I was back to the graft of prep and tidy.
I took the garden bin back and completely filled it up, which tells you more than you need to know about the amount of weeds on the plot!
I wanted to plant up a bed with the strawberries that arrived this week. So I did some weeding of the first and second of the ‘back beds’. The real issue isn’t the beds, it’s the weeds coming in from the paths, so I did a bit of weeding there. Both beds were topped up with compost and strawberries went in. There were some plants left over, so I filled in some spaces in the towers as I weeded them, yep there were weeds in my strawberry towers
The other bed already has some perennial leeks and volunteer nasturtiums in it so I sowed parsnips and chives.
That done, I dug up some stray raspberry canes for some new plot neighbours, who wanted raspberry canes for their newly build cage. Then it was time for the polytunnel. The poly beds were dry as a bone, after weeding them, I watered hard and then topped up with new compost. I’ll water those beds every day as I’m hoping to get peppers and cucumbers in by the end of the week.
On Monday I took the peppers and some of the tomatoes to the plot and they are in dire need of being in the ground, so it might be sooner rather than later!
The plan for the poly was to keep it simple with peppers and cucumbers. The question is, ‘have I ever managed to keep it simple?’ The answer is no. I bought some more plants. The revised plan is peppers and aubergine (that might give me some fruit this year after nothing last year) in one bed, in which I will also companion plant basil. In the other bed, some cucumbers (I have space outside for cukes too) and melon and, this is the hail mary, watermelon. The cucumber and melon I’ll train up and the watermelon can roam (and hopefully cover the bed). Hope springs eternal and yes, I very much did get carried away. The melons aren’t due until the end of the month or beginning of next month so it’ll be a while before they go in but I’ll be watering the soil anyway.
I also set up a water bin for next to the polytunnel, I need to get the bins empty and situated around the plot to make watering easier but for today the first one is set up. I also topped up on the mint container that I’ve been using to keep the polytunnel door closed!
I had then planned on getting squash bed sorted but I got sidetracked by the patio area. It’s been getting more and more overgrown, but I weeded the bejesus out of it, moved the tin pot at the back and rehabbed it with some new mint plants, I also weeded and watered and topped up the alpine strawberry bed, cutting back the salad burnett and giving the rose bush from the rose garden a small trim to get it out of the way. I also weeded the path by the patio bed.
I also rehabbed the pot behind the patio and put some mint in it.
I still need to assemble the arches to get the fruit area netted and prevent the birds from doing more damage, they have already had a go at one of the cherry trees. It was the little one I bought last year.
The new trees seem much sturdier, and came from You Garden, I bought two cherry trees and an apricot, bare root and on sale so £9.99 each, and they are doing really well. I don’t expect fruit this year but they are bedding in well.
The plot is looking great at the moment as it begins to fill out and bloom.
So the plan for next week is to keep on doing stuff.
I would like to get the herb bed set up by the asparagus patch and sort out the weeds by the shed and up the side path. Mostly so I can plant the new geraniums (tiny monster) there, which I’m hoping will keep the weeds down. Hope springs eternal.
I also want to weed, cardboard and cover the future squash bed and I’ll need to reweed the surrounding paths and maybe add wood chip.
The garlic bed needs attention and the square beds next the asparagus patch need sowing (I think carrots and beetroot in these two.
Finally the tomatoes and peppers need to go in the ground
I also need to water the plot every day and the rest every other day, so that will help keep me on track, the best medicine for the garden is the gardener. It’s a lot to do but it’s really taking shape..
