Topic: Recent piccy of Progress!

[Mothy]

After another 4 hour stint of digging and battling the couch grass I reckon this is a lot harder than I first thought!!  :o

I am trying to keep a pictorial record of how I'm progressing so here is the latest photo. The bed in the foreground will be our Allium patch this year and now has some garlic in it as an experiment. I also planted a few shallots just to keep my enthusiasm levels up :) It is about 25% of the area that I am hoping to dig over the next few weeks as my seed potatoes will go in another part around the same size. The other half of the foreground area will be split between tomatoes and Runner beans.

So much to do and so little time  ;)

[busy_lizzie]

You have done really well TimJ.  Congratulations on all your hard work.  Know only too well how awful couch grass is having had to tackle a large part of our plot that had it.  It is such a hard slog!  I know some might disagree but growing potatoes really helped us get rid of the worst of ours. Have planted potatoes two years running on really couchy areas and it really helped.  Tackling another bad patch this year with potatoes and hoping for the same result. Any way good luck!  You are making good progress.   :) busy_lizzie

[Wicker]

It is so daunting to start off isn't it?  

BL is right, potatoes are certainly the best "first" crop to sow to help clear and loosen the ground.  Then once a few more crops are sown it all begins to change and you harvest the results of your labours!! Remember you have an army of us here behind you willing you on...

[ina]

I bet you weren't bothered by the cold working so hard.

If you do run out of steam, you can always leave a section till planting time, clean one bed at the time and plant something in it right away.  You can then see stuff growing while you dig over the next bed.

Don't you just love to see a freshly dug over area? At least you got a lot to show for all the hard work.

[Kerry]

i guess that if you are looking at an area all the time, and still see that there is work to do, then you begin to lose sight of the progress you've made-so it's a good job we can tell you that there IS a difference, and a big one! well done for all your hard work.
has your FIL seen your progress?

about your other thread (although wrong place to reply here i guess)i do hope you get your asbestos problem sorted-it is just sods law that if children, or anyone else for that matter, were to come uninvited ie. trespass on your land then you are responsible. i think that asbestos is at its most dangerous when the dust arises from it ie. when dismantling old garages you have to have specialists in. so i hope it doesn't cost you money, being on your land.

[windygale]

Hi TJ, Well done on your work, take care and take your time, and as my dad said to me -next year I will sort out all this years problems, and enjoy myself more,
 keep up with the pics,and start sowing & planting,
later,
windy.

[Mothy]

Lol Ina,

It was freezing whilst digging, but I wasn't!!
I have resisted 2 offers of rotovators due to the high level of perrenial weed roots following advice on here. I have to say that I have found that digging is excellent exercise and as I dig another patch I do get a sense of achievement!

It all looks a little untidy at the moment , but once it is dug over and there are things growing it will look loads better. My FIL is well chuffed at the progress and has beeen busy in his greenhouse sowing onions etc.

Windygale, we have loads of stuff to set and I can hardly wait, we have:

4 types seed potato/Tomatos
onions/shallots/garlic
Runner beans/Broad beans/French beans
Carrots/ Beetroot/Parsnip
Cabbage/Brussels/Radish/swede/Turnip
Sweetcorn

and probably a few more besides, I just need to dig and weed the ground to get them in!! Lol

[Palustris]

That is a fantastic achievement. You should be very pleased with yourself. I agree that potatoes are a very good first crop, but THEY don't clear the land of weeds, you do in the normal course of cultivation of them. Dahlias do just as good a job, but you cannot eat dahlias and you can eat potatoes.

[GardnerJ]

good for you! you are storming !
i have slowed right down on digging now it is much colder! i may have to dig as i go and see how i get on!
Jemma