30m x 40m Back Field

vanman99

If you had a section of field; roughly 30m x 40m; as a back garden, what would you do to make it a proper garden....

Harry Palmr

What's a proper garden in your own mind? Are you talking ornamental or horticultural? A mix?

I'd probably cut the grass, turn the sod, remove the rocks, rotovate, plant a green manure and leave it for winter and spend the winter designing the space for work to start in earnest in the Spring.

macraignil

vanman99 wrote: »

If you had a section of field; roughly 30m x 40m; as a back garden, what would you do to make it a proper garden....

That's a considerable amount of space to work with so being someone who likes gardening I'd do a lot of different things with the area. I'd plant some trees with an emphasis on fruit trees. I'd have an area for fruit bushes and perennial food crops like rhubarb and perennial cooking herbs like rosemary and bay leaf. I'd put in a good greenhouse to start off vegetables early in the year and keep some things like lettuce and more delicate cooking herbs going throughout the year. I'd put in a plot for vegetables with the area divided to allow for a crop rotation. I'd plant some flowering shrubs mixed in with some annual flowers that would help attract some pollinators particularly close to the house where the fragrance of plants like lavender can make the garden more attractive. In the bad weather it is nice to look out on the nicer parts of the garden so the plants I would put in for their flowers and nice appearance would also be better near the house. I'd allow some of the area away from where I live get a bit overgrow to encourage some wildlife in the garden and put in a compost heap. I'd also put in a pond.

Graces7

Harry Palmr wrote: »

What's a proper garden in your own mind? Are you talking ornamental or horticultural? A mix?

I'd probably cut the grass, turn the sod, remove the rocks, rotovate, plant a green manure and leave it for winter and spend the winter designing the space for work to start in earnest in the Spring.

Rather than "turn the sod" which will arouse dormant weedseeds? Skim. I skimmed a lawn off at one house. With a lawn edger, cut squares and lifted the top off. Easier than digging and more effective, and then dig. Never had a great weed issue. Am starting the same here.

uck51js9zml2yt

macraignil wrote: »

That's a considerable amount of space to work with so being someone who likes gardening I'd do a lot of different things with the area. I'd plant some trees with an emphasis on fruit trees. I'd have an area for fruit bushes and perennial food crops like rhubarb and perennial cooking herbs like rosemary and bay leaf. I'd put in a good greenhouse to start off vegetables early in the year and keep some things like lettuce and more delicate cooking herbs going throughout the year. I'd put in a plot for vegetables with the area divided to allow for a crop rotation. I'd plant some flowering shrubs mixed in with some annual flowers that would help attract some pollinators particularly close to the house where the fragrance of plants like lavender can make the garden more attractive. In the bad weather it is nice to look out on the nicer parts of the garden so the plants I would put in for their flowers and nice appearance would also be better near the house. I'd allow some of the area away from where I live get a bit overgrow to encourage some wildlife in the garden. I'd also put in a pond.

Good plan, I'm doing the same with half an acre minus the pond but with chickens

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I'd go with Harry's suggestion. Clear the ground and get it well dug over, removing stones and other rubble, and get some organic goodness , air, and life back in to the soil. Don't just dig holes and plant things on tired compacted earth.

Take plenty of time to plan out what you actually want to end up with.