Polytunnel Attacker | Rethinking My Allotment | Greenhouse Planted Up!

[@jeanhelliwell8160]

JB. Our allotment soil was exactly like yours three years ago. Hard, dry soil, with no life in it, needed organic matter. We tried no dig. Sadly, the ground was waaaay too hard for that to work. So, we added about a foot deep of horse manure to one plot in the summer of the second year, and didn't plant anything, we rotivated that in, then we covered it all again with horse manure in autumn, and left it for the winter. This year, the soil looks so much better, it's softer, holds moisture better, and things are actually growing this year. Our other plot has had similar treatment, and is already much better, we are still adding manure to both, and digging a little, some beds are now back to no dig, and really good now. Dont be disheartened, you just need to add lots more organic matter. Did all that horse manure in, as much as you can get. Do a few beds at a time, so you can still use the others, eventually you can get to no dig. But not with the soil you have.

[@GARDENER42]

I'm an advocate of no dig (I prefer the US term 'no till') but rock hard ground can take 3-4 years before coming round. I took on my latest (80m²) plot last year & found it had at best 6" of compacted & weed infested soil over quarry waste, so I cleared the plot in sections, moving the quarry waste to permanent paths to give 12" depth of soil for all the beds & brought in 6m³ of topsoil to make up the shortfall. THEN I covered everything in cardboard & 3" of compost (3m³ of bought in composted green waste & 1.5m³ of my own) & 3" of wood chip on the paths. Last year gave a fair harvest of potatoes (new polytunnel gave me HUGE amounts of tomatoes, peppers & french beans) & this year's looking even better.

[@JenniMBE]

Courgettes are really hungry plants. I usually dig a much larger hole than you need for the seedling and fill it entirely with compost to plant into. Once they are established I feed them every fortnight too. Hang in there with no dig. It takes time for layers and layers of compost to build up over the seasons and finally soften up the clay underneath. In the meantime you could try the broad fork to allow air in without turning over the soil entirely.

[@RobinGardens]

Try an experiment of 3 4x4 areas: Status Quo, Double Dig or Tilled and Broad Forked. I think it would be a great comparison. My money is on the Double Dug or Tilled, at least until you can build up a few years of organic matter. I think a few beer traps are in order or you may not get a harvest at all...dang slugs.

[@Dawn_Grows_Veg]

I am on clay and it is so quick to dry out surprisingly despite it being so soggy and wet and claggy all winter. I now have a concrete top layer in my flower border as I wasn't quick enough with copious amounts of mulch. I do think you are thinking the right thing by digging in the horse manure. No dig definitely has its place but on a plot your size where half was a bit neglected, it is easy for the soil to become compacted. I am coming round to the idea that on clay you either need deeper filled raised beds with soil or top soil and organic matter mixed, or you need to first dig in organic matter of some kind to try an loosen up the clay in the first instance. You can then continue to go no dig after that. I think the issue with digging is the constant turning over rotavating year in year out, which can disturb and destroy the soil structure. So the occasional digging in should be fine. apart from it being backbreaking that is! I feel gardeners have got a bit hung up about No Dig everything but I am coming round to the idea of a bit of balance, like a well thought out diet. And soil type will play a huge part in how the beds are managed. And Mike's cabbages, goodness me they were spectacular!

[@JBNat]

Thanks for your thoughts Dawn! Mike only put those cabbages in the ground at the end of April! He's doing something right for sure

[@TerribleTim68]

Yup JB, I did the same thing. By this time last year I was already harvesting ripe tomatoes. This year, I've finally got flowers on my tomatoes. It's just really slow.

[@carolineholland4178]

JB, I feel your pain. There has been a lot of soil compaction due to the rain over the past winter, spring and early summer. There is no shame in broad forking, or even forking over the soil and incorporating organic matter to grow annual vegetables. The ideology between double dig and no dig is far to extreme. Our goal is to grow food for our families, flowers for the pollinators and beneficial insects, while nourishing our soil. If you need to fork over your soil to incorporate organic matter so that the soil can be covered with vegetables or flowers, do not feel guilty. This is your garden for you to enjoy, please don't let your mindset become too focused on any extreme ideology. I love your videos, you share your wins and your losses. You reminded me to back and look at Huw Richards videos and I think that you would enjoy; The Dangers of No Dig Minimal Disturbance Gardening/ A Pragmatic Approach I may get some negative replies from my comment, my garden is minimal disturbance/ no till/ minimal dig. Please keep an open mind.

[@Dawn_Grows_Veg]

A very sensible comment Caroline, that is a great video of Huw's too. Food for thought indeed.

[@JBNat]

I did actually watch that video of Huw's a little while back and it slipped my mind to mention it when I was recording this one! Thank you very much for your kind words & thoughts 😊

[@brigidaodonnell7053]

I had a lot of damage due to my large pots being tipped over with my tomatoes already planted into them. I still don’t have any clues as to what had pushed the pots over, and I just guess it may have been a large dog or something like that.

[@JoyoftheGardenandHome]

I just coral the asparagus, orherwise the mower takes them out. I'm really hoping I have a more successful fall garden for the brassicas...

[@Crumbleofborg]

Ahh, plot envy, I know that feeling! I can't help much with no-dig, except I notice that Sir Charles Dowding puts the mulch on very very thickly. This year I put a thick mulch of homemade compost and it looks like being a really good year. Maybe it's because of the microbugs in the compost, you don't get from anything bought in bags? I dunno. But a lot of your plants look like they are a bit hungry.

[@dogontheplot]

Rock hard clay soil, grass paths constantly needing strimming, hungry little mice - we have all the same issues! 😂 But you manage to be a lot more upbeat than me 😂 I need to pot on some chillis...

[@christinebrooks6364]

Hi JB, we have clay soil and have had our plots for 10years. About 6 years ago we put in raised beds made out of pallett collars, lined with black plastic and two high, filled with bark left over leaves & top soil to the top of the beds. We just add manure each Winter to rot down over Winter. It works for us being a couple in their early sixties, thinking ahead for retirement. But, its so much better than having to dig through clay soil. Your greenhouse & polytunnel are looking very productive. Lovely update. Thanks for sharing and take care 😊

[@JBNat]

Love it, thank you Christine. That's definitely more my intention on the second plot with the nice high beds :)

[@caodan]

I have the exact same wildlife cam. It triggers on hot blooded critters so will definitely pick up rodents. What it could miss, if not setup properly, is birds if they are fast enough. As for the thornless berry bush, it's a Loganberry. A cross between raspberry and blackberry. Keep up the good work JB. It's been a rotten year for all of us. Hopefully one to forget!

[@vbrown1889]

Compacted soil is so frustrating! Save some money on buying manure and grow cover crops in the empty beds this summer - They really do work..

[@JBNat]

I do usually try winter green manures actually! Not always successfully though. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJ66o4eNnsiti7csi=WWLsLUT-lbr7CbEB

[@Alltehgudnamesrgon]

Clay is arguably the best soil for no dig. You just need a thicker layer of mulch. If a year after you spread it, it’s all gone and there’s bare soil again, you didn’t add enough. I’m on clay in the northeast and try to maintain a 5inch layer. That’s initial application and top ups every season. Sometimes more than others. Also try and incorporate some wood chip. The older the better.

[@JBNat]

Very interesting! It must have had about three or four inches last year but I will keep on with it!

[@Alltehgudnamesrgon]

@@JBNat was it mostly the well rotted horse muck? If so I’ve also found that manure tends to break down faster and more completely than compost, so is more of an amendment rather than mulch. Perhaps some greenwaste bulk bags might help.

[@JBNat]

@@Alltehgudnamesrgon yes the horse muck! What you've said makes a lot of sense

[@jonquilhawthorne3257]

It's NOT a good squash year !😢 mine are fruiting, going yellow & dropping off despite damp soil,even those that GROW ! My no dig beds are like iron too, I had too many last year, wont be giving away too many this year !🤐

[@ritahobbs5256]

😂😂😂😂 you said exactly the same as me this morning… what’s the bloody point 🤣🤣🤣

[@angelikalove3825]

Hi JB, I've got the same plant on my allotment (thornless blackberry type). I believe it's a Logan berry, and they do taste sweet and juicy.😊

[@samatronn]

Perhaps broadforking would help? Not so harsh as digging but still aerates the soil?

[@gilldolphin6095]

Might be worth you popping a message to ask Charles Dowding, but my guess (judging by how bare and compacted your soil looks) is that there just isn't enough organic matter. Do you have a horse yard near you? If you could get a thick layer on in early winter that still has a whack of straw in it, it may help. Problem may be finding a yard that uses organic straw and horse feed, but if that's not too much of an issue for you, the fibrous stuff might help.

[@JBNat]

This is exactly what I'm doing, check out the clips at 31:17 for how the bed looked in winter with its thick manure mulch, and there's a clip of the no-dig bed creation too around there! It doesn't help that foxes and badgers often disturb it so you can see the grey soil on the surface.

[@gilldolphin6095]

@@JBNat Good luck with it JB. We have had a truly rubbish growing season in Scotland - cold and wet. 30th June and we are at 13degrees! Slugs are lovin' the year here too!

[@lesleyannehall8040]

I, like your plot mate took on a new 1/2 plot in early March this year. I had to buy both a new shed and wood for raised beds so no money left this year for the many, many bags of compost required for no dig. I also had a Big bindweed problem so decided to dig it all to a spade depth. My soil was so dense it dug out like peat bricks! I then incorporated well rotted horse muck. What followed was 2 months of horrendous weeds but they were quickly dispatched with a sharp hoe and grass clipping mulch. I too am now harvesting massive broccoli and kale that warranted a mention in the allotment news letter 🤣. Next year I will convert to no dig one bed at a time.

[@JBNat]

Sounds like you've put the work in and had a great result, nice one!

[@shirleyn4677]

Hmm, maybe use the broad fork if you have one. Stick your fingers in the soil. Or even dig the soil to see what’s under there. Amend, amend, amend. Good luck in the garden.😊

[@JBNat]

The texture underneath seems lovely enough in a lot of places, and certain crops like tomatoes and the peas get away into it just fine! Maybe I need to get some soil testing done!

[@shirleyn4677]

@@JBNat Tomatoes and peas have stronger defined roots than cucumbers, melons, and squash have delicate fibrous roots that may have a tough time penetrating that soil. According to Google, there is a taproot but from transplanting my own melons and squash around the rootball it is covered in fibrous roots. Google also said that the fibrous roots penetrate the first 6 inches (15 cm). Probably more info than you need and may not help. Good luck!👍

[@barrysarling7637]

I think you either have to invest in a load more compost and raise your raised bed levels by 3/4 inches or as you say improve what is there by digging in the horse manure. Improve what's there or bury it in compost.,,🤔

[@downthethirdlaneallotment]

I’ve been thinking the exact same thing. The more I no dig and add in to amend the soil the worse the growth over 4 years. The first year I just dug in manure and I had so much more growth.

[@bhalliwell2191]

JB, about getting roots (of inground plants in the greenhouse) to go deeper in search of water: for one thing, the water has to *be* there for them to dive deep to obtain; if watering's been shallow, your plants aren't motivated to grow deep. (By the way, what I read about growing aubergines here in the U.S.A. is, those plants must have an inch of water per week, and many varieties demand two inches of water per week if they're to flourish and thrive.) One homemade garden hack is to obtain a piece of PVC pipe, probably three or four feet long and 1" (or 2.5cm) inside diameter, with an angled bottom end, about a 50° or 60° angle. Top end needs to be right-angled, a straight-across cut. You drive the pipe about 78-80cm into the soil so that some of it remains easily accessible above ground. In theory, you'll be able to pull the pipe out at the end of the season, and store it until you need it again next year. A large rubber mallet should do the trick for you without shattering the blunt end of the pipe. Now direct water from a pail, a watering can with a long, narrow spout, or a hosepipe, down the PVC pipe. This puts water deep below the eggplants (or other plants), and their roots do have to "dive deep." Initially, you might have to be very generous to give the deep-below-ground soil a good drink but after that ordinary watering should be adequate. Usually it's considered most advantageous to do this pipe-driving before planting or *while* planting, if you're planting, say, a shrub or a fruit tree or fruiting bush such as gooseberry or currant, but a friend who lives in a *VERY* hot and arid part of the US employed the principle and a tree deep root watering spike tool to rescue some climbing roses which had been barely hanging on. That device looks like this: tinyurl.com/mukcdn4r Much gardening love from Northeast Ohio, U.S.A. 😊💚💚💚💚💚😊

[@JBNat]

Wow thank you! I'd never heard of these before. In past years I've done a similar thing at a MUCH smaller scale by just digging plastic bottles into the ground and watering through those! Gets straight to the soil & roots and saves a lot of water.

[@bhalliwell2191]

@@JBNat I've trusted that the plastic bottles route helps; it just made sense to me when I came across it that the pipe-to-below-the-roots would be more effective, delivering water deeper and hopefully avoiding surface evaporation. I can see plastic (or glass, if you have a drill bit to handle making a hole in the glass base of the bottle) bottles doing the job while the seedlings' or transplants' root systems are shallower, say a two-litre bottle almost completely sunk straight down into the soil. During the drought and heat wave of 1988, which affected and afflicted most of my country, gardeners where I live, and most farmers around the nation, were allowed to water flower and vegetable gardens but not the lawns. (No biggie: turf lawn or grass always comes back but watering it to keep it green takes an enormous amount of water under those conditions and the situation was such that watering lawns was simply not do-able or practical.) One *farmer* who farmed some sort of vegetable for market as his livelihood went out into his fields with a large drum of water and an old can (tin) from something like tinned tomatoes at least once a day, and *on his hands and knees* painstakingly poured a tinful of water at the base of each plant just to keep them alive on the least amount of water possible until the heat wave broke. Talk about determination! My personal recollection of '88 is that it was a brutal summer. Where I am, this virtually never happens, not like in '88. Ooh. Ought to mention: any number of people ("number" might be few or many, I actually don't know) are skittish about using PVC for supports as in for netting or shade cloth, and wouldn't use it for this hack because it is said to "shed" components (chemicals) onto or into the soil when the sun heats it up or possibly just from the sun's rays hitting it. For those people, steel or powder-coated steel pipe or that deep-tree-root-watering tool is the way to go. IF you are in a position in the future to be setting in a deep-watering steel or powder-coated steel pipe with or without that angled bottom end, dig its hole first and lay it in and then back fill. After that, you can transplant your seedlings or plantlings into the deep-watering area (might require more than one pipe if the area's large enough) and the means to deep water is already in place. Meanwhile, if PVC is the quick and ready, affordable way for you until you can employ something more ecologically desirable, wrap up the exposed part of the pipe in hessian/burlap or even canvas to keep the sun's rays from striking it; remove the protective fabric while you water, then cover the pipe securely again. I don't know that hessian/burlap is the correct choice of cover, but it's a natural fiber, biodegradable, food safe to the best of my knowledge, and less expensive than, say, spun gold. Wishing you all success with this and hoping you'll let us know how you get on. Much gardening love from Northeast Ohio, U.S.A.! 😊💚💚💚💚💚😊

[@janegarrud9527]

I just love how you show the highs and the lows with a laugh 😂 I’ve had to rethink some of my plot with no dig partly due to a terrible infestation of bind weed. No amount of picking as CD does controls it. It rampaged through all my fruit and other areas so I’ve just been digging it all out. Buckets and buckets of long white roots no wonder it’s other name is devils guts!!! Also on very clay soil and my other no dig beds (despite mulching as much as possible) have gone from being totally claggy from all the rain to drying out, rock hard and cracking. So I’m experimenting as well smaller beds no dig large areas dig and will see what happens. My best onions ever have been grown in the poly tunnel!!! Been on my plot for eight years.

[@JBNat]

All sounds very familiar! 8 years of struggling with bindweed is tough.

[@chrissiehart22]

JB use a special garden marker pen they are waterproof and uv resistant and only £2-£3

[@hikerlindacanadianrockies8478]

I think no dig is fine if your soil is perfect to begin with, but you have to get it to that point first.

[@uncle870]

Jb try a broadforking of the beds this autumn then add some amendments! Do you get squirrels in your area? Barry @2 Lad at the Lotty

[@starlight1867]

Summer hasn’t arrived here in NW Lancashire for me on the side of the moor- warm for a day or two then rain, rain and more rain ☔️ We seem to be 4 weeks or more behind and can’t get jobs done due to the rain and cold winds. 🫣 Fingers crossed for better weather in July - please ! 😊

[@icaniwillgrow]

I'm with you there. Max temp in June was 28° but min 5°. And another 80mm of rain. Everything is behind an not enjoying the stop start conditions

[@thatgirlthatgrows]

It feels like it's been such a tough year but it's all looking good! Those chillies and tomatoes are amazing!!

[@michaelknowles9176]

Thank you for sharing

[@auntyree5131]

i do the dig method .we encourge the roots to go down and look for water so makes sence to put food down as well i found the manure and compost layering it on top and letting the worms do the job dose not work for me i give my plants a top up of liquid feed as and when needed comfrey tea and nettle happy days

[@chriseverest4380]

I know a lot of gardeners dig first especially for clay compaction so it must be worth a go after a bad year. What about digging first and then creating much deeper raised beds? (...but then again I'm a compost junkie😂!)

[@debbiegallett1125]

I wonder if you could just take the plastic off the doors and cover them with wire mesh like what Jessie put under her poly tunnel. Then put a plastic sheet over that that could be rolled up and down with velcro on the sides, again sort of like Jessie's poly tunnel door.

[@sharlahill8808]

I feel your pain JB this year is a struggle.

[@tankgrrl07]

Squash has been difficult for me too the past couple of years. Last year was a complete failure. This year they’re just sitting in the ground they’re not going anyway except to wilt away.

[@angelikalove3825]

I grew squashes in one of my compost heaps last year and they did quite well, massif squashes, but not many of them. Maybe they like loose soil?

[@matchynishi]

clay soil benefits from addition of oxygen, which you can think of as another fertilizer element for the plants, so broadforking or 'cracking' the soil with a garden fork can really help, evenn with no dig for the most part. Though tilling the manure in deeply for 1 time will probably help the soil if you have a particularly hard bed.

[@jennyhulett5403]

Hi JB, hope you are both well. Have you tried Dalefoot Clay Buster? A little goes along way. I have heavy clay and do no dig, I recommend adding top soil to any mulch, mulch like rotted manure can dry out so quickly and hard to rehydrate- top soil added works really well for me. Also I use companion planting to cover the soil (I love polyculture) this really helps. I also find chop and drop really improves the soil. Hope this helps

[@shanesykes1235]

Would broad forking work? Not turning the soil, just loosening it. Plus, like you said, more organic matter, maybe also try mixing in a different source of organic matter. I try to keep the inputs into my compost as diverse as possible. To have more diverse micro nutrients.

[@user-lw3xc5zc9e]

I live in South of England too and have had similar issues with crops not growing so well in newly created raised beds and old ones no dig compared with previous years. I think it is more to do with all the colder weather we have had this year. I wonder if others think the same?

[@JBNat]

Cool weather will have definitely slowed things down, and the soil won't be as warm as previous years. But I can see neighbours who are harvesting buckets of courgettes now!

[@deejay-d7q]

For soil, have you thought about trying green manure? Or possibly even better (I’m trialling this myself), living mulch? It’s especially good if, like me, you aren’t producing enough waste for masses of compost. Maybe something like fodder or daikon radishes to start or anything that produces masses of biomass and/fixes nitrogen. I’ve found it massively reduces weed pressure and the need to water, plus my soil is improving quickly. But my favourite thing about living mulch is that, if I haven’t been organised enough with my sowings, I still NEVER have empty beds over winter and early spring.

[@deejay-d7q]

I should say that it’s the living mulch that’s providing the ongoing benefits. I didn’t try the radishes but many do. I’m trying creeping thyme, white clover and sweet violet as living mulches.

[@JBNat]

I love green manures! kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJ66o4eNnsiti7csi=WWLsLUT-lbr7CbEB I'm often a bit late sowing them so can have some spotty germination for sure, but when it works it's great!

[@BumblebeeAdventure]

🐝thanks for the great video🌻

[@PreatorRaszagal]

Nice peppers in the 1st greenhouse and cucumber and tomatoes in the 2nd! RIP broad beans 😥I've never seen sweet potato plants. Will be really interesting to see how the foliage grows! Basil is looking good to, but it's no ocimum tenuiflorum! 😉Green doctor and goat bag sound like "waccy tobaccy" varieties rather than tomatoes 😄That chard stem looks so cool. Looks like some kind of candy hehe. Nice with the garlic plants. If you replant them, would it be like planting grocery store garlic again or are they "OK" now that they're grown once? And if you have too much space I have "some" varieties of chillies I haven't grown yet if you know what I mean (nudge nudge) 🤣That bind weed flower comment made me chuckle. They do look pretty though hehe. Your shade when you were mowing the grass looked like it could have been from an astronaut. Only thing missing was one of those big helmets with mirror glass! Was just gonna ask about the trail cam. Interesting that it didn't catch anything 🤔Can't you buy extra rails and build "summer doors" with chicken wire instead of plastic? And last but not least, those tomatoes in the polytunnel are looking amazing!

[@JBNat]

Thanks ras! Made me giggle. The supermarket garlic will be good to plant because it won't have been sprayed with any growth inhibitor (stores sometimes spray to stop them sprouting in your cupboards) but it's probably not a plant that is designed to grow in the UK, so probably not as good as seed garlic. But if it works, it works! The summer doors are a work in progress!

[@PreatorRaszagal]

@@JBNat Haha glad to be of service! 😄Good to know about the garlic and can't wait to see how the summer doors turn out!

[@glassbackdiy3949]

compaction is a serious limiting factor JB, roots can't get through 150 lbs per sq inch, imagine a 28mm dia metal bar (sq inch - like thick rebar size) how far can you push that into your soil, like how much weight would it take to push it in say 6" root depth, if it's more than 150lbs your roots can't get through it, it also effects Redox which is hard to explain without an essay, basically if redox is high (oxygen reduction = redox = reduced oxygen = redox) it effects how eletrons are attracted/repelled, which is how plants get nutrients at the atomic level so not only do your roots suffer, it also effects nutrient uptake from what roots do grow, like being rootbound in open ground kinda, I still think it's a Ca/Mg ratio issue, Ca has MUCH bigger molecules which helps floculate the soil, Ca is water mobile so it washes out eventually, ideal soil has a 7:1 ratio, the lower it is, the more compact it will be naturally. Pigeons eat fresh growth, destroyed my first early peas, then my lettuce, then baby carrots, then all the new growth on my plumb trees, small fortune in bird netting later... I wrote a 12 bar blues song called sky rats ate my peas, it's an ear worm for gardeners lol

[@karenwright2444]

Im thinking the same as you with no dig, mine is getting so compacted and dry, its just not retaining moisture ... After 4 years of no dig

[@Allotment-of-the-Dead]

I'd check under the aubergine for ants.

[@berylhunter7509]

Try pushing your plastic markers under the soil with just the tip showing so that the writing doesn't disappear with the sun/weather

[@Gardenofglory-l6v]

Hi JB yes those mice and rats can really climb and for that wire yes those mice can come through those chicken wire holes I saw it happen in my chicken pen they do get through so I had to spend more money bought the finest wire and put over the other one, so the rats and other creatures probably climb over your door you no the saying Make Hay while the sun shine, great video see you next time ❤❤

[@nrstooge]

You need more than manure - you need LOTS of plant material - compost not just manure which is high in nitrogen, but not other nutrients.- Also the hay/straw could be sprayed with herbicides - I'd recommend a soil test and leaf mold -- carrots actually like poor soil like that after potatoes.

[@JBNat]

I do include leaf mold and homemade compost too! But manure is definitely the main input I can get hold of. It's really reliable and well rated stuff from The Compost Centre - no nasties.

[@nellynelson965]

I came here to see if I could work out why my chillies just didnt grow this year, and you seem to have the same issue. I dont have an alotment. Just a small garden anda sun trap. Started in Feb, all looked great. Got to June, No flowers on anythng, pland where still realy small and stunted and suddenly and of August they all took off. And stopped mid sep.

[@JBNat]

@@nellynelson965 yes don't worry it's probably not you, just a terribly difficult growing year all round. Chillichump is a fantastic channel focused on chilli's if you want to have a look there. He has exactly the same problems!

[@lbeacon1]

My onions are exactly the same!

[@JBNat]

Glad it's not just me! Never seen anything like it. My neighbours all have fine looking onion crops!

[@bthyme]

That big piece of cardboard in the bed with salad: do you check underneath it every time you come? It is supposed to be a very good way to attract slugs and dispose of them.

[@JBNat]

It's actually got loads of other random stuff hidden under there 😂 old bits of polycarbonate and that sort of thing. I need a shed so badly! But I do do quite a bit of slug checking, especially under seedling trays

[@bewoodford2807]

I think your 'blackberry# could be a loganberry? They are a cross between a raspberry and blackberry and are thornless. Happy gardening 🙂

[@JBNat]

Lots of people have said this!

[@lindsaycarroll8086]

Could a squirrel be getting in during the day?

[@JBNat]

It is possible! I've not seen any squirrels on the plot but there's plenty on the cycle track just a stones throw away!

[@marilynstanbury5098]

Great to see your video with your triumphs and your failures, I don’t feel so bad now! I’ve been gardening for years and still wonder why, it’s like banging one’s head against a wall! There is always some creature that wants to destroy all one’s hard work……so don’t despair, we are all doing the same thing! Your chilli problem looks like a mouse or other small rodent, they don’t need a door, they come through the soil from outside, they are crafty and sometimes come up under a pot! I now have to garden surrounded by Harris fencing…..the metal unglamorous stuff on building sites…..to keep deer out, but pheasants still fly in and the squirrels just abseil over and into it and do as much damage as they can, even chewing bamboo canes! Your soil is probably so compacted, so no air in it, because of its structure and all the rain we had . Thanks

[@JBNat]

I laughed at banging ones head against a wall 🤣 it can be testing can't it! But the highs are great! I really hope they're not digging under the sides :( the plastic is buried deep enough I hoped it would deter them.

[@chilliing]

Have you ever tried or seen SuperSoil? I've noticed a lot less slugs in the garden this season, I've only changed 2 things, applied supersoil to everything before start of season and grew red salad bowl lettuce, somethings definitely helping IMO 👍

[@JBNat]

I've wanted to do a test with it for a little while. I must say I'm skeptical!

[@Carol-oc7mx]

I must admit I've always been confused as to how no dig laying cardboard/compost on compacted clay earth would work. Surely compacted dry clay will form a barrier between the two levels. I've just starting to help out a friend who is new to allotment gardening who wants to do no dig (it's easier) and I'm trying to convince him that an initial breaking up of the surface is probably of benefit and also no dig requires alot of compost/manure EACH year to top it up. The jury's out at the moment 😮 - The big beast bed..... How about making it a sweetcorn and squash bed so that they can sprall about at will amongst the taller sweetcorn plants Love your videos 😊

[@JBNat]

I was actually thinking about having it as a big corn bed Carol! I decided not to do it this year though because I need to build a significantly robust badger proof defence! One day I'll have corn!

[@jaynekennedy8469]

My allotment neighbour has 2 courgette plants and he has loads of courgettes on them. My plants on the other hand have been eaten completely. I’ve got a couple of no dig beds and some dug beds as I didn’t have enough compost to make them all no dig. Not a great deal of difference between them at the moment. I’ve just planted more seeds to fill gaps. I’m going to try runner beans again, they’ve been a disaster so far. I’ve just made jam with my gooseberries and raspberries. Pigeons have been sat in my raspberries and snapped some of the new canes.

[@angelikalove3825]

Wow, that sounds just like my experience growing this year, I've created a bit more of a structure and threw netting over the top of the raspberry plants. The Pidgeon's still sit on the branches but cause slightly less damage. I had to resow beans which also got eaten, so I cheated and bought plug plants, hope they survive 🙄🙄 The rest is slowly trying to catch up - I'm hoping for the best 🙂 Good luck to you too.

[@danvers-p7y]

Season as been weird , for all in the UK sadly , this year , i have bush type tomoatoes , in hanging baskets , Red Alert , very early fruiting , small cherry '' , only just flowering , Yet my sun cherry premiuim , the tall growing , type of tomatoe'' Are like 6ft tall, with 5 trusses of fruit on each .. weird.

[@JanetHouck-h5h]

How about adding compost. lots of compost.

[@susiespearing6165]

Make sure to clear any yellowing or damaged leaves ?in the polytunnel J B .Ive seen slugs and snails do that kind of damage to even tough stems

[@JBNat]

Really! That's something I didn't even consider! Very interesting suggestion susie thank you

[@annlockey8552]

Last year all my peppers were plagued with earwigs they did so much damage

[@JBNat]

Oooh rough!

[@drawyrral]

Spread some sand on the floor and see what kind of footprints you get.

[@mikeinportland30]

jB - did you end up planting those free Spoon tomato seeds? I did (in the ground here). They are growing well, but I've never seen such scraggly/lacy/skinny tomato plants before. I'm guessing the fruits will be too small and not worth the bother (why they were free for me as well no doubt!). But hey, give everything a go, you might be missing something great if you don't try new things!

[@JBNat]

I did Mike yes! They're in the small greenhouse and growing great guns. No harvests yet! Coming up towards waist height.

[@moirad6579]

LOOK AT THE SIZE OF MY.... cabbages compared to his cabbages LOL🤣🤣🤣

[@LucRom-kz5uw]

Hallo jb Tour the Greenhouse the moostuin planting te groente thans the video fried Good weekend 🌱🍅🫘🫑🪴🌤🌻🍀🌶🫛

[@paulineellison9047]

slugs had all but 1 runner beans and now for some reason i cant get any to grow now tried 3 different types and no luck

[@Sine-gl9ly]

I tried four times this year to get runners going - all from the same packet - with no luck; put some in (from same packet again) last week and they are romping away. We'll see what the results are!

[@gilldolphin6095]

or if you want something you can use straight away, is there anyone around you that keeps geese?

[@suemowat222]

My courgettes are pathetic this year too.

[@JBNat]

Sorry to hear it sue!

[@monro2159]

I used exactly the same well rotted manure compost this year as you have from the same company (50 bag order minimum for a discount!). Do you think it's good quality? I'm still undecided since growth this year hasn't been what it was last year when I didn't use it. Of course, there are other reasons for the slow growth, cold temps, loads of rain, poor light etc etc. Also, I didn't dig it in, just placed it on top early spring. I was thinking going no dig next year, but since I have two plots right next door to each other, I might make one plot no dig and the other dig as an experiment.

[@JBNat]

Yeah I've heard fantastic reviews of it. Only my first year using it last year but it was so great for weed supression and water retention. Just putting it on top obviously hasn't helped me much with my texture issues for now though. Please do experiment with it! I will be doing so this year!

[@jaynekennedy8469]

Huw Richard’s is doing an experiment with his tomatoes, not taking out the side shoots and seeing what productivity he gets. Do you top up the soil each year?

[@JBNat]

Oooh very cool! I was late with my mulching this year but generally yes the plan is annual mulching once or twice a year :)

[@rubiccube8953]

Always put slug pellets down 2 weeks before you plant . I always bring on my dahlias on in the poly which is slug proofed and I routinely drop 2 or three pellets to eliminate strays throughout the winter. Your blackberry looks like an Apache bred by Arkansas University, I’ve been growing them for 15 years. If you can get hold of wood chip it lasts a lot longer than manure and initially keeps weed under control. Some plants love it fresh others need it completely rotted. I made up my poly doors with enviromesh and keep them closed . I slide a polycarbonate sheet across the lower part of the door. I have two poles which they fit behind it makes the poly rodent resistant. In winter I insert poly tunnel sheet squares into the doors.

[@allison5363]

the berry’s look like logan berries

[@bago696]

I'll be honest JB, you need to mulch the shit out those beds. Like 5 1 tonnes bags of green waste compost and just forget about the money

[@denisewilson1624]

Hi JB, I agree with you the no dig is rubbish I have been gardening for 30 years or more. It is ok if you got the money to spend on compost but even then not good. My dad would always big the garden over in the autumn add cow and horse poo we had great veg every year. Great video keep them coming

[@i.a.4694]

Hey jb, i do recommend not to prune bushtomatoes like roma. U r going to cut off ur harvest. All the best

[@AndysKitchenGarden]

I would add another level of wood planks to your raised beds and fill it up full with compost . This would add more deph of loose compost

[@christinaward161]

Hi JB, It has been an odd year again for sure! Every year seems to present a new problem. We have decided to go back to old ways ( they never had the issues we are having today!) No peat free, manure on the beds etc. We are having a problem with blossom end courgettes which we have never had before. Fingers crossed the tomatoes are doing well. All the squashes are really slow this year and we have lost alot due to lack of sun in our area. Just keep going, keep doing what you do, we still have time for things to come good .

[@drawyrral]

Have you gone out at night with a torch to see the slugs? On second thought, maybe you shouldn't.

[@JBNat]

Ha, not to the allotment! It's a twenty minute walk for me which is a long way to go slug hunting. We've done it a bit in the back garden though and it is kind of terrifying to see them all out and on the prowl

[@adms007]

Your heavy clay soil needs more organic matter. I have heavy clay at home and at my plot and believe me, digging won’t help! You need lots and lots of organic matter to encourage worms. I add a 6 inch layer in spring, also a handful into each planting hole or sowing drill, and if I’m not using green manure in autumn, then I add another good 6 inch layer of organic matter before covering for winter. Be creative about the sort of organic matter you use, well rotted manure, compost, alpaca poo (can go on direct, doesn’t need composting first), spent mushroom compost, home made compost, home made leaf mould and spent potato container compost. The cheapest way is to go to source, make friends with alpaca and mushroom farmers and make your own compost and leaf mould.

[@JBNat]

This is exactly what I've been doing to date though! I've used tonnes of well rotted manure as a top dressing on these beds. I've sourced my own fresh manure and composted it down, and I always put compost in the planting holes! I'm improving on making my own compost too but the volumes you need for a thick top dressing are crazy

[@adms007]

@@JBNat It’s a tough one. I’m stumped! I can’t physically dig, so I guess I’m lucky it works for me and sorry that it doesn’t seem to be working for you. Love your videos though and you’re so bright and positive, it cheers me up and inspires me. XXX

[@shanesykes1235]

Thinking of holding up your mesh for the doors on your poly tunnel, have you thought of a simple wooden toggle latch? An example of this is in the following video kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXfcgXeemtqKrc0si=NDi4nuERX_9FP2n7 Putting them on both sides of the door as opposed to one side opposite the gate hinge.

[@JBNat]

That's such a brilliant idea and video! Wish I had seen that before I bought the latches 😅