More Sieving Soil

I was hoping to receive an email from Suttons today informing me they have dispatched my "Burgundine" Asparagus crowns, especially as they have been on order since November last year, and then they told me they would be dispatched in 2023, before finding out that was an error, and then having different dispatch times from order on the web site until on Friday it's dispatch within 48 hours!

The email I received on Friday said I should have them by the end of this week. No notification of dispatch has been received today.

So in readiness for the blessed arrival, I spent 3 hours on the allotment this afternoon, sieving the soil to make the mound in the trench, and then cover the crowns was in order.

Three more sacks of sieved weed free soil is ready and added to the two and a half sack I processed on Sunday afternoon, hopefully that's enough.

Sieved soil from the flower buckets, which were filled with the contents of the excavated trenches.

Closer view of the sieved soil, worms and all.

First four flower buckets processed, two from the trench and two in the row behind. 

The soil at the bottom of the buckets is still very wet and claggy so I used a claw hand tool to rough and break the mass up, and then faced the buckets to the sun to help dry out the soil. 

First sack of soil, shoveled out of the wheelbarrow and into the empty westland Gro-Sure Farmyard Manure sack ready for using when the crowns arrive. 

Typical contents left over from sieving the soil, added to a big rubber trug. I have no idea what I'm going to do with the material that's too big and the stones at the moment.

Everything covered up again against any rain, the sun went in and the clouds came over and I felt a few spots of rain, then it cleared again and was 5pm and time to make my way home. The two and a half sacks this end of the bed were from Sundays sieving. 

Letting the material in the Flower Buckets dry out and stop any more water getting in and the mesh panels from the old leaf bins keeping Basil Brush and his mates off the bed. 

I need to come up with a permanent solution to keeping Basil and his mates out of the bed. What that final solution is I'm not quite sure yet, I have a few ideas that need bottoming out. 

Picture left, three sacks of soil that were sieved this afternoon. so that's 5.5 sacks to make the triangular mound and to cover the crowns once they are received and planted out.

I did water the Pacific Purple Asparagus in their trench again, it may be a little overkill but after all this work I want to give them a good chance of survival, and I'm informed by those who know that I should hopefully see some asparagus in about a months time, although you don't harvest in the first year, and only take less than 50% in the second year.