Vegatables that help convert grassland into workable veggie patch?

 I have an area of rough grassland (my uncultivated back garden). The soil
isn't bad, although riddled with small flat limestone rocks. I want to turn
the patch into a vegetable patch, with about three 5ft x 30ft beds. Digging
it over would be quite an undertaking; one for which I don't really have
the stamina for. I wondered if planting certain vegetable next Spring,
would make this job easier, by smothering the grass and weeds, and perhaps
improving teh soil.

Last Spring, I planted some purple broccili there. They didn;t ptoduce any
flowering tops, but did a great job of smothering all the grass and weeds.
At the end of the season, I found they were easy to pull up and chuck onto
the compost heap, leaving teh ground much easier to work.

I'm not really a broccili fan, so I wonder if anyone suggest other
vegetables which would have a similar useful effect?

Thanks...

Al

 "AL_n"  wrote

Why didn't you spray with glyphosate and kill all the weeds in one go, then
hire a cultivator and dig the lot keeping a bucket to hand for all the large
stones.(Make good paths)
They usually say Potatoes break up the soil and improve it but it's not the
spuds IMO it's the gardener doing all the banking up and deep digging out.
Squash will smother weeds to some extent if you plant enough close enough.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

 
Potatoes are good at breaking down clay soil, I believe.  Although I can't
really say anecdotally, as we also tend to pile loads of manure in the bed
pre-potato planting.

Pumpkins and courgettes could be good for smothering, with their giant
leaves.  Beans will improve the nutrients in the soil for next year.

 

If it is the labour that you really want to avoid, have a look at:

http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/  or
http://www.no-dig-gardening.org/

or just type "no dig gardening" into your browser search engine.

Of course, a lot depends on what you mean by "rocks". Whilst brussels
sprouts or a plate of cabbage  may have the ability to empty a room
full of people, this is not usually by the physical labour of actually
lifting and relocating them.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling (after the great storm) from
the usually dryer (east) end of Swansea Bay.

 

;If it has been rough for some time, it will need digging. As others have
said, use Glyphosate in the early spring. General grass can then be dug in,
clumps sheered of at the surface. At my age, I too hate digging. Mark out 2
sq m and dig. find something else to do for an hour, then dig a bit more.
This is how I dealt with my new allotment last year. If you only do one bed
that will get you planting......take your time.

--
Pete C