It’s November and our time on the plot is limited, partly by the light, we can go during the day which means the weekend and partly because its winter and nearly Christmas and we have other things to do! In the last couple of weeks we’ve been doing the longer term things that are boring but worth it. A lot of it involved woodchip.

We woodchipped the back of the plot between the composting bins and the polytunnel. I also filled a compost bin up with woodchip to sit and turn itself into compost.

I know there are lots of opinions on the use of woodchip on paths as it does increase the number of woodlice but I’ve not found it to be too much of an issue and there’s no denying that it improves the conditions of the soil that we walk on. I don’t own the plot at some point someone else will take it on and if they choose not to use the raised beds, the will be able to use all of it because by then the paths will be in good nick and not exhausted and weedy like it was when I took it over. I’m building something for the next person.

I also planted peppermints and lime mint in separate containers and lemon curd thyme in the jasmine bed. In the new bed next to the polytunnel, I planted more edelweiss lavender and moved the peony into that bed (it will probably sulk next spring and not flower but I’ll be happy if it lives!). That bed is looking really bare, my next thing is to move the pink rambling roses in the rose garden into the back of it, that then creates space for me to move three rose bushes at the back of the plot by the compost bins into the rose garden. Of course I need to weed the heck out of the rose garden and the pond area to because it’s autumn, everything needs tidying.

We also ordered all the raised beds and we’ve put three of them in at the front. There are three more square beds to install in front of the raspberries and two to go in the polytunnel. We also moved some gooseberries, woodchipped the front and planted the onions and garlic. There is more garlic to plant but we’ll get to that the next time we’re there.

We also harvested some food. Chard, kale, cabbages, turnips, parsnips, carrots and leeks

In case this all sounds like a long worklist and you’re wondering why we do it, well the food is a good incentive but look at the pretty blueberry leaves

And the totally unseasonal strawberry

And admire again how tidy the new beds at the front of the plot looks and how the jasmine is growing…