Cracking On

This afternoon, I headed down to the allotment with the sole intention of blitzing the weeds. I promised myself, I wouldn’t get distracted or procrastinate especially as our Warden is checking plots regularly to make sure they are up to scratch! Once the shed was open, I put my phone onto charge and went to check on Maude and Mavis. These two chickens are incredible. Despite being ancient and belligerent, Mavis sprinted down the run and jumped impatiently up and down by the door until I gave them some fresh greens. Mollified, they then tucked in and ignored me for the rest of the afternoon.

Grabbing my trusty weed bucket and favourite gloves I surveyed the plot. I often get distracted with the weeds along the paths or by the strawberry bed and on the patio. Trying to resist the siren call of my usual procrastination places, I started in the Stumpery. The Stumpery has been a feature on our plot since the first lockdown in 2020 but I haven’t done much to it since. Unfortunately, our tree fern seems not to have survived the freezing temperatures of the winter despite being swaddled in bubble wrap. Buying a new one isn’t possible yet, but I’m going to keep the old one in place as it’s a wonderful place for moss and insects to grow. The majority of the logs are beginning to break down and I’ll need to start looking for some more to build it up a bit. The ferns continue to survive but I think the Stumpery could do with a few more. There is a gorgeous yellow fern which I have my eye on. It looks spectacular on the website!

Next I tackled the wildflower garden. I was too late in planting the wildflower seeds this year so what has grown has been seeded from last year. My main task was to remove two enormous thistles. Their spikes were enormous so I judged it prudent to get my super thick gardening gloves. These were an excellent Christmas present from my family and they would be perfect for getting the thistles out. The gloves were good, but the thistles were better. The spikes were so sharp that they went straight through my gloves! Some snapped off in the gloves so I spent several minutes trying to get them out from the inside! Deciding that the thistle would win if I kept trying to pull it out by hand, I resorted to a spade and carried it gingerly by the root to the compost heap. Relieved the first thistle was done, I repeated the same procedure to remove the second smaller one. I say smaller, it was still enormous! With the prickly monsters removed, I quickly cleared the wildflower beds.

The crazy paving by the bench has been buried for months under willow cuttings. I excavated it, using the decomposing willow and leaves to build up the central path. Ideally, I would refill the path with bark or wood chippings but in their absence, the willow would do. As I took armfuls of willow and weeds to the path, I realised quite how deeply the paving had been buried. When I eventually, found it, I could hardly see the slabs due to the soil and dirt covering them. The quickest and easiest way to get them clean is with a pressure washer. My husband is keen to buy one to clean the patio – I’m sure he won’t notice if it disappears for an afternoon…

The final bit of weeding focused on the last bed before the bog garden. It’s one of the biggest beds and I’ve spent the last couple of years battling with grass that regularly tried to overtake it. Again, I removed the willow cuttings and weeds which helped give me access to the grass. Half an hour of hard work and it was clear. Pleased with my progress, I surveyed the plot, feeling a sense of achievement.

So the plan for tomorrow is to clear the bog garden and then work my way up the other side of the plot. The greenhouse and the strawberry bed can wait for next weekend!