Current mood:

content

OK - Scrap the raised beds idea.....!
Went up to the lottie a couple of days back - spent most of the time raking up the straw left from the manure that had been spread before christmas.

I had a huge change of heart about my wonky raised beds. I really didn't think that they would serve the purpose that they were intended for. Last year our beds weren't particularly uniform, which in itself wouldn't have been an issue, but when there were 4 under 5 year olds zooming round inevitably things were more suseptible ro being trodden on (although the girls were REALLY good and were exceptionally careful.) This year, we are minus 2 of the under 5 year olds (who have moved to Ipswich), but there are still 2 left to run riot!!

So (I'll get to the point now), I've decided the best way forward was to use the timber to make a central path and then each side of the path will be beds. Ian and I went up today armed with hammers to take apart the raised beds and reuse the timber for the path. We had to move a crown of rhubarb first as it was right in the middle of our path! We then dug two trenches and laid the timber down into it compacting the clay-like soil around them to keep them in their place. Hopefully in the next week or so we'll get some gravel down.

Next week a lottie neighbour is loaning us his rotivator just to turn over the soil and prepare it for some seeds.

Still haven't managed to plant anything at the lottie yet. Was hoping to get something in this weekend but what with putting a path in and the soil not being rotivated it'll be another week at least! There has been another mention of frost next week anyway, so it might be worth holding out a bit.