Thrilling adventures in dirt

Ooh now here’s a thrilling choice. You get two choices of dirt.

The one where I dig up kilos and kilos of Charlotte potatoes in the top potager.

Or the permaculture bed dirt.

Sorry. You get the short straw. It’s lower potager this week.

I’m turning two more beds into something more acceptable for our climate.

And if ever there was a reason to show how brilliant this system is…. the top potager permaculture bed is full of moisture, worms. damp soil and happiness. And tomatoes.Not watered for five weeks and still growing well.

So that is what I want for these two beds in the lower potager that are far from the hose.

I will bore you witless if I make you see the action shots from my work this week.

So I’m going to break them down into snack size shots.

The beginning digging out the soil.

The middle part where I tried to lay a neat row of branches and sticks into the base of the bed.

The fun part where I get to carry all the drying and dead detritus from a season of weeding.

Stamping down hard to push out the air.

Then piling the soil back on top. Remembering to plant lots and lots of bulbs.

Mulch and we’re done. I feel like saying, ‘sit up and rinse.’

And repeat.

Two beds done in two days.

All ready to be mauled about by badgers.

Luckily I’m keeping the fence well secure and my fingers are crossed.

And my take home message from playing in the dirt?  I finally get the point of bindweed.

If forces you to do a really thorough job of weeding.  A little deeper than you planned. But thorough.

I have no hope of keeping the bindweed out of the bed. But at least it will have to work a lot harder to reach the surface from now on.

Now on with the fun bits. Planting hundreds and hundreds of bulbs.