I spent eight and half hours on the plot on Sunday. Two of those hours were spent with Tom and a small person, who helped me plant out the courgettes while Tom (the absolute star) moved my compost. I have one bed of green and one of yellow. A total of nine courgettes on the plot assuming they all survive!!
They left and I spent three hours sorting out the winter squash beds. I’ve cleared the bed once, but it had grown back and bed nearest the path was just grass and it was setting seed. So I weeded the bed and the path and strimmed the bed. Then I covered the bed, with weed fabric, covered the path with weed fabric (I’ve done the cardboard and wood chip thing for over four years, it’s really improved the soil so the weeds have gone hog wild. So this is my solution for a couple of years.
I topped up the weeded bed with compost and planted the winter squash that arrived on Friday, (I’m not convinced they will survive, but I live in hope – in fact I’m going to stick some spare winter squash seeds in that bed just in case they don’t) and sowed some lazy housewife beans by the arches. Then I watered and strulched the bed. I left a plant in the bed because I’m not sure what it is, so we’ll see..
I had weeded next to the bed and when I returned the potatoes to their spot, I decided to make use of some of my lavender starts to make a mini hedge.
There is some grass at the edges to sort but I’m so pleased with it although there is also some weeding to do in the main path.
Tom also brought me his spare french beans, there were nine plants so I decided to put them in the ex garlic bed. There are some volunteer potatoes from last year in that bed, so I just topped up the compost over them. Then the beans were planted, I also added two spare courgettes, I had and some marigolds at the end of the bed. I also scattered some dill and roman chamomile seeds in that bed.
That’s four beds planted up and sorting out the winter squash beds was a high impact job. My plot neighbour said that it made the grass in the rose beds and at that back look planned, like a wildlife area and I have to admit that it had a huge amount of ladybirds in it so it’s not a terrible idea.
I had a bit of a tidy up, took a moment to admire my day lilies then it was time to go home.
Next week, the plan is to get the sweetcorn in its home and have a tidy up of that area, sort the paths and get the square beds sowed with carrots and beetroot. It’s also time to net the blueberries (I had my first this weekend!)
Then I need to clear the final uncleared beds and it’ll be all about the weeding (again!)
Nic Dempsey 