I was recently photographed (and soon to be interviewed) for a forthcoming feature in the Mail on Sunday entitled ‘Digging Life into your Soil’. At first I thought - well, how much can be said on the subject of digging? But then when I thought about it I realised that not only is there much to be said, but it’s also one of the most important points in any vegetable garden. I also found, to my horror, that I hadn’t really touched on the subject here at mtp. Surely a travesty. The only reference I could find was this short post on ‘Bastard Trenching’.
I know everyone has a different digging regime but here at mtp it usually goes a little like this. Around, September time when a few beds start to be emptied I throw in some green manure seeds. I usually go for something quick like Mustard (I’ve heard so many scary stories about how other manures are difficult to get rid of). I give it about two or three weeks then I dig it in, chopping it as I go. This usually leaves some green matter on the surface which I cover with a layer of either manure or compost. In a few weeks the whole lot will have disappeared below ground - thanks to the worms.
Bastard Trenching seems to be a great way to prepare any bed used for cutting flowers. Layering the manure under a spit of soil forces me to cultivate the soil quite deeply and means that the goodness is securely locked underground waiting for Spring.
On the rest of the plot I alternate between digging in manure, or compost depending on what I plan to grow in each bed. I usually don’t dig in lime until the Spring as there’s less chance it will be washed away in the rains. We have two wood fires at home and so produce a lot of wood ash. If there is room I add this to the compost bin. However, in mid winter when the composting really slows down I either throw the ash on the ground where I plan to grown onions or I start a wood ash pile, or collect it in a bucket.
One of the soil cultivation methods that I haven’t tried is the ‘no dig’ method. At this time of year, I’m so eager to get out there and ‘do’ something in the garden (anything!) that I can’t resist digging. Maybe when I’m older and find digging difficult then I will adopt this method. But until then I am totally addicted to digging. .
So, don’t forget if you see a photo of a pregnant woman digging and smiling like an idiot, while trying not to stick her bum out at an awkward angle - don’t choke on your cereal - it’s just me.
Oh and I’d love to hear about your digging regimes.
The days after Christmas are a great time for getting your affairs in order. You have some time off and hopefully you’re swimming in new gardening books, and bursting with ideas about the new season. I’ve been using this time to finish off my garden diary which I have been writing for the past year. I started it in January 2007 and it’s just about finished. I have been recording everything that I sow, plant, or prune in the garden and the week of the year that I do it in. When certain plants don’t germinate or they are sown too early I have crossed them out. Today I have been transferring the data to a new notebook since the old one fell apart because I left it out in the rain one day. Now that I have a complete year of information I can start to fine tune it into a very useful list of ‘to dos’. Yes I know there are books out there that I can use to do the same thing but this is done week by week and applies to my garden, in my location, with my weather systems and includes only veg that I like. Basically, it’s all about me!
After a short foraging expedition in the countryside we have decorated the house. I love the way that you can find so many amazing Christmas decorations, right outside your front door. I started to dry out some oranges (bought of course) and some leaves from my Bay tree about a week ago with the idea that they would make cute ornaments for the mantel decorations, or I could use them on a wreath for the front door.
We collected lots of Yew boughs, Holly, Ivy, and Laurel. Then we tied them together to make this sparkly mantel garland for the dining room. We also made a snowy scene on top of the piano using a white tablecloth (for snow) some candles, baubles and some Holly. We used the Oranges and Bay leaves to add some colour and also some gold ribbon. Of course we had to have a glass of mulled wine while we were making the decorations (extra Orange juice for me!). It all looks very festive and very ‘handmade’ which is just what I was hoping for! It’s amazing what you can do if you just go out and look at what the landscape can provide, even in the depths of winter.
Well Thanksgiving was a few weeks ago but since Landscape Juice kindly tagged me with his Thankful Meme I guess I should tell you all what I’m thankful for: Here goes.
1) Firstly, I’m thankful for Ryan and my baby. Naturally.
But I’m also thankful for:
2) My Seed Box - it really is the perfect receptacle for my seed collection.
3) My Victorian Greenhouse - still a hit one year on
4) My Camera - without it My Tiny Plot would be but a sorry collection of words
5) My Tulip Bulbs - they are growing which means I’m looking forward to Spring already
6) My Local Garden Centre - perfect for rainy Sundays
7) My Handcut Bean Poles - salvaged from the allotment and still the best thing to grow beans up
8 My New Garden Plan - a glimmer of hope for the future
9) Gardeners World - the only TV show worth watching (well if you don’t count Antiques Roadshow).
10) My Kittens - they make me laugh every day
Tradition has it that I am to link some sites here who will carry on the digital chain letter:
Allsorts
Posie Gets Cosy
Winos and Foodies
Tiny Farm Blog
Before:
After:
It’s started - the big clearout I mean. As you can see a while ago this was a jungle of matted climbers, trellis and fallen fruit. Now it looks like a garden in a suburb of a war-torn city. It’s not pretty I know but it’s what’s going on in my back yard right now in the name of garden design. I have the final plans and well basically everything is going except the Yew tree (don’t ask me why). We’re trying to clear as much of the greenery as possible before the landscapers arrive to give us their quote. Apparently, it will be cheaper the fewer times they tut and shake their head - so we’re trying to do as much as we can ourselves. Clearly, I’m rubbish at the moment. Tying my shoe laces is a daily challenge and so my part in the clearing is done in little fits and starts, followed by a nice cup of tea and a sit down. Ryan has done the bulk of the clearing - as Chief Neighbour Liaison Officer his job was also to inform next door when we had a bonfire to burn it all. They were very understanding. So this is where we’re up to. No pretty winter scenes for me, just mud and dirt and piles of rotting vegetation. I haven’t seen the frog for months - he’s in his pond thinking, ‘I don’t know what the Hell happened out there but my sorry little ass is staying put’ - he’s a smart doobie.
It’s December 2nd and time to start thinking about Christmas decoration - although we probably won’t get a tree until the week after next. My box of treasured ornaments came down from the loft (including the new addition of a glass version of the Empire State Building - my personal favourite this year). The fairy lights were tested. Two sets worked, two didn’t - not bad considering.
This year we are thinking about making some traditional Christmas decoration with cuttings from the garden - we have a Yew tree and a Laurel. We’re also lucky enough to live in the country so we went on a pre-foraging recce this afternoon to see what we could find. There’s tons of stuff we can use! We found some Ivy, some Holly that even had some red berries on it, some weird looking white berries that looked like snow inside, some really red Rose hips and even some pine cones. Brilliant. So the plan is to wait until our visitors arrive and have a ‘decorate the house’ afternoon. Which might include some of these little natty ideas I found:
Although I have to admit that it will be a miracle if we do actually make a Mantel Village.
