Time To Make A Start
After month upon month of rain, snow and miserably cold weather we finally got some warm sunshine. Admittedly it was only for two days over the Easter weekend but we decided to take advantage. We have currently got a conservatory full of rapidly growing seedlings which are going to need planting out over the next few weeks and I have also been moaning about needing to make sure the fruit bed and the asparagus patch are weed free ready for the growing season. I really didn’t want to be in the same position I was last year of having to tug well established weeds from semi solid soil whilst negotiating around tender new asparagus spears just poking their heads above the surface. Or getting my little fork under blossom laden gooseberry bushes whilst trying not to break off. So, on seeing the sun shining high in the blue skies on Good Friday whilst sipping my morning coffee, I suggested we head off down t’allotment. Surprisingly Paul agreed without the usual moaning and groaning preamble.
I knew what I was going to be doing and Paul had decided to cut the hedges and, now the weather was improving, carry out a bit of maintenance on the chicken coops ready for the girls and Stuart to return from their winter quarters in our stable. Yes, whilst they have been resident with us our little Sandra Dee turned out to be a Stuart! Joey’s theory is that he was identifying as a hen because he saw what happened to the other three cockerels.
When we arrived at the allotment we did quick tour to see what was starting to grow and what needed doing. The cherry and the apple trees are just beginning to blossom and pear tree is already full of blossom and this year so is the plum tree; so we may finally get some plums; so fingers crossed for a decent harvest. If we can save them from the pigeons that is. Even the grape vine has buds.The grass was almost knee high and the fruit bed and asparagus patch were all overgrown again. Thankfully all the big beds were covered in plastic sheeting after last years harvests so should be weed free and only need a quick digging over.
It was time to get stuck in. Whilst Paul started on the hedges I made a start on the fruit bed since the gooseberry bushes are showing signs of life. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be though. My efforts from last year plus all the rain meant the soil was nice and soft so turning it was relatively easy. It was the picking all the weeds and their roots out that was slow, backbreaking work, taking a lot of time but made more pleasant by the warm sun. I had only done half the bed when Paul decided it was time to go home. To be fair I was about ready as well, plus I was getting peckish.
Saturday turned out to be another warm, sunny day and Paul decided that it was the perfect day for that knee high grass to get it’s first cut so the mower was filled with petrol and heaved into the back of the car. He also thought it was a high time we had a bonfire since we had an enormous amount of rubbish to burn and only a couple of weeks left until fires are banned for the summer. As Netti had called round with a very bored Joey in tow before we left for t’allotment I suggested he came with us for something to do. As Joey has; from an early age; had a distinct fascination for fire, the thought of being put in charge of the bonfire made his eyes light up (if you’ll pardon the pun).
Whilst Joey had an explore and Paul was mowing the grass I picked up where I’d left off in the fruit bed. As I was now at the end of the bed I hadn’t managed to fully clear last year because the drought made the ground to hard to dig my progress slowed down as it was covered with couch grass and deep rooted weeds. But I only had to ask and Joey got stuck in. I gave him a small fork and showed him what to do and as I turned he weeded. Although it was slow going at times since he had to have full a blown conversation with and relocate every worm he found so they didn’t dry out in the sun.
Once he had finished the hedges Paul decided it was time to start the fire so I lost Joey. They raked the all the rubbish into a neater pile before they set light to the bonfire. Joey was in his element gathering up old wood and sticks to add to the fire, pushing them into the flames.
When Paul had to leave for a short while he left Joey in sole charge of the fire with instructions to keep it going if he could. He was worrying that it would go out until I remembered all the branches from the elder trees Paul had cut down last year. We dragged a few across to the smouldering heap and piled them on where we could see a few flames licking up from the ashes. Joey poked and prodded about under the branches encouraging more flames to break free and catch the dead leaves on the branches. And he succeeded in keeping it going until Paul returned.
When the fruit bed was finished I decided to transplant the blueberry bush from the huge tangle of brambles which have taken over the old strawberry bed to the freshly dug fruit bed. I hope it takes to it’s new home.
That done I moved on to the asparagus beds; which also appeared to have succumbed to the dreaded weeds. However, when I looked closely, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I cleared quite a lot of the surface weeds with my weeding claw before having to get down on my hands and knees with the small fork to root out the network of stubborn buttercup roots and pesky tap roots of the docks and dandelions. I managed to get two beds cleared before Joey and Paul doused the remains of the fire and we called it a day.
We didn’t return for a couple of days as we had a day out on Easter Sunday and it poured with rain on Monday. As Tuesday was cloudy but fine so we arranged to meet Suzy down there for a couple of hours. Paul did some fence maintenance and lopped down some of the way too tall elder trees whilst Suzy cleared the raised beds and I continued weeding the asparagus beds. I’ve just got two ends to finish where I need to carefully dig out the couch grass. Although I do think Ive accidentally disturbed one of the asparagus crowns. I’ll swear I planted them deeper than that, we’ll just have to wait and see. My last job of the day was collecting a bagful of tender nettles for my nettle soup.
All in all a good start to our allotment year.