I've got a few days off, so thought I'd tackle the jobs on the
to-be-put-off-if-you-can list, but one job at a time, it's not so bad.
Today's job was to clear out the dead bits between the blackberries (still not thornless) and do a bit of pruning. Sounds easy - until I got stuck in.... forgot that we don't keep the secateurs there, so I used the rake instead. Then found out that this little area isn't quite so little - we could get about 3 or 4 more beds in here if we wanted! Also, it's been the previous owner's dumping ground for pruned branches (trees and blackberry) which has all been grassed through.
Anyway, I'm quite pleased with what I got done - took a couple of hours, which was longer than I planned, but who's ever stuck to a timetable at an allotment?! Here's a few before and after pics, I hope you can see the effect, but it's not very clear, because I did leave the live blackberries in for fruit collecting later.
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| before |
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| after |
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| before |
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| after |
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| compost full |
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| findsies |
Success! We've got a full compost, to start off - free supply of the browns and greens, just need the heat and a bit of water to sort it out. Also found lots of stuff in the pile by the compost bin. Not rubbish - in there was netting, wire mesh, wood stakes, piping for netting, spare tough bags for use and the shelving/frame of a mini greenhouse! I'll get some old net curtains and make a cover for that!
Right, I'm off for a cuppa.....until tomorrow, that is.
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| my Christmas present from a friend - a hug for my mug! |
Well done...especially in this cold. Brrrrrr! And what an excellent surprise to have a few additional beds :)
ReplyDeleteYou're putting me to shame Madam! Finding things to put to use is like finding treasure, and finding more space is a bonus.
ReplyDeleteLove that mug hug, I think I need to make me one of them. xxx