​Weeds, weeds and more weeds

Thursday 7th June
After arriving early to help unload a delivery of compost to the Trading Hut, I planned to stay all morning on the plot. I wondered if I was going to be rained off at first but it was only a shower and I managed to carry on in a coat and hat until I got too warm. Then ensued a rather comic situation as the zip got stuck on the jacket too high for me to slip it off over my head. I eventually escaped with help from a nearby plotholder friend and had to cut into the zip to undo it.

​​My objective was to clear the patches where weeds were beginning to seed themselves all over the site. Where I plan to grow my climbing French beans was a mess containing tall nettles so, with my jacket on, I was well covered to avoid being stung. The soil was so dry and hard I had to tease the weed roots out with a fork and a big pile of greenery went onto the compost heap as none of these weeds had actually flowered. At least the ground is clear for me to plant my climbing French beans and set up the canes.

​One of last year's patches for root crops had become overgrown as well but many of the weeds were flowering and some old protective netting was tangled in them. I used my billhook to cut the netting free and then started cutting everything down with it. ​​I had almost finished when something made me start pulling the weeds by hand. I found some of them just broke off but a good proportion came out by the roots. It was so much better that I finished off pulling weeds out from by the fence.

​Once I had finished on the main patch I had a huge heap of seeding weeds I cannot compost so will have to dispose off some other way. All else failing I shall have to take it all to the tip!
The soil is already very dry so I shall probably have to soak the patch before digging it as I have seedlings growing on in the greenhouse which can't wait for rain.

​However I had taken care not to pull up bindweed as I knew there would be more below ground than above. Having dug out most of the bindweed by the fence I noticed a few small sprigs of it in the next bed. I was horrified at how much root I exposed with my fork as I had dug the patch over fairly carefully earlier this year!


I kept these roots and shoots separate so I can drown then in a bucket turning them into a useful if somewhat smelly liquid manure.

​At last the plot is beginning to look reasonable; though don't look too hard at the bottom right (very weedy strawberry patch) or up round the shed!
Before going home, I drowned the bindweed and harvested asparagus, rhubarb, new potatoes and 4 radishes.
Back tomorrow hopefully leaving me clear on Sunday for the Working Party. We've got a bit of clearing up round the Cabin and its new decking and lots of potholes to fill in!