Autumn is definitely upon us. The Swallows that have given so much pleasure at our farmland home are flocking on the wires, getting ready for their migration to South Africa. The harvest is gathered in and the barns are filling up with winter feed. We have been lucky with the weather of late, thirteen days so far without rain. The down-side is that our second bed at Midleton has become about as diggable as the N9 motorway!
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The principle is quite straightforward. First the newspapers are soaked in water and then laid to cover the ground, and the weeds. Next we covered them with a layer of soil and the some rotted pig manure, kindly supplied by Grace, who came along to help together with her daughter and puppy, Cinnamon (who was a big hit with everyone). Vikki, ever the resourceful recycler, foraged in the fruit shop for some inserts that are used to protect fruit in transit. These are made of egg-carton type material and break down quite easily. We actually recycle them at home into paper blocks for burning. ( very useful and eco-friendly- the machine is available from B&Q at Mahon for about 26 euro- I'm not on commission for advertising!!!). The idea of this process is that it should enable us to plant straight into the resulting soil without the toil of digging. I think the group have everything crossed for a successful outcome!
The area at the back of the plot is very compressed and undiggable, probably as a result of cars being driven on it and it is possible that this will become a slightly raised bed at some future date. Information gleaned locally (without mentioning names) has it that it has not been uncommon for cars to be parked on the area that we are digging!
Despite the lack of rain and the seasonable growth of the plants we used, our first bed is still looking good. Obviously this late in the season some of the plants are starting to set seed, die back or become just plain straggling. The Feverfew has been pruned down to just above ground level and should grow back with a vengeance come spring. The French Lavender and Borage are still doing well, as is the Flat-leafed Parsley but the Hidcote Lavender strain is now fading and has set seed. The Sage, Thyme and Chives are still very much in evidence and the Nasturtiums and Calendulas still have flowers and will produce seed for a while yet.
However, neccessity is the mother of invention and when the going gets tough the tough--lean on their shovels and have a brew. Louise to the rescue with a bundle of newspapers. No- we didn't sit down and scan them for gardening solutions, they formed the basis of an experiment in making life easier.
The principle is quite straightforward. First the newspapers are soaked in water and then laid to cover the ground, and the weeds. Next we covered them with a layer of soil and the some rotted pig manure, kindly supplied by Grace, who came along to help together with her daughter and puppy, Cinnamon (who was a big hit with everyone). Vikki, ever the resourceful recycler, foraged in the fruit shop for some inserts that are used to protect fruit in transit. These are made of egg-carton type material and break down quite easily. We actually recycle them at home into paper blocks for burning. ( very useful and eco-friendly- the machine is available from B&Q at Mahon for about 26 euro- I'm not on commission for advertising!!!). The idea of this process is that it should enable us to plant straight into the resulting soil without the toil of digging. I think the group have everything crossed for a successful outcome!So the experiment is now running and the results will be posted here, as and when.
The area at the back of the plot is very compressed and undiggable, probably as a result of cars being driven on it and it is possible that this will become a slightly raised bed at some future date. Information gleaned locally (without mentioning names) has it that it has not been uncommon for cars to be parked on the area that we are digging!
Despite the lack of rain and the seasonable growth of the plants we used, our first bed is still looking good. Obviously this late in the season some of the plants are starting to set seed, die back or become just plain straggling. The Feverfew has been pruned down to just above ground level and should grow back with a vengeance come spring. The French Lavender and Borage are still doing well, as is the Flat-leafed Parsley but the Hidcote Lavender strain is now fading and has set seed. The Sage, Thyme and Chives are still very much in evidence and the Nasturtiums and Calendulas still have flowers and will produce seed for a while yet.We will be looking for planting suggestions once our second bed is fully prepared and any input will be "HARTilY" welcomed and fully considered. Your feedback is always appreciated, as is any work on the project! (Couldn't resist the sad pun!!).
Finally, I have discovered that the message board set up temporarily does not work. As a result I have set up a new email and will check it regularly and post any tips or questions on this blog for all to see and comment on. The email address is blogmg@yahoo.ie and will appear at the end of each blog. If you wish to keep up to date a "Subscription" tag has now been added. by subscribing you will receive update notifications as and when the blog is updated.
Happy Gardening, blogmg@yahoo.ie
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