August 9, 2018

August 9, 2018   The first bed is ready! We dug. We built the box. We mulched!

I have a rough plan of the future layout, but I’m adjusting it daily as I learn more about available materials, and what we want from the land.

On the whole, I’m doing all the work myself, but it would have been plain silly to turn down these two enthusiastic volunteers.

Still nothing planted, but I’ve ordered onions, shallots and garlic. And in the foreground you can see a red currant bush, and a hazel on the right, from which I plan to take hardwood cuttings this autumn.

A month’s gorgeous weather has been a bonus, setting me ahead of schedule. Although there’s only one bed prepared, we can now see to the fence over a length of several yards. I’ve probably dug enough for four beds.

The main difficulty I foresee with the bed pictured is the amount of bindweed root I’ve had to dig out, including some yards long and more than an inch across. The smallest portion that I’ve missed will cause regrowth, so I don’t plant anything here for weeks.

I’ll cover this for a month with a lightproof plastic, so any remaining weeds can grow, but not photosynthesise. If done for long enough, this would kill the weeds, but I’m not expecting perfection.