87b

An empty bottle marks the plot well...

I haven't posted in a couple of days but that's because I've been really busy down at the allotment.  Lots and lots of digging has been done but it still doesn't look like I've actually achieved much.

We had a couple of days where it rained over night which meant some of the compacted areas that had been used as paths were very wet.  This meant it was extra hard to try and clear the grass as the soil was to hard to shake from the roots.  I left some of the really bad tufts turned soil up on some of the already dug areas to let the sun dry them out a bit. 

Before we could go too far with digging the area I had to go round one of the raised beds that were there and pull out the rotting cane border.

As you can see from the picture below, one day's digging didn't look like much as it was so hard going.

After one days digging...

It was at this point my mum suggested we sort out where the compost was going to go, that way we could clear the area and arrange how it was going to be made.

 So we cleared a patch in the back left corner of the plot and used some of the planks of wood from the old raised beds at the back to make a frame.  At the moment it's only a rough framework as I need to get some longer stakes and some nails to fix it together properly.  The photo below is how it is at the moment. 

The compost

It'll be built up to around 3 foot high with the front planks slotted down and held in position by stakes, which means they can be lifted clear whenever I need to get into the compost.

Today I dismantled a bit more of the old raised beds so I can clear the back and get it ready for new raised beds.  I'm not sure whether to get a little shed to put in the other corner so I have somewhere to sit if it rains but even if I don't, I will at least put a few slabs down for a little 'patio' area for sitting.  Between the compost and the seating area will be the raised beds with a shingle path running between them.

Liner... A gardens waxing strip...

 The old raised beds had some black liner in them that I had great fun pulling up.  It was rather nice pulling it up with grass and weeds attached to reveal a nice patch of mud below.  It's a shame the whole thing wasn't covered in liner, it would have been much easier to get most of the grass up!

We also did a bit more digging at the front of the plot, where we had already started before.  This is the area we want to try and get cleared ready for planting potatoes.  It's slow progress, but progress all the same.  I can't wait till we have it ready to start growing veg, although that's a way off yet.

Slow and steady progress