Wow lots of good advice there, thanks for all the replies.
I took a look in the compost bins, there are 6 in total 4 of them are full. I gave them a turn over with the fork but couldn't see any signs of worms.
Ok so today i started digging out around the fruit / veg patch. It looks to me like there is a mix of all sorts in that area. I did notice that the soil has a layer of light moss covering the surface. see pic below which also give an idea how crowded it is with raspberry bushes
I found this aerial picture it shows the layout quite well, it is an old photo though and the garden has grown quite a bit since then, the fruit / veg area is highlighted in red.
Some pics of my progress today.
I also noticed this in amongst the mess, can anyone identify it for me and let me know what it is?
I have a centaurea Montana or perennial cornflower which my son gave me for Mother's Day when he was about 12 and now he is 31. It's been reliable, hardy and not a thug. https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/3364/plant/details
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Its been a long time since i last posted but thought i might as well use my old thread as I am basically back to where i was last year.
Following on from my last post, round about March / April I cleared out the veg patch, i dug it up and removed any large stones that i could see and any weeds that i could grab, i dug out some bushes and extended the patch by a couple of meters and removed tufts of long grass.
I got it looking quite neat and tidy, before planting a variety of seeds. My inexperience really became visible when the seeds began to sprout and you could see how squint my rows of veg were haha I bought some strawberry plants which I then planted in the patch, the following day they had vanished without a trace having been devoured by the rabbits that also call my garden home.
Around the beginning of May I had to leave for work, i work offshore, I expected to be away for two week however I ended up being away for 5 whole weeks. My Girlfriend was also visiting her parents in Europe for 3 months so nobody was there to keep on eye on my patch. When I returned my veg patch was completely overgrown mostly with weeds. It was at this point I just decided to give up and thought I'll try again next year. So the remainder of the year was spent just maintaining the grass and also trying to keep bushes trimmed. The only return I got from my veg patch was a large amount of rhubarb which I put to good use. I managed to grow a good crop of tomatoes in my greenhouse along with some tomatillos and chilies.
So now I'm ready to start again and give it another bash. I bought a Mantis tiller rotavator, I've not used it yet but my plan was to pick out as much weeds as possible then rotavate the ground and cover it with tarp for a few months. I'm offshore right now but when I get home next week I will post some pictures of the current state.
Posts
Wow lots of good advice there, thanks for all the replies.
I took a look in the compost bins, there are 6 in total 4 of them are full. I gave them a turn over with the fork but couldn't see any signs of worms.
Ok so today i started digging out around the fruit / veg patch. It looks to me like there is a mix of all sorts in that area. I did notice that the soil has a layer of light moss covering the surface. see pic below which also give an idea how crowded it is with raspberry bushes
I found this aerial picture it shows the layout quite well, it is an old photo though and the garden has grown quite a bit since then, the fruit / veg area is highlighted in red.
Some pics of my progress today.
I also noticed this in amongst the mess, can anyone identify it for me and let me know what it is?
Thanks everyone
Centaura, lovely blue flowers. Looks like it will be showing you shortly if not too cold. It's a keeper/mover.
I have a centaurea Montana or perennial cornflower which my son gave me for Mother's Day when he was about 12 and now he is 31. It's been reliable, hardy and not a thug. https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/3364/plant/details
Its been a long time since i last posted but thought i might as well use my old thread as I am basically back to where i was last year.
Following on from my last post, round about March / April I cleared out the veg patch, i dug it up and removed any large stones that i could see and any weeds that i could grab, i dug out some bushes and extended the patch by a couple of meters and removed tufts of long grass.
I got it looking quite neat and tidy, before planting a variety of seeds. My inexperience really became visible when the seeds began to sprout and you could see how squint my rows of veg were haha I bought some strawberry plants which I then planted in the patch, the following day they had vanished without a trace having been devoured by the rabbits that also call my garden home.
Around the beginning of May I had to leave for work, i work offshore, I expected to be away for two week however I ended up being away for 5 whole weeks. My Girlfriend was also visiting her parents in Europe for 3 months so nobody was there to keep on eye on my patch. When I returned my veg patch was completely overgrown mostly with weeds. It was at this point I just decided to give up and thought I'll try again next year. So the remainder of the year was spent just maintaining the grass and also trying to keep bushes trimmed. The only return I got from my veg patch was a large amount of rhubarb which I put to good use. I managed to grow a good crop of tomatoes in my greenhouse along with some tomatillos and chilies.
So now I'm ready to start again and give it another bash. I bought a Mantis tiller rotavator, I've not used it yet but my plan was to pick out as much weeds as possible then rotavate the ground and cover it with tarp for a few months. I'm offshore right now but when I get home next week I will post some pictures of the current state.
Good to hear how things are going, Dan. It sounds like progress.
Hi Dan. Look forward to the photos.