An articulated lorry delivered more topsoil this week.Our ground is mostly poor limestone, in places just bedrock.So this year we have decided to build up every big flower bed by a floorboards width of soil.A mulch of spent mushroom compost, due to arrive on another lorry, goes on top. A deep loam will protect our plants from drying out and help to prevent nutrients leaching from the soil on wet days.
Thin alkaline soil doesnt have to be a curse.The yew trees and hedges seem to have enjoyed the dry summer and we never get club root on our brassicas (cabbages). The biggest blessing this soil bestows is the potential for limestone meadowland. At this time of year I go across the steep terraces removing ragwort and thistles by hand and intrigued by the tapestry of tiny plants that will make knapweed, scabious,vetches and clovers in summer. The remembrance of last years flowers is nearly as good as the real thing.
The gardens look tidy now and briefly, under control. The mild weather is bringing a crop of weed seedlings to the surface and the snowdrops are racing the aconites to flower first. We kick off the season with snowdrops from February 18th so the relative peace of deep winter will soon join Christmas as a distant memory.
I find the beginning of January hard but now the evenings are getting longer and I am no longer driving home from work in the dark I feel a bit better.
ReplyDeleteThe weeds seem to be already growing. ALthough I'm glad we havent had snow (so far) this year it would have been nice to have a break from weeding
I agree, a little let up in the weeding would be good! We could still have some cold weather but at least the days are lengthening.
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