It’s definitely beginning to feel like spring here. The sun has been out, and there is colour appearing with bulbs and blossom. Because of the good weather we’ve been doing quite a lot of work outside again this month. Mostly in the veg garden. Apart from a bit of a tidy up, and cutting the grass the front and back gardens are unchanged.
We started the month with a bonfire and a spring clean of any combustible material that couldn’t be easily sawn for logs or shredded for paths. There was still sufficient left for another fire later in the month.
The raised beds were completed, (Thanks Christine!) and I’ve finally decided they are as straight and level as they are ever likely to be. Now I just need to finish filling them with a few thousand more barrows full of compost and Mount Harpsbridge. (Actually Mount Harpsbridge is slowly reducing, and will soon be demoted to a munroe or hillock).
One of the most noticeable differences this month is the ‘Mediterranean Area’ By fencing between the barn and the veranda a sheltered corner has been created which is a great place for a coffee break.
The polytunnel has also had a spring clean/makeover. Edges to the beds, and the poles for tying in supports were all sorted, (Thanks Dad!) and I finished it off with a wash down inside and out to let in more light. Now I just need to get sowing and planting in there.
There was quite a bit of wind early in the month, so the barn roof decided that it wanted to lift off. As I was the only one home that day I did very basic prevention, by weighting it down with blocks of concrete. Primitive, but it did the job until the weather calmed enough for a proper repair.
Helen and Hannah came to visit, and worked for their dinner by doing some heavy lifting. They made me a bench using the marble hearth Dad had brought down, and the ‘Trapezium’ bed. They were delighted with getting the bench level first time, and I was delighted with having a semi-temporary bed to put all of the plants that needed a home while other work is in progress.
One of the reasons I needed that bed, is that I wanted to clear and level the main part of the vegetable beds, stretching from the trees to the orchard, so that I could put my own layout of beds in. I also wanted to clear some of the area that had been under cover, and conversely cover an area towards the end that was mostly nettles. This is part of the ongoing battle with the three Cs – Couch grass, Convolvulus and Carpets. It will take a while to get rid of all of them, but by taking as much off as possible then rotovating, and leaving the beds to re-sprout, then hand weeding I hope to at least get the upper hand with the convolvulus and couch grass. The carpets are another matter. After fighting to get multiple car loads out and to the tip, I have stopped for the season, or otherwise I’ll never get anything planted. It has its uses as a mulch, but is pernicious stuff to remove when it’s half rotted and totally intertwined with nettle roots. Nettles are another thing being controlled, but I don’t want to remove them as they are very good for wildlife, just keep them to certain areas. The monster rotovator has been in use again, and I now have a ploughed field! Next month I’ll get the beds in and start planting and it should start to look less bare.
An example of the problems with carpets. I decided to clear the area between the shed and the polytunnel but what should have been quite a quick task ended up being a major operation as removing the multiple layers of carpets took a lot longer than expected. The had to be virtually disentangled a thread at a time! I also found a bath. Not quite sure why, so I’ve left it for future archaeologists 🙂
With all of this work going on outside, there’s very little to report inside. The main exception being the marvellous new cupboard in the porch to cover the electric meters – thanks again Dad! And a first coat of paint to tidy up the concrete parts of the kitchen floor. Further coats will have to wait for bad weather!
As usual, this has gone on for far too long already, so here is the ‘and finally’ section of photos that don’t really fit anywhere else:
- New mini potting benches for my shed – Aldi specials!
- Area behind polytunnel tidied and with a second IBC tank raised and in use
- Mount Harpsbridge getting smaller
- Plants from the old house patiently waiting to be planted out
- Chester ‘helping’ me with potting up seedlings and Dad with his ipad
- Spring colour
- eating al fresco
- Path levelled on the hedge side of the veg bed
- Not pictured! I also planted blackthorn, spindle, cotoneaster, dog rose, holly and guelder roses wherever I could find gaps around the boundary
So that’s all for March. I hope you are all having a good spring too, and I’m looking forward to next month with hopefully less groundwork and more gardening.
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