Putting the Plot to Bed

It’s that time of year when the plot and life on the site slows. Although there are still lots of people on site, the cold and rain have more than a touch of autumn which will drive everyone else away over the winter except for us chicken keepers. But due to being away quite a bit and work being really busy, it’s been hard to have time to get down to do more than just feed the chickens. When I got to the plot, I discovered our Jonagold apple tree had almost felled itself after the high winds. Some careful manoeuvres with the stake combined with wedging the stake into the ground ensured that for now, the tree is fully upright

My first job was to clear Geoff’s beds and paths between them. I ambled down early as rain was forecast most of the afternoon. Armed with the weed bucket and a small fork, I started on the biggest bed. Half of the bed was straightforward to weed however, towards one end there were several hidden nettles which despite being careful, I managed to sting myself repeatedly. The back half of the bed required climbing in to to get the remaining weeds cleared.

On a roll, I cleared the path and made a start on the second bed. There really is something about listening to an audiobook when weeding which makes the time pass quickly. Within a couple of hours, all four beds and paths were completed. I paused with dirt covered hands and a slightly sore back to admire my hard work. Geoff’s plot looked so much better!

Determined to keep up the good work, I lugged the weed bucket across to our plot. Pondering where best to start, I chose the strawberry bed by the greenhouse. The top of our plot looked really overgrown and although the rest of the plot needs work, a quick hoe would ensure the rest of it would pass muster. I’d managed to clear the weeds along the side of the strawberry bed when the heavens opened. Checking my watch, I realised it was lunchtime and decided to retreat home until the rain stopped.

After lunch, I dragged my husband back down to the plot to make some more progress. Setting him the task of hoeing the plot with the tiller, I went back to the strawberry bed. It’s so ridden with bindweed and mares tail that it’s almost impossible to clear it entirely. Part of me wonders whether it might be worth adding some new compost and covering it over with a sheet to kill off the worst of the weeds before replanting with new strawberry plants.

After clearing the strawberry bed, I moved onto the patio. Thankfully, the weeds weren’t too bad despite my neglect. My husband called me over to show me what he’d done – he’d almost done the entire plot already!

As I cleared the bottom bed of grass and mare’s tail, he sorted out the chickens. Much to my amusement, he reappeared holding Greta under one arm and Flo under the other. He put them down on the plot and they immediately began to pick through the weeds. Greta and Flo are always quick to run past me whenever I open the Nest House to fill their beaks full of weeds. They were both so busy on our plot, they didn’t wander off and as long as I kept looking up every minute they couldn’t go far.

When my husband finished with the girls in the New Coop, he swept up Greta and Flo and deposited them carefully back into the coop. As I tackled the comfrey which has grown out of control at the top of the plot, he hoed the bottom bed. We paused to survey our hard work – pleased with so much progress in such a relatively short time. With the forecast predicting rain for the rest of the afternoon, we headed home for a well deserved break.

The plan for the next few days is to clear the fruit section and purchase some replacement roof panels for the main coop.