We have been busy outside each weekend since our tunnel arrived. We are doing a lot of work to tidy and put some order on our garden space. The arrival tunnel has forced us to think and plan the space that is now left to work with. Areas for fruit and vegetables such as potatoes, onions and garlic, brassicas chard and broccoli and of course space for flowers. The perimeter edges of the tunnel had to be tidied, we used weed suppressant fabric and wood mulch – an inexpensive method of hopefully keeping weeds at bay. There is a ‘aisle’ between our neighbours’ fence and the tunnel, its narrow a little over a meter, I am keen to keep ‘traffic’ away from this side in case of accidents that might lead to a hole in the polytunnel plastic. I am encouraging use of one side to access the area at the other end of the tunnel by using the path to west side of the tunnel, a path that is approximately two meters wide.
So, there’s a lot of groundwork being done mainly by shovel and spade. Good exercise for me. We have dug an open area at the front door (North) and plated strawberries. We are experimenting this year, we visited the Grow HQ in Waterford last summer and saw their strawberries planted through weed suppressant fabric. We decided to do the same, but we are worried whether they will get enough water through the weed fabric which is porous but we are worried that not enough rain water will get through to hydrate the roots. Time will tell.
Outside the tunnel, the raised beds got a lick of paint. Primarily made form reconstituted pallet timber, this is their second year, a lick of paint renews them again. Between the raised beds the gardening guru has a frame to support the sweetpeas. Last year we placed them against our neighbours’ fence and because of the direction of the most sun we found our neighbour was the main beneficiary of our sweetpea flowers. This year we are moving them
The jobs completed over the past couple of weeks are as follows.
Fruit plants (redberries, raspberries) moved and dead ones removed and living ones tightened up into better more condensed rows. A second blueberry bush planted to accompany the one rescued from my home place last year.
Compost areas turned over, we used a good portion of our own compost in the tunnel and raised beds.
One of two small evergreen bush's removed with loppers and chainsaw and shredded to compost bay
Raised beds and weed fabric finished off inside the tunnel
Outside raised beds straightened filled with compost and soil, weed suppressant and mulch placed around.
Sweetpea frame made and erected
Started on the next summer project the initial digging out of stones to re-build a collapsed wall that was separating my neighbour and I on the other side of the garden
The Gardening Guru is still planting seeds and nurturing seedlings and slowly moving some from the conservatory to the tunnel. While, I might add, working full time, completing an Master of Public Administration (M.P.A., a Professional Graduate Degree in Public Administration) and looking after us all ….
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