The vegetable garden of the lazy Breton

[Carl]

Hello everybody

unfortunately I lost a lot of time on the start of my parcel ....
And here is the moment where I can start spreading hay ...

Do you think I can do it today at the sight of the temperature?
And knowing that I had my windshield frozen only twice this winter: one end of November and another this week (Thursday)

Thank you for your feedback!

[denis17]

Hello Carl
Do not worry, I personally have not run my hay for three reasons:
1 / there is still a few inches of hay from last year that protects my soil, and so there is still food for my friends in the basement, even if they do not have much work at this time.
2 / I wait for the soil to warm up a bit before covering, so that my seedlings do not stay dormant for too long, and hope that it will then rain enough to wet this hay well.
3 / I let the weeds grow, as well as some remaining but inedible vegetables, which will also feed my soil once covered with hay.
All this is a personal view of things, of course

Now, nothing prevents you from unrolling your hay now, as you are sure it will be wet, and our friends the beasts of the basement will now have abundant food to use.

Denis

[Did67]

On my side, also, only about half of the surfaces are covered, a little for the same reasons.

I wrote it somewhere: I evolve in my approach.

I distinguish "where I intend to sow": so as not to have too much undecomposed material and above all, too many weeds just "pale" but not dead, I cover earlier (mid-January).

And elsewhere, I do not care about it: the goal is to cover early enough to enjoy the rains.

But there will undoubtedly also be areas which will remain "bare" (except weeds which will have developed) which I would cover just when planting (so that the soil warms up) ...

In any case, if you "pass" on your boards, remember to put one or more boards so as not to trample on too wet ground!

[Carl]

Thank you for your valuable feedback!

I'm thinking of starting to cover the first part of the field .... the goal being to plant garlic, onion, shallot and some potatoes pretty quickly ... to start.

Is there a gross beginner error in what I just said?

How long do you advise me to wait between spreading the hay and planting? dependent on the rain? but roughly considering that it rains a lot in Brittany (yeah it's a great discovery )
At home, we usually say that it only rains on the cns and that the weather is nice several times a day

[denis17]

For my part, I think you can plant immediately, there should not be a major problem.
Denis

[Stef72]

Thank you for your valuable feedback!

I'm thinking of starting to cover the first part of the field .... the goal being to plant garlic, onion, shallot and some potatoes pretty quickly ... to start.

I started exactly like that last year and it worked for the onions. I just regretted not having more!

for potatoes it is better to position them on the ground to cover them with a thick layer of hay that you will double in a second time (when they are out)!

[Carl]

Hello everybody

That's it, it's gone!

A farmer sold me two rounds of 400Kg approximately. I was surprised at the weight, initially I was expecting 250Kg about, but I have the impression that the format can change a lot from one supplier to another.
The first less good quality (older) for 20 €, the second cool for 40 €.

The first is enormously packed. The second a little less.
But I am still very surprised by the thickness obtained by loosening the hay. + 40cm
And on the first, a layer of barely 5cm was not even pierceable by hand and very difficult with a dibble. It almost looked like it was "braided" :-D
That's why I tried to air .....

Two rows of onions planted this weekend and potato plants just before the frosts (no problem?)

What are your comments or experiences on hay rounds?

Thank you for your feedback!

[Stef72]

I have the impression that you could easily double the layer

sorry to pollute your thread with my photos, I hope that the example will be speaking (do not take into account strawberries that are in brf).

for comparison, here is the thickness that I put at 12 March last year:


then the same place at 14 mai (slightly different angle but it's the same hay!):


then at the 28 July:


then the 29 September:


in short, all that to say that the thickness that we believe exaggerated at the beginning (especially to implant the first year) is really well digested and begins to become wet as soon as the layer is a little thinner. I have of course mowed the aisles several times in the season.

to adapt according to the vegetables and their duration of implantation therefore.

Keep us informed of the outcome !

[Christophe]

Thank you for your feedback!

Not a feedback but a suggestion: please use the "attachments" function to attach pictures to your messages ...

It's more pleasant to read and durable using the PJ function ...

[Diabolorent]

HS because I do not answer any questions (and it's better for now believe me However, I allow myself a reflection:

Seeing all these pictures of vegetable gardens, I tell myself that we have an incredible chance to own a small piece of land.
I do not know you, but I have more and more this sensation, (due to a second effect following the reading of the book perhaps ), to be "the guardian of the temple" of my plot, The benevolent protector of this nature who, as long as I am there, will no longer suffer from any aggression, degradation, torture ...

All these gardens that I see in pictures are beautiful and whatever the region, they are like sanctuaries scattered on all the territories without distinction of borders, and have in common this beauty of the natural which subjugates and soothes.

And in addition they are profitable !!!

My wish: that there are more and more lazy dreamers and less and less hardworking gardeners