This week, I got eight glorious hours on the plot this weekend. Most of my time was spent on paths, which is high effort but low impact work. These paths didn’t get properly weeded and wood chipped last year and it really shows in how badly the weeds have taken hold. I use woodchip on the paths, in part because it helps improve the soil, I can see how much better the soil is on the paths compared to how it was when I first started, but the downside of that is that seeds want to grow in the improved soil! So ideally, I need to keep on top of the weeds AND I need to cardboard and woodchip every year. Because I’ve not been on top of anything at the plot this year, the grass has gone mad in the paths. I did this to myself!!
To start, I planted my new fig tree. Hello, little fig tree!
I now have two fig trees, I have three more fruit trees arriving in November (a cherry, an apricot and a peach) and then I am done and I can’t buy anymore until I the plot sorted although my Mum would say that I need to stop entirely and she’s probably right!
Then I really wanted to sort the cinque foil on the paths and there was wood chip so I started on the first path.
That done I took a rest and sorted out the bed, clearing the beans and stray potatoes, weeding, and cutting the dead flowers off the marigolds. I also emptied two pots that used to have mint in them and hadn’t really been used this year. The compost went onto the bed and then it was back to paths. So I got two of the side paths, cleared, cardboarded and woodchipped.
I got then got side tracked by the patio area where the grass had taken over again. So I decided to weed the main path that the two paths I’d already sorted. That let to me moving paving stones to get the grass growing it the cracks.
That done, I didn’t have much more time. I did a quick weed and woodchip top up of the small path by the asparagus patch.
I trimmed the dahlias, picked tomatoes and lettuce and then pushed the very full weed bin home!
Assuming there is still woodchip next weekend, I’m going to continue with the paths. I’m also going to try and plant up some beds, and clear and cover some others.
After that, I’ll need to weed the front again and finish off what I started last month and maybe start some of the really big work that I’ll talk about tomorrow!
Nic Dempsey 