Du jardinage
It is very difficult to find time for gardening. When I get home I'm tired. Even if I can be bothered to do the work, it's often raining, or just unpleasantly cold. And of course socialising, gaming and other such activities get in the way.
Nevertheless I have been making slow progress on the Vegetable Plot MK II. For the 8 months or so, this area has been covered with old carpet material - enough to keep the light out and kill the grass but let the soil breathe (I have no idea whether soil really breathes). For the last couple of months I have been methodically digging up the (dry, withered, but still apparently intact) turf, and the soil underneath. Having dug a nice big hole, I place the turf in the bottom (roots up) and cover it with soil again. It is my fond (albeit basically unfounded) hope that this will stop the grass growing back in the short-term, while allowing me to plant over the top.
After all that time, I have managed to dig over an area 6 foot by 7 foot, enough for three rows of 8 potato plants each. My pace is accelerating though, as the days grow longer and the weather less horrid. I hope to increase the size of the plot by a little over twofold, so there's also space for a mixed bed of leeks and carrots (the leeks allegedly repel carrot-fly). The last frost is supposed to be in the next week so I can do some planting soon.
frax has a little set of tomato and chilli plants growing in the living room, too. We're aiming to grow less plants but give them more time and care this year, in the hopes that we will get more in the end. Then there's the fruit trees and bushes, which were neglected over the winter (no pruning, tut tut), but which seem in good shape despite that.
Hopefully it will be a good year!
Nevertheless I have been making slow progress on the Vegetable Plot MK II. For the 8 months or so, this area has been covered with old carpet material - enough to keep the light out and kill the grass but let the soil breathe (I have no idea whether soil really breathes). For the last couple of months I have been methodically digging up the (dry, withered, but still apparently intact) turf, and the soil underneath. Having dug a nice big hole, I place the turf in the bottom (roots up) and cover it with soil again. It is my fond (albeit basically unfounded) hope that this will stop the grass growing back in the short-term, while allowing me to plant over the top.
After all that time, I have managed to dig over an area 6 foot by 7 foot, enough for three rows of 8 potato plants each. My pace is accelerating though, as the days grow longer and the weather less horrid. I hope to increase the size of the plot by a little over twofold, so there's also space for a mixed bed of leeks and carrots (the leeks allegedly repel carrot-fly). The last frost is supposed to be in the next week so I can do some planting soon.
frax has a little set of tomato and chilli plants growing in the living room, too. We're aiming to grow less plants but give them more time and care this year, in the hopes that we will get more in the end. Then there's the fruit trees and bushes, which were neglected over the winter (no pruning, tut tut), but which seem in good shape despite that.
Hopefully it will be a good year!