Breakthrough

Finally yesterday  I cleared one side of the Lottie,  right down to the front of the plot.  This was a biggie for me as I know it has to be done and the front 1/3 of the plot is still to be sorted.  This has really been getting me down for a while as it such a big job to doing on your own.   Yesterday I put my back into it and with my trusty Azada managed to clear a section of it.



Newly cleared section - to the right of the picture is the neighbouring plot

5 huge wheelbarrow loads of brambles, nettles, dock leaves, couch grass and other weeds were taken away.  I think my plot must have every type of unwanteds possible!   It is not all good though - it is still to be dug over.  The original plan was to make this into a raspberry bed with a long line of raspberry canes at one side of the plot.   I have been worrying about whether this is the right place to put them though.    This section is right next to the adjoining plot where the plot owner has not cleared this section and it has a lot of brambles growing.  In reality with the very best will in the world I do know that the brambles will spread and continue to grow on my plot along this side.

A monster bramble root - my flask in the picture to give an indication of how big this thing is!

So the dilemma - if permanent raspberry beds are put in here, the brambles would grow through and as this area won't be dug over twice annually I can just see a mess of brambles and raspberries within a very short space of time.   This area needs to have regular digging to at least try and tame the brambles.

As I was standing with my cup of tea looking at this patch contemplating what to do with it, one of the other plot holders wandered by - "You want to put potatoes in there" he said.  We then discussed this and my dilemma for a while.   Potatoes in newly dug ground for the first year helps to break the soil up apparently.  He also thought it would be a mistake to put the raspberry bed in this place.   So the decision was made.  I'm going to dig this bit over, cover with manure and compost and leave it until the spring - the new potato bed sorted!  (Well that sounded easy didn't it LOL!)

I have now decided that the raspberry bed will go in front of the water pump - no brambles have been seen in this area.  I don't think that this is  a particularly rich soil area as the turnips, suede and carrots in this bit currently haven't done to very well,  but this can all be enriched and it will be an easily managed area to cover to keep the birdies off my raspberries as they grow through.
 

The section with the sign will become the new raspberry bed.  
This is an old picture as swedes, carrots, spinach and turnips are currently growing here.


Just when I thought I was making progress - I have now given myself another job to do by the end of November  - sort out the new to be raspberry bed!   Oh well, I will just continue to plod along and tell myself it will all be done eventually!