HIGHER MORWELL GARDEN DIARY
28th February 2018
The weather has gone from very wet and mild to
very dry and cold. The third vegetable plot is now
in mid-dig and stone clearance, the felled hazel
trees are nearing removal from where they were
cut and are either bonfired or cut up for logs.
These works have taken priority over everything
else, the new season seed potatoes are ready to be
chitted and planted when the bed is finally ready.
The remaining cut hazel is above with the
indefatigable branch-chopper making more fuel
for the bonfire. Originally the branches that
were cut covered the ground in a big semi-circle
around the pieces of trunk Matt cut down for us,
right to the laurel hedge on the left above. In
the background are a deutzia and a lilac
transplanted late in 2017. About 60% of the main
log heap has gone from here, and is now either
heaped up at the back of the gunpowder store
or has been processed into logs - see left. There
is no room left in the garage for these logs so
they will be covered to dry out before splitting.
Hazel should be ready for burning in about a
year.
We’ve opted for 45cm flags for the remaining vegetable bed paths. They’re cheap and serviceable! Also
not too difficult to lay as they aren’t unmanageably heavy. This time I’ve put a cloth membrane under the
sand base to try and keep the weeds under control. The grass on the surface was removed, the treated
edge boards put in and a start has been made on the bed itself. It was rotavated twice to remove the
grass roots, then the dig begun. Oh the stones in this part! One width of the bed usually produces a full
bucket, some so big you need both hands to lift them. It is slow going and now the ground is frozen so
work has come to a halt.
