So, after spending a week digging over the beds on the half plot (2 weeks ago now) and planting it up, we have now come to the point after taking over the full plot next to our first one of having to give this one up (hey, we're good, but 2 1/2 plots would be just too much, even for Lee!) but before we do I thought I'd post the piccies taken earlier this week and look at why (apart from too much space) we are giving up this plot!
As you can see from the piccies the half plot doesnt have properly installed paths, which has meant a constant struggle to keep on top of cutting the paths and weeding the bed edges, so much so that after the winter the beds had all but disappeared beneath weeds, so a lot more work just keeping it tidy than our first plot (with its edged beds and barked up paths). As our new full plot also has edged beds and barked paths (even tho the paths need weedoing and re-barking up), this is going to save a large amount of time and effort and allow us to spend more time actually tending crops (and perhaps relaxing!) than if we'd stayed with this half plot! I know we could have barked up these paths, but without having enough wood for edging the 5' by 15' beds, then it would have been difficult to keep the bark chippings on the paths and to stop them making their way into the beds, something we didnt want, but were prepared to put up with (in fact Lee had started to lay a path on the first bed edge when we heard we'd got our new plot, so he abandoned it immediately!!
Its a shame we spent a whole week digging and planting up this plot, if we'd known then that we'd have been getting our other full plot then we wouldnt have bothered, but at least we've been ab;e to allow the plants to grow on a bit and have now moved the majority onto our new plot (although the spuds will have to stay on the half plot as it would be impossible to move them! The courgettes shown here (in the half dismantled 'heath robinson' cold frame) are now safetly planted thru a cardboard mulch in the first 2 beds on the new plot!
The squashes that are planted thru the weed control fabric in front of the compost bins have now also been moved into one of the larger beds on the new plot, again planted thru cardboard mulch! Cardboard mulch isnt something we've tried before, but if it helps reduce moisture evaporation and control the weeds, saving time and energy, then it's something that we will adopt on a larger scale, if not, then we'll try doing the same with weed control fabric or using compost as a mulch and see how we get on!
As you can see here, the 1st Earky spuds are doing well, as is the comfrey and redcurrants in the bed to the right of the piccy!
2 beds of onions from set, all of which seem to be doing ok, they arent as far on as the ones we overwintered on plot 1, but still they do seem to be catching up well, and so far havent started to run to seed, unlike half a dozen or so of the 150 overwintering sets on plot 1!Well, thats all for the half plot for today, perhaps there may be a few more piccies to follow at some time in the future of this plot, but it'll probably be more about the harvesting, as soon as this is empty, then its being given up!
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