15th April 2012

The change of plan definitely happened after taking some average digs allover the plot it has come to my attention i have a lot of perennial weeds mares tale being everywhere. So my false hope of growing lots of stuff this year was most definitely false. i think the onion sets I've planted will have to come out has they have been scuppered whilst i sown them. I have learnt 3 main things

1. My soil is riddled with root and underlying weed that has been rotovated into the soil.
2. Its a hard clay and does not drain well.
3. While my back is turned the weeds on the rest of the plot are regrowing after once been rotovated underneath 

So here is the plan 

Make raise beds off the shite soil and improving the soil inside the raised bed myself. One realisation is that this a long term plan and i think the season has gone for me this year apart from the polytunnel but with some hard work now!! next year will be pretty much work free. thats the plan anyway.

I've managed to get hold of some wood free which is very handy and a major part of my decision as i don't want to pay out too much money.

Before Change of plan

After the change of plan

I've made two main raised beds. The One on the right of the picture below has been dug over inside the wooden frame and all the roots pulled out that i could get until i ran out of steam, but most of them are out. (bloody mares tail)

I've recently been reading a book by Charles Dowding about organic gardening and the NO DIG method.

Basically two methods = two raised beds

Which leads me to my next decision.

Bed A = The dig method, basically the traditional way of digging organic material into the ground to improve the soil. Just like every allotment in the country i suppose.

Bed B = The no dig method , basically not digging the organic material into the ground just mulching the ground with cardboard and then layering organic material on top and letting nature come up and get the good stuff. Over the course of a year.

The building of bed B

No dig

Layers of Chicken Manure and Compost.

Pictured above full the soil in bed A is from the raised beds that run along the side of the plot.

Will be interesting to see how they get on next year. this year i may just plant into Bed A with some of the seedling from the poly tunnel.

Hopefully i have enough wood to complete another two beds towards the camera. these will be dig only method cos of the cost of compost and the pain in the arse to get to the plot. although i haven't decided yet.

I may have a man who i can get some horse muck from which will help the plot in general hopefully.

Seeds coming through in the polytunnel.