rubble every time i dig. Part of my garden has an old farm track under it. All sorts come up with the bricks and cobbles.

     

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