Last weekend was probably the most work we’ll do on the plot until Christmas but the winter work continues. I really enjoy the more relaxed pace of winter, we don’t have to spend all day on the plot but the work we do here really helps make spring and summer easier.

This year, all of the work is about making the plot work better and having it ready to go in spring. We’re in December but we only have about 12 weeks before we start thinking about spring planting!

My plan for this weekend was to move a blackcurrant bush and the gooseberries. I did move the blackcurrant, then I topped up all the raspberry and blackcurrant beds with wood chip. The area where we had blueberries had gotten really weedy, so I decided that we’d weed that and re-up the wood chip.

While we were doing that we took a decision to move the verbena, remove the rose and lemon balm plant. Then we laid down cardboard and wood chip. If we get time this week, I think the plan is for a weed and wood chip the main path at the back.

Over the next few months, we want to work on the weedy areas, down by the gooseberries need some work, as does the area by the apple tree and the side path near there. And this bit by the kale.

Over Christmas, I want to move the gooseberries and work on weeding and tidying up those edges.

I think we’ve also decided that the planned patio will have to wait for another year because that money would be better spent on building all the beds we need to build and sorting out the ones that need dealing with on the old half. We need to build three entirely new beds, move the bed that currently has chard in it, and move and split the big squash bed. I don’t think we’ll get to that over Christmas but I would like to have all of that done by the end of January.

So in February, we can start filling them up with compost! The work is never done but I feel like we’re on track!