Path Between Raised Beds 16

Mega hot and sunny today so just a couple of hours on the allotment to work on the path between the two raised beds at either end of what was bed 16. The path is constructed using some of the paving slabs I picked up in the last couple of weeks from Freecycle.

Next work on the bed to excavate the soil out of the bed on the left into square flower buckets and then re fill with branches and woodchips up to the top of the first level of timbers.

Second Raised Bed On Bed 16

A visit to the allotment between 2pm and a little after 6pm working on the second raised bed on what was bed 16.

Weed membrane under the paving slabs exposed and the woodchip. mares tail and bindweed roots removed.

Weed membrane under the paving slabs exposed and the woodchip. mares tail and bindweed roots removed

Woodchip barrowed in from the car park and compacted around the outside of the new raised bed frame footprint.

Plastic barrier held in place with bricks so that the rear of the bed could be filled with woodchip and compacted

Bottom frame that was prepared earlier in true Blue Peter fashion was moved into place. Woodchip levelled out between the two raised beds and weed membrane laid on top.

Weed Membrane laid between the two raised beds and paving slabs laid and then washed off with the hose and given a scrub with the yard broom, as they were a little grubby when picked up.

Next visit the spoil heap in the frame needs to be decanted into the square flower buckets and then backfilled with woodchip up the path level then capped off with magic cardboard and more woodchip and branches added to the first frame of the raised bed.

Bed 16 Raised Bed Filled

A couple of hours on the allotment this afternoon filling the top level of bed 16 first raised bed with soil, weeding and removing glass fragments as I backfilled. I will be putting a covering mulch layer of soil improver on the bed once it has compacted a little.

The frame on top is the bottom frame for the other side of the 2.4m x 1.2m footprint.

I slipped the next raised bed frame off the filled raised bed, so I could visualise what they are going to look like better.

Trimming the path either side, exposing the weed membrane under the paths. Then reducing the level where the new path will go between the two smaller raised beds on the 2.4m x 1.2m footprint.

Slow Progress But Progress None The Less

Today, as there was a degree of cloud cover I visited the allotment in the morning and I managed to leaver up the 2.4m x 1.2m frame to this years parsnip bed and place one side on paving blocks. I then lifted the frame and as I did one of the 1.2m ends fell off, as it was half rotted away where it had been in the ground.

With the large bed fame moved over on the bed next door, I placed the first 1.2m x 0.9m raised bed frame in position.

I then lined the bottom with magic cardboard, and then filled the raised bed frame with the rotting timber from the old frame and three barrow loads of woodchip from the car park.

I watered the woodchip to assist the settlement and consolidation process.

Next visit I will top up the frame up again with woodchips, and make the next raised bed frame, then excavate the humus material from the other end of the 2.4m x 1.2m bed and fill the 2nd Raised bed frame with the spoil.

I also went around the beds & the patio with weed killer again, and gave the bindweed that had grown up a bamboo frame a good drenching.

By the time I had finished I was well and truly knackered, but it was a good kind of knackered. The kind that lets you know you have been busy and blessed that gradually you are getting your strength back, and on the road to a better level of fitness than last year.

Freecycle Pickup & Raised Bed Excavation

Today I picked up a shower chair off Freecycle that is the right height for me to be able to get on and off easily on the allotment. 

It's extremely light and will live in the potting shed and will be moved out when I visit. The green plastic garden chairs are too low and with the plastic degrading mark your clothes if you sit on them.

I trimmed around the hinges of the gates again, excavated a plan area in excess of the narrow raised beds 0.9m x 1.2m that I'm going to install either end of the existing 2.4m x 1.2m beds footprint.

Humus soil excavated on plan area larger than the width of the raised bed that will go either end. The soil was weeded and excavated into square flower buckets that are currently stacked behind the shovel in the photograph above.

I placed a section of plastic at the trench edge, then backfilled with three barrowloads of woodchips, levelled and then compacted with the rake. Then watered the woodchips in the excavation to help consolidate the pile.

This brings me back up to ground level, so the cunning plan is to get a plot neighbour or two to help me lift the 2.4m x 1.2m existing bed frame up and unscrew it as I want to use the materials to raise the long narrow beds on the boundary between plots 1 & 1A.

Then place the first new 1.2m x 0.9m raised bed frame on the woodchipped area and line the bottom with magic cardboard then fill it to the top with woodchips

I munched red and yellow raspberries off the plants each time I went out of the allotment into the carpark and returned with woodchips or to turn the water on and off. I feel like a gorilla feeding from my very own food forest this time of year.

Finishing Off SFG Bed 1

 

Morning spent on the allotment as it was a little overcast and sun and 31C is forecast to be coming and I desperately need to get back in control of the paths and get the bind weed off the onions and the raspberries.

The grass from the tug was broken up and laid over the woodchip then the Mels Mix was emptied back into the raised bed. The hoops were re installed but need to be pushed further into the ground, but I'm finding that difficult because of the arthritis in my hands and wrists.

I also started to weed SFG Bed 2 and ants came from everywhere, looks like ants are going to be a challenge in these raised beds.

A couple of guys turned up to clear plot 3A and start grinding the stumps. I warned then about the debris under, One guy flicked a nail up which pierced his ear Trump style and grazed his head and that was with facial protection. He ended being taken to the hospital for stiches and Tetanus jab.

Stump Grinder 

Close up of the grinding wheel 

A couple of guys turned up to clear plot 3A and start grinding the stumps. I warned then about the debris under. One guy flicked a nail up with his trimmer which pierced his ear Trump style and grazed his head and that was with wearing facial protection. He ended being taken to the hospital for stiches and Tetanus jab.

He came back later in the day and continued working, but I'm informed by Wally on the plot next door to plot 3A that the grinder lifted and fired more buried steel items at the two operatives. 

The plot needs properly clearing of all debris before they consider grinding. Myself and other plot holders have warned them what's below the bind weed and brambles either end of that plot, which they still have not fully uncovered. The were informed it was going to be a days work, in reality it's 2 - 3 days work with a couple of two man teams.    

Lifting the netting up around the beds and trimming the weeds.

I so often forget to take a before photograph and only take an after photo that I took a few of the paths before trimming. Hopefully you will see the improvement in photos taken during the next 7 - 10 days.  

I will be raising the narrow beds up to make working and weeding easier in the future.

So much bind weed I'm going to have to take long handled sears to this bed to clear the path and the bed.

Beginning to look better just for the trimming of the weeds around the beds

This is the area where I will be replacing the long beds with two smaller raised beds to make maintenance easier 

 

Paths after trimming the weeds back, I need some good path quality woodchip and then to remove the woodchips that are now supporting life and replace them with path quality woodchips. 

I will let the sun dry up the weeds and then sweep them up on a future visit.

Jane will be visiting again in a couple of weeks to review the condition of the plots so I need to get Avalon looking in a better state than it is at the moment as last thing I want is a no cult notice. 

Filling the Raised SFG Bed

It's been a little while since I've been to the allotment, due to the rain and my damaged foot after the scaffold boards fell out of the wheel barrow onto it. But this afternoon I did a short visit to the allotment to continue filling the raised Square Foot Garden Bed with leafy woodchip before putting grass clippings and the Mels Mix back into the bed, I had to visit today as my sister wants to cut her grass again and needs the tugs back so I can have the next batch of grass clippings from her.

Also did some catching up with a couple of plot neighbours.

Second level of Raised SFG Bed 1

 

Rain has been stopping play on the allotment and the weather person this morning said that in the last week we have had the normal rainfall for this month already, then went on to say more rain is coming !!!!

Got the second level of timbers in the square foot gardening bed assembled and took delivery of 20 no 4ft boards and 20 no 3 ft boards for the new smaller raised beds I'm going to replace the 8ft x 4ft beds with on plot 1.

Stacked the 3ft boards on the patio in between the potting shed and the Plot 1 Shed. I bought 6ft boards as the company does not sell 3ft boards, but they were happy to cut them to 3ft for me which has saved me some work. I'm happy for the banding to remain on these timbers and I will pre drill the screw holes in the ends.   

I laid some block paving to hold the boards off the woodchip and stacked the 4ft boards behind the raspberries in the boundary beds. The banding will need to be removed as the 3ft boards will lap the cut ends and will be screwed into these boards.

Something or someone has stripped my little blueberry bush of all the berries that were on it and I was going to harvest today. 

The guys delivering the scaffold boards managed to overload the wheel barrow and the wheel barrow fell over and the boards hit me across the big toe and the one next to it (index toe?) . It was an accident, but the index toe is really bruised and went more black the next day.  

Raising SFG Bed 1

 

There was some nice cloud cover this morning so work continued on making the Square Foot Gardening Beds higher so that I can get at them for planting and weeding

I completed excavating the Mels Mix from Square Foot Garden Bed 1 on Plot 1

All the Mels Mix removed and placed in square flower buckets Pulled as many mares tail roots that I could

Magic Cardboard added and watered in place 

First barrow load of woodchip from the drop off and pick up area 

Six wheelbarrow loads of woodchip later

Watered in the woodchip to make it bed down on top of the cardboard and to soften up the cardboard so it interfaces with the ground under better

Ended up putting two hoses on the pile whilst I put the tools away and locked up to go home for a late lunch.

Donated grass cuttings from my sisters back garden, which will go on top of the woodchips in the SFG raised bed once I've completed assembling the next frame and added some more woodchips.

Weeding & Excavating SFG Bed 1

Today has been spent clearing around the Square Foot Garden Bed 1, removing weeds and excavating the Mels Mix such that the bottom of the original single depth beds was found. The four square flower buckets to the left are filled with the Mels, Mix I have removed. 

View from the main path back to the Square Foot Gardening Beds 

Just over half of the Mels Mix removed from the single height frame. Still some mares tails roots to be removed before the magic cardboard goes into the bottom of the bed. Why do I call it magic cardboard because all the no dig merchants think it holds the weeds at bay, and it doesn't. The Magic Cardboard that I put in the bottom of this bed is not more, there was not a trace of it left, there was however the odd bit of tape that I had not removed that was found at the Mel's Mix and natural soil interface.   

Filling The Extended Raised Bed

 

A quick slideshow using all the photos I took of the process showing how I filled up the Square Foot Garden Bed nearest my potting shed after we placed another ring of 200mm x 50mm timbers on top of the original frame.

I've done this because I have developed arthritis in most of my joints, during finding out and having cancer treatment last year and I can't get down on my knees at the moment to work low level beds. Thus I'm in the process of making the beds higher off the ground or deeper from the top of the bed, depending how your mind views what I've done.

We took all the Mel's Mix out of the single height bed, added another layer of repurposed roof joist and laid new "Magic Cardboard" on the bottom, then added felled trees, hedge and grass clippings, spent compost and coir (Hügelkultur bed style) and then finally put the excavated Mel's Mix back on top.

The blue MDPE water pipes and debris netting is to keep the foxes off and hopefully weed seeds away until I can get some plants in the bed. I am considering a ring of copper wire around the top and a 9V square battery to hold back the snails and slugs

Raised SFG Bed 2

The plot visit today was all about trying to get more done with the filling of the first Square Foot Garden bed that I have extended the height off because of my mobility issues to make it easier for me to work and weed. The photo above is the state of play this morning before I added the wheel barrow load of branches from the plum tree. 

Branches of the plum tree added and then hedge trimmings from my daughters property that have been in a sack for a year, and were supposed to be for the Hügelkultur beds in the climbing frame that are not raised but will have to become raised if I'm going to be able to use them in the future. 

I rounded up all the bags of last years hedge trimmings and spread them over the branches and this brought me up to the level of the top of the first level of timbers that form the raised bed. 

Next was compost and coir from last years potatoes in buckets that didn't get re used this year as I have cut back on the amount of potatoes I've grown this year. This nicely capped the hedge clippings and brought the level up to where the Mels Mix I removed from the single height raised bed could be reintroduced.

So I started emptying the sacks I could grab and lift and emptied them into the raised bed.

And finally a plot neighbour helped me with the last three sacks that were too heavy for me to manage with my now arthritic hands and wrists and the bed was topped up nearly to the brim, I had judged the volume just about right. Yes the level of the bed will sink as the materials get rained on and consolidate and the lower levels rot down, but for the moment it's ideal. 

By the time I capped this bed off it was 2pm and thus time to go home and have some late lunch.

Next visit the blue hoops will be re installed and the netting will go over and some sowing can take place, then it's onto clearing the Asparagus Bed and Square Foot Garden Bed 1 and doing this all over again.