With the sun mostly behind the clouds, we finished off the apple tree pruning and took a few bits off the pear tree. I’ve no real idea what’s what on the pear tree, so I’ll just have to watch out for it looking crowded, I suppose. The same goes for the foliage on the apple tree in the summer. I need to try and remember to take off anything I think is excessively leafy.

A few more bags of compost have been delivered to the plot, so more hauling about is on the cards for next weekend.

The first thing I did when I got the shed was drop my new nut feeder out onto the outside mat, so the second thing I did was fasten the catch with wire. I managed to get it up on a chosen branch with my new steps and gripper. The ladder got quite a workout today.

While the compost defrosted, I made a start on the apple tree pruning. It’s not finished yet, but even when we get the remaining long bits done next week, I still want it to get professional attention, because the tree is just insane.

A few tiny weeds are appearing in the compost. When I picked them out I saw the first shoot of garlic coming up. A few inches away was something white, which turned out to be another clove, starting to shoot. I poked around and quickly found its hole and reburied it.

I’ve filled the last half go Bed 9 with compost, so that’s complete. Bed 10 has had its compost and is complete. Bed 6 had the last of the lovely leaf mould and then a layer of compost and is also now complete. The thickness of the compost is varying a bit from bed to bed, so as it all compacts, I’ll be looking to see what needs topping up.

After lunch I put the last 2 bags of compost onto Bed 7. I’ve made the inevitable decision that the remaining plot compost should go on Bed 1, as that’s only had manure so far. Hopefully we’ll be able to drag it down there on the cardboard and plastic it’s on. My bad wrist allowing, of course.

I went round the plot and gathered up the last mounds of clay. I finally got round to sorting out the mint area, which turned out to be the perfect moment as the mound of earth just crumbled and I was able to rake it out. I dug up the weeds and threw out the  grass. Now it’s ready to have some kind of bug hotel and recover the mint to whatever degree it wants too.

I dug up the hyssop to move it, but it fell apart, so I’m now in the market for a filler at the front right of the triangle.

With the broken trellis panel not currently in place, I was able to dig up the big mound of grass on the fence line and reduced what I could of the bits of bramble and nettle. The everlasting pea is still in there, but needs to not be trampled any more. I’ve cut back some of the bramble further down, growing between the fence and the trellis, but it would be too big a job to get it out entirely.

Storm Eunice blew through yesterday, wreaking a lot of havoc across the country. I went down to the plot this morning to check on my piece of land. There was an amount of rubbish strewn down the path and as I turned the corner to my plot, I was faced with a huge dark rectangle. I quickly established that it was not my roof – and that there was an entire potting shed attached to it. Mr R’s shed has been a bit damaged too, and Mr T’s greenhouse is missing its door.

In my plot, the biggest damage incurred was one panel of trellis having blown down and broken. Although most of it is actually still intact, so I’ve put it away safely. The corner that was still attached had been wired to the fence, so I’ve done that to the other bits of trellis that were a bit loose. The easiest thing might be to simply lash the panel to the fence again and weave the broken bit back in.

I re-covered  Bed 9 and picked up all the loose sticks that had fallen. Someone else will have to poke the nest box straight for me.

Meanwhile, aside from the all the drama, the first Sweet Williams have opened in the pot by the shed.

More manure has gone to the plot and by the end of the day I was fairly sure that I’ll have slightly more than enough. No problem; at least some of the remainder will help further fill Bed 3.

After sprinkling homemade compost over the rest of Bed 7, the next job was planting the garlic. I’ve put in 22 Picardy Wight cloves in two rows. They’ll get watered by the rain coming tomorrow.

I did everything I could for Bed 10: edging it, lining with 6-8 sheets of newspaper, Hügel sticks and filling it with manure. It needs a little of my compost and a topping of shop compost. I’ve covered my reduced heap of compost for now to stop it being washed away by the coming rain.

I went back in the afternoon but I was too knackered and it was too cold and windy for me to want to commit to cutting more cardboard edging. So I pottered about for an hour and started some gardening clearing up. I cut down the helianthus, where there’s some grass that needs to come out. I cleared up some geums as they’re springing to life again, and did a bunch of pick weeding on the ledge.

Another pile of compost and manure has gone down to the plot . I’ve now completely finished Bed 11 and I’ve marked out the rough area for the cucumber wigwam so that I can plant the garlic.

I’ve added half a bag of compost to Bed 3 as it’s a bit low. I’ll gradually add more over the year to bring it up to the top. The rest of the compost has gone onto Bed 9. I need the garden centre to restock now so I can finish the job. Yesterday I got their last 3 bags and got a great bargain on manure by paying £8 for 4 x 40l bags before it turned out that it was nowhere to be found, so I got 4 x 50l bags of a more expensive brand 🙂

Before lunch we opened Bed 7 and started heaving the homemade compost out of the bed. I edged and covered the flat end.

After lunch I gradually flattened out Bed 7, edged it, laid cardboard and put down hügel sticks. Then lovely manure and the top third got a dressing of my homemade compost instead of leaf mould. The rest of the compost shovelling will happen tomorrow when it’s light again.

The robins were back today. I’ve a feeling they are a bit nervous of non-regular visitors. I also had a crow land expectantly on my fencepost, so I think we know who emptied the first coconut.

I raked yesterday’s beds even and managed to empty two sacks of compost onto Bed 11. I’ve raked that out, but it needs a little bit more in the corner. Then that one will be done.

More bulbs are coming up! There are a number narcissi showing and the tulips are starting to show themselves in the front corner too. For the summer I’ll broadcast seed and try and keep a tight control on the yarrow. Then this bed could become pretty self-sufficient.

Bed 5 is now done and ready for parsnip seeds  in April. Two bags of compost have been added and I’ll probably need to add another next season (if not before) as this settles and compacts.

Suzy and I cleared Bed 8 and Bed 10 today. The former was particularly full of rubbish, including bits I’d thrown in there from other beds. We sat on the plastic squares that I’ve been using to bridge the mud and they’re going to be pretty good seats in the future.

I went back to Bed 6 this morning and finished removing the grass and edged and covered the second half with cardboard. I magically remembered to put the hügel sticks down. I did a pretty good layer, but am also pretty aware that I’ve got lots yet to go.

I topped the whole thing with a fat layer of manure, and put the plastic back on.

The new coconut was on the ground, which the robins didn’t seem to mind, but I’ve hung it low in the apple tree now. The robin was happy with that and when I left, the great tit was giving off at the top of the tree.

I’ve got lots of edging left – these plus a bigger pile on the other side of the shed. I don’t need all of them, just some. Aside from cleaning them up when I finally have some spare time, I want to work out if there’s some kind of bug hotel set up I can make with some of them – but one that hopefully isn’t just a haven for slugs.

It’s occurred to me that the area around the bottom of the elder and onto the semi-wanted mint part would also be a good place to have a multi-layer bug hotel.

Bed 11 is now complete for winter. It’s been fully edged with cardboard, lined and then give a fat layer of manure. The pile of my own compost in the bed has been spread on top as the leaf mould layer. I should have remembered hügel sticks, but didn’t think of it until too late.

There was half a bag of manure left over, so that’s been put onto Bed 5. That’s already reached its compost level, but it’s very deep, so the manure’s gone on next and I’ll add more manure and compost as we go. It’s a deep bed, which is good because that’s where I’m planning to try parsnips there.

Bed 9 has a new cover now, as the old one no longer fits. It’s been open for a week, but nothing had been disturbed in the leaf mould level. I had to tread on it a few times and it’s quite soft and spongey, so should settle down a good bit further, especially with the compost on top.

I walked around the plot a little after lunch and found the very first bulb poking up. This should be one of the narcissus bulbs.

I was going to leave Bed 6 until spring, but the ground is dry enough that I thought I’d make a start on it. I’ve left the newspaper in place and cut away the edge grass. Half is now lined and edged and I’ll aim to do the rest tomorrow. As this is a wet bed in winter, I must try and remember to hügel stick this one in case it helps to hold any of the water.

Back to Bed 9 and the first job was to lay the cardboard. It was a pretty good fit and I covered the cracks with newspaper. The poppy by the post is being left to take its chance. 3 sacks of manure went into this bed to make a reasonable layer. The bags are all reliable quality so far.

We added a thin layer of leaf mould on top. There is by no means enough for all the beds as I had originally planned, so I’m being a little more circumspect with it now. We’ve emptied the last bit into a plastic sack for easy access. The bottom of it is particularly good stuff. We’ve refilled the bin with a sack or two of the 2021 leaves. I should have mowed them first, but never got around to it. Must do that this year.

The new suet coconut was ridiculously diminished when I came back after lunch. Maybe the crows had been in, but a tit had been on it when we left in the morning and I saw the robin and a great tit on it after lunch. I was surrounded by birds: the robins, a blackbird, the tit, a goldfinch…

I saw the robins on the fenceposts across the plot, with one doing a courtship dance of bobbing, head up and tail up. I’ve read that during courtship the female is allowed into the male’s territory, which suggests that the bold one is the male.

Bed 9 has grown and so is being left open until we cut new plastic. I was a little concerned that the birds would immediately kick my leaf mould around, but it looks like the cardboard base perhaps deters them from being too vigorous.

I made a big start on Bed 11, edging more than half with cardboard and evening out the earth. I’ve bagged up lots more clay, taking it from the compost heap. There’s more to go, but I have nowhere easy to put it now. I’ll use this homemade compost as at least some of the leaf mould layer. I’ll deal with the other end of the bed when this first part is done.