All tucked up and tidy

There you go.

One big tick off my list. One more permaculture bed in my life.

Soil back over the top, a thick mulch blanket. And then best of all, a metal belt and braces cover on top of that.

This was thanks to my allotment neighbour Ruth who didn’t know where to put these very useful metal cages on her plot. Most are pigeon deterrents. But for this purpose they are anti-fox protection.

Nothing thrills wild animals, domestic moggies and critters more in a London setting that having toys or the chance to really fling a fresh pile of chippings about.

And as this is such a fresh and rather high pile, that mulch is not going to stay in place for long without support.

The other permaculture beds beside this one have settled nicely. And benefited from the chippings I nabbed last week.

And as I was in one of those tidy gardener modes (not a common occurrence) I went at the third of the plot not quite ready for planting up.

There was a strange hillock at the back towards the fence. I have been pondering quite how I was going to landscape this area. But most of all I have been leaving it ‘clean’ to attack those pernicious weeds.

So with the vigorous forking out of the deep taproots, it seems to have done the levelling for me. It’s the same way that people claim planting potatoes clears the soil – err no. You do. When you dig great trenches and earth up.

And I have worked my way almost to the fence digging out. There is another little permaculture bed under that glaring green fabric. Next month I will fold that back in the hope that the foxes will not find it fun enough to fling about.

I ran out of time to get the whole bed done. And that sight of the bare soil makes me shudder. I need to hunt out the tree surgeons working in my neighbourhood next month and nab more mulch.

And now it’s back to the larger more challenging garden in France where I will fling myself at that other great project. Pimping up my potager in a big redesign permaculture way.