Weed management

 6 - 9 April 2021

 Our days are now spent in the garden in the morning, trying to get beds prepared for planting, and other maintenance tasks, and then we have lunch and spend the afternoon as we wish.  Dave works on the boat or goes cycling or plays music, while I have been using the time in my studio, doing more painting.

This mound is a huge pile of discards from the last two years' weeding in this area.  They have been left uncovered, and were clearly re-rooting and establishing themselves in the new area.  So we decided it would be best to cover the whole heap with some of the excess pond liner, to starve them of light, so they compost down.  Not the prettiest garden feature!

But just behind it are three tidy beds, ready for straw mulch and new plantings

This is the diagonal track that runs from the gate to the building materials dump.  We wanted to close off access by vehicles now, as this is not intended as a car track.  The old tree trunk was laboriously shifted round to leave only a bicycle or wheelbarrow track.

The other side of the tree was where we put these two ex-raised bed frames, with one of them full of the latest weed pulls.  I intend to try 'hot-composting' where the contents under the plastic cover are turned every other day and make compost very quickly. 

Some more of the pond liner excess went into this area that is very near the house, but has never been cultivated.  It is very rich - judging by the grass and weeds that are flourishing, so we hope to make some good growing beds here. 

This is the self-seeded nectarine tree in the olive grove area.  This year it is covered in blossom.

And this is one of the new artichoke plants, a different kind, with red chokes.  Our first one of the season.

A painting finished.  My take on Henri Rousseau's style.  This is a present for my son's work-from-home office.