As I am going away over Xmas and New Year, I want to have done all my winter preparations. However, there are always those little jobs that get in the way.
I realised that I still had not planted the Loganberry donated to me as I mentioned in a previous entry, so I got busy digging the far end of my plot. I expected lots of bindweed roots and, while there were some thick white roots, most of what I dug up was old roots from some sort of bush and runners of ivy. I then planted the loganberry ready for a framework to tie it to.
I also needed to dig up the rest of my carrots. The 'Early Nantes' had to be lifted but the 'Eskimo' are supposed to be suitable to leave in all winter. However, the dry September followed by all the rain since means many of them have split and the slugs are munching through them so they have to be lifted.
I have cleared all the vacant ground (except the bit where the greenhouse frame is standing) but it is too late to sow any green manures. I plan to cover the remaining open ground with the horse litter (I don't like to call it manure) to stop the weeds growing and the soil 'capping'. Lots of my colleagues do it so I am sure it will not do any harm. I may rake it off in the spring and add it to the compost bin or even dig it into the bottom of trench when digging. The amount of wood-chip in the current supply of horse litter makes it less good than the old-fashioned straw based horse manure.
I have nearly finished digging out the second compost bin and transferred the contents to the middle bin. The first bin is already filling up with fresh material and there are bags of garden waste from my neighbours to add to the bin.
I am a bit concerned that the late autumn means many of the friends who save me leaves have not yet asked me to collect anything from them. I have a big empty leafmould bin waiting and a very short time before I go away for Xmas.
I realised that I still had not planted the Loganberry donated to me as I mentioned in a previous entry, so I got busy digging the far end of my plot. I expected lots of bindweed roots and, while there were some thick white roots, most of what I dug up was old roots from some sort of bush and runners of ivy. I then planted the loganberry ready for a framework to tie it to.
I also needed to dig up the rest of my carrots. The 'Early Nantes' had to be lifted but the 'Eskimo' are supposed to be suitable to leave in all winter. However, the dry September followed by all the rain since means many of them have split and the slugs are munching through them so they have to be lifted.
I have cleared all the vacant ground (except the bit where the greenhouse frame is standing) but it is too late to sow any green manures. I plan to cover the remaining open ground with the horse litter (I don't like to call it manure) to stop the weeds growing and the soil 'capping'. Lots of my colleagues do it so I am sure it will not do any harm. I may rake it off in the spring and add it to the compost bin or even dig it into the bottom of trench when digging. The amount of wood-chip in the current supply of horse litter makes it less good than the old-fashioned straw based horse manure.
I have nearly finished digging out the second compost bin and transferred the contents to the middle bin. The first bin is already filling up with fresh material and there are bags of garden waste from my neighbours to add to the bin.
I am a bit concerned that the late autumn means many of the friends who save me leaves have not yet asked me to collect anything from them. I have a big empty leafmould bin waiting and a very short time before I go away for Xmas.
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