Wednesday 25 June 2008

How that became this part 2

As well as digging the main plot, I also had a strip of ditch/verge about 2m wide, running alongside between the plot and the hedge. At first it was quite a deep ditch, but after throwing in all the couch grassy clods it gradually filled up and became a verge. I don't think drainage will be a problem as there has been no water in the ditch for years apparently. The soil is very light, sandy and well drained.

In the first year the verge was completely overgrown with nettles and couch, and was a haven for slugs and snails, especially with all that rain. In the early autumn I sprayed the whole area with glyphosate, and have gradually been clearing it to make a proper path. At one end of it I have sited my shed (it's more of a cupboard actually, it's only just big enough to put tools in, you can't get inside it) and have even rigged up some guttering and a water butt. The very very large piece of black plastic had to be torn and cut into pieces small enough to be stuffed into bin bags, about 14 of them altogether and they have all now been disposed of. I have edged the first few metres in front of the shed with boards to create an edge to the path (which will have bark chippings put down on it) and the plan is to plant wild flowers along the hedge at the back of the verge.



The verge as it looks now. The weeds have begun to take over again so I have recently redone the glyphosate to keep them under control until I can finish the paths properly.

Between the 'sections' I have laid stepping stones of old paving slabs, mainly from around my garden, some scrounged from some people across the road who were having their crazy paving dug up. Between the stepping stones I have planted marigolds, poached egg plants, borage, lavender and rosemary cuttings, and chives. There are also a couple of echinacea plants and at the fence end, some sage and scabious. The only trouble is now some of them are so big I can no longer 'step' over them, the whole point being to avoid walking on the soil too much. But it looks very pretty now they are all in flower. They don't show up in any of the photos, but I'll try and take some next time I go.

Here are some of the things that are doing well now, they have put on lots of growth even since I took these.

You can't see the cabbages and calabrese very well as it's under the enviromesh, but I'm really pleased with them. We've had a couple of really fat, juicy, hearty greyhound cabbages, and a couple of calabrese heads, with more to come.

You can see the 'shed' behind and the stepping stones to the right.

1 comment:

mydarlingtonallotment said...

Great blog. I like your writing style. The plot looks great and you seem to have done so much. I look forward to reading more.