Nothing beats the taste of fresh home-grown vegetables!
If you don’t have your own plot, now’s the time to start preparing one; if you do have one, now’s the time to get it ready for cold-weather crops, or to put it to bed for winter.
In this MowBlog edition, we provide some basic soil-preparation advice, which will ensure the successful growing of anything, from brassicas, potatoes, beans and beetroot, through to tomatoes, chillies, squash and herbs.
1. Tilling an Existing Plot
A thriving kitchen-garden!
At this time of year, you can plant lots of different veg, including onions, garlic, shallots, pak choi and carrots. If you’ve got a plot, get rid of any remaining summer crops, give it a good weeding – making sure you remove deep-seated roots – and then turn it over and break-up the soil with your garden fork.
When turning it over, make sure you remove any potatoes you missed when harvesting them.
If the soil’s particularly heavy, you might want to consider double-digging it.
2. Apply Compost
Once you’ve dug your planting trench, spread a layer of compost along the bottom – this will not only encourage growth, it will also help with moisture retention. When you’ve planted and filled-in, you can then spread another layer of compost around the plant bases. Nutrients will then leech into the soil whenever it rains.
If you want to turn an area of your lawn into a kitchen garden, remove the turf at the roots with a sod cutter or sharp spade. You can then stack it grass-side up – it will rot, breakdown and make an excellent compost.
It’s a good idea to think about crop-rotation, as it will prevent the regeneration and proliferation of disease. Have a look online and see if you can come-up with a planting-plan!
3. Tilling Your New Veg Patch
So, you’ve removed the turf and are now faced with an area of virgin ground. You could turn this over manually, but if you like the idea of avoiding hours of heavy-duty digging – and who doesn’t? – we recommend you get hold of a powered cultivator like this superb, Italian-built machine from Bertolini.
A real time- and effort-saver: Bertolini BT155 Compact Front-Tine Cultivator
The Bertolini BT155 Front-Tine Cultivator is large enough to cover the ground fast, but compact enough to fit between rows of extant plants.
It weighs just 25kg, so it will prove easy to manage, whatever your age or build; and comes with a front-mounted transport wheel, which make it simple to move from plot to plot.
Larger plots require a larger tiller. Enter stage-left the previous machine’s big brother; the Bertolini BT401S Rear-Tine Tiller.
The Bertolini BT401S is a hefty bit of kit with a powerful engine, high-torque gearing and pneumatic, tractor-style tyres; a combination that ensures it will take the toughest jobs – and toughest conditions – in its stride.
There’s a reverse gear, which makes it easy to free should it dig-in too deep and get stuck; and you’ll get an oil-bathed transmission for smooth operation with reduced component-wear.
This one will prove a great investment for allotment societies.
4. How to Use a Tiller
Don’t worry if you’ve never used a tiller before; it couldn’t be easier!
Once you’ve got the tiller started, just lift the deadman’s handle and the tines will start to revolve, dragging the machine forward at a comfortably slow walking-pace.
And if you do happen to lose control, release the deadman’s handle, and the engine will instantly cut out – there’s no need worry about it trundling off across the neighbouring plot!
See these pages on our site for a full list of cultivators and tillers and give us a ring on 020 3026 8712 if you need any more information.
