This morning it wasn't raining for a change.
After feeding and watering the livestock I planted some more onion sets in trays in my homemade compost and I decided to weed one side of the polytunnel with a bucket and mytrusty Azada hoe. Hoe (Oh!) how I love my Azada.
Then I forked and stone picked and whilst doing this, I listened to my second favourite Rock band Thin Lizzy on my mobile phone. I once saw them back in 1981. What a band!
"Don't believe a word none of this is true. Don't believe it if I tell you I'm still love with you".
A song for my veg plot.
Do you believe in digging over your veg plot or a you a "no dig" gardener? On our rain lashed heavy ground you have got to fork the ground over to remove compaction, improve drainage and aerate the soil. My backs aching but I am happy with my work. There's still life in the old dog, even though I am sixty years of age. I will deserve a few cans of beer tonight!
Were you singing along too?
ReplyDeleteOf course JayCee. Dry today. Even dug my potato trenches and spread four wheelbarrows of fym this afternoon. Rain forecast for tomorrow and rest of the week. Already for potatoes planting time around the 17th of March.
ReplyDeleteNo dig me - even in our heavy clay that is concrete in summer and plasticine in winter i leave turning it over to the worms. (She says after having dug it all multiple times to get the bindweed roots out). Just give the worms lots of stuff to drag down with them.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure TM. Raised beds are probably the way to go for you but I do believe soil likes aerating. I must have been a Legume in another life.🙂
ReplyDeleteNo dig gardening is a great idea, but I also think digging over the soil at least once a year helps with aeration and allows more water to penetrate the earth. Can't fork my patch though, it's full of tree roots and rocks and hard packed clay, not to mention zillions of ants nests. I just walk on the surface and hold the hose to water the pots.
ReplyDeleteThanks River. No Dig is a good method for raised beds. Large areas like potato patches need thorough digging and forking when preparing the area for planting seed potatoes. Digging is very good physical exercise. I don't think old traditional gardening methods should be abandoned entirely.
ReplyDeleteNothing much beats Thin Lizzy, maybe Deep Purple, I have not dug my beds for years, I add compost and leaf mulch to the top and let the worms do their work.
ReplyDeleteDeep Purple are very good Poppypatchwork. I saw Glenn Hughes in 2019. If you want to watch a good digging video watch: Geoffrey Smith's Allotment on You Tube. He comes from the school of two split and double digging and clearing. In northern England gardeners traditionally dug veg plots rough for the winter rain and ice to break the soil clods down and kill off any over wintering nasties. I like to dig over a plot at least once a year.
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