Categories: uncategorized
Date: 27 April 2007 15:42:19
Because they appeared to - almost - know what they were doing most of the time. Believe me that's not the case around here.
We are the proud owners of three raised beds for veg in our garden, and I have just planted leeks and brussels sprouts. The raised beds have been there a couple of weeks now but I haven't told you about them as I was a little afraid that they might just stay there, empty, and not actually have anything planted in them. However I am happy to report that two of the three are now full of soil & compost , and some seeds.
Yesterday I attacked the compost bin, only to find that there was no usable compost in it. This might be because it has been largely ignored (along with the rest of the garden) for the last year or so, other than the addition of kitchen waste. So there was a compacted mat of grass clippings at the bottom, and slimy veg above that. But there was also a good contingent of busy-looking worms, so I jiggled it all around a bit with the fork, added some drier stuff, gave the worms a bit of a pep talk, and have left them to it.
This does mean though that I have to add 'using purchased compost to improve the soil in the raised beds' to the list of ways in which we have slightly cheated:
- we didn't build the raised beds - we bought them! We've been saying how nice it would be to grow veg for about three years now but not actually doing anything about it, because while the growing would be my department, the building of beds would be mr b's, or at least a joint effort, and we just haven't had time. The advantage of the ones we've got is that they slot together, and could be easily moved should we choose to do so. (Although obviously not while anything was growing in it). We also got them on a bit of a whim, having seen them in a catalogue, so really they arrived at a slightly odd time of year, and I'm feeling like I have to get lots of seeds sown now! before it's to late. Although I suppose that means in the first year I have fewer things to think about...
- using purchased compost (and topsoil). The disadvantage of this is there are now no worms in the soil where things will be growing. Although maybe some of the ones from the compost bin might fancy a holiday to the raised beds. If transporting a small bucket of worms from one end of the garden to the other isn't a job for a two-year-old, I don't know what is.
- I have also used these for the leeks, and have some for carrots and spring onions too. They are rolls of tape with the seeds embedded in them at the right distance apart, and you just make a little groove in the soil, lay the tape in it, and cover it up again. It is hard for me to do this without a little voice (sounding very like my dad) somewhere over my left shoulder, saying 'and how much more did you have to pay for those than ordinary seeds?!'. Still, It has all felt like a bit of a rush so anything to make it easier helps.
(I know these things aren't cheating really, but when your dad had a huge veg garden which you helped with when you were little, an enormous compost heap, and cold frames etc he's made himself, all these things feel a bit short-cut-ish.)
Still to go in: courgettes, french beans, sweetcorn, carrots, spring onions, lettuce. I went a bit mad in the garden centre and I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to fit them all in.
Oh, and did I mention we also have potatoes growing in a barrel outside the patio doors?