At the weekend I did a bit of work with the tractor, I tidied up some brash, moved some wood chip and some muck. The amount of time saved by using a tractor with a front end loader is ridiculous, it would have taken me days to do what took me a few hours.
I moved a fair bit of cow muck on to Long Furrows ready to be spread about. I didn't drive over the plot just up the side and tipped it over the fence (that isn't there yet).
I then spread this muck out by hand, leaving an area clear a the bottom so I could grow some carrots there.
Dread filled me as I dragged out the rotovator to give the plot another going over last night, but I managed to get it going first pull! I think I have the knack now and I might even write down how I did it so I can remember next year!
The muck worked in really well and I went over the plot twice.
the soil has worked down to a really fine tilth, I might even get some carrots and parsnips in tomorrow.
All I need to do now is to finish fencing it then I can get on with the serious planting!
Who feels they're behind on their planting this year? Some things I'm ahead with but I keep remembering things I've forgotten to put in!
I suddenly woke up to realise that I have not put any parsley seed in, RATS. I use mountains of it . Better late than never I hope.
ReplyDeleteFor me it was sunflowers- I completely forgot. Need to do that today!
DeleteI had most of March off in between jobs, so my garden is mega early, I am keeping fingers crossed for no frost, here along the south coast our weather is kinder, but we are also very dry, so loads of watering to do.
ReplyDeleteI don't really water anything once its up here to encourage the roots to head downwards, although this year I have been as its been so dry the last few weeks. was for frozts we can have them up to the second week in june here so I need to be careful, I'll probably start planting out in the middle of may though amd risk it.
DeleteExciting isn't it!
ReplyDeletegot some exciting smallholding news tomorrow! Really going to change things!
DeleteIt will be interesting to see how this virgin plots fares. Won't the rabbits get through that fence?
ReplyDeleteI've dug in and clipped rabbit wire to the pig netting that you can see. The side without any wire is just going to have straining wire with rabbit wire clipped and dug. I'll make sure it's rabbit proof as I don't want my hard work being eaten by fluffy tails!
DeleteUsing new ground is always interesting. The soil here seems better than in my kitchen garden but it'll take a while to build the fertility and structure.
That plot really looks good and with rain forecast for te week end it will be ready to go, you never said what you plan to plant there :-)
ReplyDeleteGoing to put my young fruit trees in here and then split it into plots and rotate a little like the kitchen garden but with lower maintenance. I'm thinking a small area of grain, large patch of squash, an area of beans, some potatoes maybe (although wire worm might be a problem), a patch of oca, some brassicas (big patch of kohl rabi, sprouts and purple sprouting).going to divide it up with weed matting.
DeleteIs that a pig ark I see next to the fence?
ReplyDeleteI will be interested to see how you get on with growing a small area of grain, what do you have in mind?
It's a pig ark in a nearly finished pig pen. We get closer to having pigs every year!
DeleteI'm just going to put a tiny patch of spring oats in and see what we get from it.
We really don't plant here much until after May 1st or so. I usually till up the garden a few times before May but it's been too wet this year and I am focusing on the fence project as a priority now too. We have been burned a couple of times by late frosts and flooded gardens so I just resist the urge to plant early now a days.
ReplyDeleteNothing that can be affected by frost will be planted out until the middle of may at the earliest and even then it will be a risk. I start most things in the greenhouse to get as long growing season as possible. Frosts here as late as the second week in june on a really bad year.
Deletethis is exciting and a lo of work. i look forward to the progression!
ReplyDeleteIt'll be interesting to see how it does and how I can keep on top of two gardens!
DeleteIt looks great. Was the fencing expensive? Mustard will get rid of any wire worm. But you can't plant any brassica's in it after that for a while because it is related. Are there going to be more paths? Looks very professional.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit to taking the posts from dads out of his post pile that's been there for years and years. The paths will be made from weed matting I think so I can take it up each year and rotovate it all in one go.
DeleteYou are kind of born out of your time, aren't you Kev? You would have been happier, I think, in the days when farmers kept big horses and farmers were considered the backbone of the county (at least, here they were.)
ReplyDeleteMaybe but I like my modern things as well, broadband mainly and modern medicine. It's easy to forget how easy we have it these days that's why I don't mind a bit of graft. I romanticised being a traditional gardener the other day and dad had to remind me that I'd be"the one pushing the @#$@ing barrow"!
DeleteIt's looking good, not long now until it's full of things to feed you and your family.
ReplyDeleteYep ... I'm behind, I feel as though I'm permanently chasing a tail I have't got!!
soil looks lovely
ReplyDelete