A.K.A: Dodging the rain showers to get some work done before
Plot 31 turns to slop.
I’ve mentioned before that my plot floods every year. It is
on very clay-y soil, and a downslope to the local brook. It gets very wet. I
have been trying to dig over and cover the beds this winter so that I have less
weeding to do in the spring. The first few beds were dug over, weeded, dug
over again, raked, and then covered. As I’ve run out of room in my compost bins, and
patience and/or inclination to do more work than necessary, I have started just
roughly turning the beds and covering them. Any vegetation on or in the beds
will hopefully rot down under the tarps which will fertilise the ground a bit.
I had a quick little trip up the plot in between rain showers to dig and cover two more beds. I only have one left to do!! I also filled up the bird seed and fat ball feeders when I got there, and was rewarded with a flock of long-tailed tits (about 12 in total), some great tits, a blue tit, a robin, and a sparrow. I was flinging worms for the robin but I think it is a new one as it didn’t really seem to understand what I was doing. The old robin would’ve been down in a flash to gobble them up!
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| Before..... |
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| During..... |
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| After! |
So Plot 31 is looking ok and quite well managed as we broach
the solstice. There are lots of buds coming on the redcurrant and blackcurrant,
the garlics have so far not been ripped up by birds/squirrels/the fox, and my
fennel is still standing proud at near 7ft tall (I have left it to provide shelter for beasties. Earwigs in particular like the insides of fennel stalks).
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| The birdies like the fat balls. |
I am planning works for the new year as I have a new, local,
full time job which I am starting in January – I will actually have some
leftover money at the end of each month so I am going to budget a small amount
to go towards the allotment. I want to make a raised gravel platform to put a
picnic bench on, I want to add a row of paving slabs in front of my shed, I need
to rebuild the compost bins and also put slabs down in front of them, and I need
more guttering for my shed roof. I also want to try and make more bug houses; a
friend has suggested drilling holes into thermolite blocks. I already get leaf-cutter
bees so I want to see what else I can attract.
So it was a short trip but very productive. I have run out
of things to use to weigh down tarps though – need to go skip diving soon!
