paths, planning and planting
Posted by twinsane on Sunday 25 October, 2009
Today was a strange day; one minute it was raining and the next the sun was shining. DFS and I went to the lotty. Since it’s been dug DFS is very eager. The plan today was to get the side path and a central path sorted. I always chat to people so DFS went and got the rake and “levelled” the side path. It’s way better now but is far from complete as it needs firming and levelling. As you walk you sink into the soft soil the digger has left. I then suggested DFS plant the onion sets in one of the raised beds (RB1 for my records) only to find out he’d never planted anything before. I hadn’t even considered that when he didn’t get involved as he’s always been so anti-gardening. He likes a nice garden and buying plants etc but his punishment as a child was to dig a part of the garden so understandably he’s left it all to me. I will never understand some people’s idea of discipline – gardening used as a punishment for a child?! I try to make things like that enjoyable for the kids and anyone else that I can encourage to be interested including DFS and after showing him how, I watched him kneeling happily beside the bed meticulously measuring the planting distance and gently firming them in. So gently in fact that I think they will all fall over in a slight wind as the soil hasn’t been firmed down. Still, he was happy!
We then went on to tackle the mountain. I want a central pathway from which I can access and mark other beds but the mound goes across where the path will be. We decided to move it. DFS started by shovelling the soil from one place to another but I’m too lazy. I don’t want to move it twice so I sugested that we shake out any roots and use the soil to build up the lower side of the plot on the left. It took an hour or two but by the end of it we could put a string line up representing the path.
Some of the plans I made last night have now changed. I’m not sure how to plan the site. I wanted to put a cordon hedge of soft fruit (raspberries, tayberry, black, red and white currants and gooseberries) but when I looked at it it will run from north to south and cast shade over the whole plot. I wanted it as a wind break but I’m not sure about the shade. I’m thinking now of putting them at the bottom of the plot.
