Before and After

I'd put off tidying up the garden vegetable plot until I could bear the sight of the mess no more. I'd ignored it since mid September and so it had got fairly weedy and ragged. The tomatoes were long over, killed by frost and blight and the beans were gone too. All the potatoes had been harvested and the peas were out months before.

Salad season was over and the rocket was long gone to seed. The only things in season were the kales, BPs, grelos, and the rosemary bush which continues to thrive in the dryness of the blue spruce, and the PSB should produce next spring.

I don't dig over the vegetable plot because it is hard work; I feel I'm creating the ideal seed bed for weeds while compacting the soil I work on and I want to protect my back. So I spot weed as I take crops out but it was so weedy this year that it looks like I've dug over every inch.

There's a lot of bare earth and I know some swear by green manures but I'm reluctant to go down that route; I don't want to introduce weeds or be a slave to digging it in at the right time.

Instead the plot will get a covering of manure over the next few weeks and then I'll mark out the beds for next year. Unlike the allotment we never put in raised beds - a big mistake as there is so much more to weed. Maybe we'll change that this winter. But it does mean that I can get 30 foot rows of potatoes in!

Comments

[Sue Swift]

Made me tired just reading about it John. Think I'll go and have a siesta ...

[Kate]

So interesting to read what people are doing in other countries. Feel free to comment on our blog which is for our seedsavers group in Adelaide, South Australia.

[Tim Lester]

This just reminded me to get into my garden and clean it up for the summer. I hope to post some pics of the new garden at http://www.nuganics.com.au . Hopefully I havn't left it too late.
Kind Regards
Tim Lester
http://www.nuganics.com.au