Back in late January my badgering of the wardens was finally rewarded with a letter invoicing me for a second half plot. Within minutes I was over on the plot digging over as much as I could to allow the winter frosts in.
Before major work
I only remembered the camera half way through hence the strip of dug ground you can see.
This shot is taken from my existing plot across the line of raspberries and the new plot extends from the wall in line with my posts up to just past the black compost bin and then back to my existing bins. The leeks, the cloches and the barrow are all on my existing plot and you can see the path dividing the two plots.
Not a lot was done last year on this new plot apart from growing weeds and the year before the holder had been called away right at the start of the season so was unable to do anything.
I knew the soil underneath should not be too bad as the year before that the holder had worked very hard and had dug most of the plot apart from the row of about 20 blackcurrant bushes at the top.
After the worst of the winter had gone in early March and after a good few hours of work by my eldest, Tim, and me clearing the weeds over a couple of weekends, I managed on Saturday to plant up my rows of onion sets – Hyred, Hytech and New Fen Early. 16 to a row with half of each row spaced at 100 and the other half 125mm. I reversed the spacing for each row as an experiment in how much effect it actually has. Each row was at 300mm and I left room for 3 rows of Bedfordshire Champion grown from seed (but still in the cold frame) and also 3 rows of Mammoth plants spaced at 300mm. I suspect I may have put them out too early.
You can also see the results of a skip raid for the pallets to make a bin by the wall. Because I did not want it above the wall I ended up digging out all the soil and weeds that had built up along the wall and then digging down to seat them in. I could go no lower as I managed to reach the electrical warning tape for the 11000 Volt cable that runs along the base of the wall!
I also had a few minutes to spare so I dug over the lowest section of the new plot where I moved the cold frame to a couple of weeks back and after digging weeding and then rotovating I have a lovely nursery bed. ( I started after breakfast around 11:45 and came back in at around 8PM – I did have a cup of tea and toast around 4:30)
Also in this shot you can see the benefit of the wall - Two buckets of manure delivered direct to the plot – no barrowing uphill this year.
Looking the other way from the manure heap you can see the nursery bed, the cold frame and the onion rows.
On the other side back on my original plot I have not been idle.
Before I knew I had more space I decided the small 3ft by 11ft beds were just too small for the brassicas and the numerous paths were being smothered with weeds that then spread. The good part about the small beds was that they were easy to manage mentally.
So instead of 15 3×11 beds I dug up as much as I could before the winter, then slowly I have removed the weeds and turned the plot through 90 degrees to give 10 beds each 3.1 metres by 1.65
Into that I planted 30 potatoes – International Kidney a couple of weeks back, 75 broad bean - Jubilee Hysor, and then last weekend I lifted the last of the leeks ( lovely dead straight, thick white stems most at least 10 – 12 inches ) managed to dig over the remaining areas, manured and planted a further 30 early potatoes, Foremost this time, along with 48 each of the onion sets.
That left me free to concentrate on the new section this weekend just gone. I think I have the major part of this rework sorted now with just the old brassica beds to clear when the broccoli is done.
The broccoli is finally almost ready to pick at last and I lifted the last of the swedes to clear another of the old beds. I moved the last of the parsnips into a trench next to the cold frame a week or so ago.
So the rain looks set for a while this week and with a family barbecue on Sunday it’s just as well I got as much done before!
