More digging today. It was cold and windy so only a bit more done.Still plenty of tidying up to do, then maybe a bonfire to finish off.
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Friday, 13 September 2013
Autumn approaches
The weather is still warm but nights are drawing in. The recent rain is very welcome; the ground was very dry and hard. Digging season is upon us.
I like to see the plot dug and weeded in the autumn. I feel that it gives the weeds a poor start in the spring so less work then when there's plenty of other stuff to do. If I use any manure I like to spread it over the freshly weeded and dug ground in the autumn so it gets drawn into the earth by the weather and worms over the winter.
Everything has effectively finished except the leeks and purple-sprouting broccoli that will stand much longer. Leeks are fairly resistant but the broccoli needs protecting from pests such as pigeons, so I've surrounded it with frames covered in wire mesh and covered the top with netting.
Digging the weeds up, I suddenly realised that the pattern of weeds was different from previous years. This year there has been a huge number of sow thistles, I'm not sure which exact species. There has also been a lot of deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) too. I do wonder if it was brought in amongst the manure that Jim had delivered as we all used it to some extent. The weeds are not a big problem and both of these are easy to clear. Last year there were a lot of dandelions and this year there are hardly any. I suppose that weeds respond differently to the weather for the year just like my plants.
I like to see the plot dug and weeded in the autumn. I feel that it gives the weeds a poor start in the spring so less work then when there's plenty of other stuff to do. If I use any manure I like to spread it over the freshly weeded and dug ground in the autumn so it gets drawn into the earth by the weather and worms over the winter.
Everything has effectively finished except the leeks and purple-sprouting broccoli that will stand much longer. Leeks are fairly resistant but the broccoli needs protecting from pests such as pigeons, so I've surrounded it with frames covered in wire mesh and covered the top with netting.
Digging the weeds up, I suddenly realised that the pattern of weeds was different from previous years. This year there has been a huge number of sow thistles, I'm not sure which exact species. There has also been a lot of deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) too. I do wonder if it was brought in amongst the manure that Jim had delivered as we all used it to some extent. The weeds are not a big problem and both of these are easy to clear. Last year there were a lot of dandelions and this year there are hardly any. I suppose that weeds respond differently to the weather for the year just like my plants.
 |
| Deadly Nightshade |
 | |
| Sow Thistle |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)