The long slog has started

Today I went down to the allotment armed with a tape measure, a camera and gardening tools.  I measured the site at 9m x 11.5m and just after that it started raining.  Having got sorted I decided to continue with my plans to make headway on the big clear-up and started by removing all the seed heads of the weeds and old rotted crop stalks to make it slightly neater.  

Whilst doing so I discovered some Raspberry plants growing up near the Rhubarb that I had spied on my very first trip.  Not knowing if it was a summer or autumn variety I trimmed it by half and decided to wait and see!  I cleared all the couch grass, bindweed roots and nettle roots that I could find from around them and cleared a bit of the weeds from around the rhubarb but as it was sprouting I decided to leave full weeding around it till later in the season.  The soils is in really good condition, easyish to work even when water logged and in the rain and a lovely dark colour.

 I also managed to cover some of the soil with plastic sheeting that I had and also a tarpaulin that I was lent by a very friendly person on the site.  We chatted for ages whilst I pinned it down with cut up bamboo and I learnt a lot more about the site including the fact that the person who had had my plot before me had managed it organically!  This was excellent news as I was worried that I would have a chemical infested few years.




After four and a half hours of hard graft I headed back home to wash the mud from my tools and  a much needed shower.  I think a shed will be quite high on my list of acquisitions as taking very muddy tools home in my car is not ideal.  Looking forward to a bit of dry weather for next time I get down there.