Lawn Edging From Logs - part 1

I keep trying to find ways to use the timber around me. So the other day at mum and dads I pulled out some pear logs from a tree they had to fell a few years ago. 

Getting them back they were too big for what I wanted, I decided to cleave them down smaller, into quarters. 

Growing In The Cracks

In my quest to lessen where weeds can grow I'm trying to grow plants to fill spaces that would otherwise be taken by weeds. 

One of these spaces is in the cracks in my paving slabs. I left gaps for this purpose though as what I wanted was a sea of creeping thyme between them (mum has this in her patio and I always think it's lovely).

Extra Growing Space

I always struggle with the edges of my garden. This is where weeds encroach into the veg beds and I generally loose control!  

The side of my poly tunnel is going to be one of those areas. It's about 3ft to the rabbit fence I've put in.

Weed Pressure Stops Me Growing More!

Dad thinks I farm nettles!

Weed pressure is what makes organic gardening on a large scale very difficult. The land has a huge seed bank of weed seeds that really take some controlling and although I'm probably dealing with it the best way possible this year I wouldn't say I'm on top of it!

Who else is suffering with weed pressure?

What do you do to stay on top of it?

Mulching With Wood Chip

I've managed to stay somewhere near on top of my veg garden this year with weeds, but the soft fruit garden is another matter. It's full of nettles and docks. And I mean full 

There is a fruit garden here somewhere! Honest!

 So this week I've made it my job to tackle it before it all goes to seed. After a few people recommending a video I watched one over an hour long on the "back of Eden" system of gardening, I thought I'd try a lesser version of it and mulch the soft fruit garden with wood chip from my tree surgeon of a brother.

Laying newspaper down first once I've pulled the big weeds

 I laid a layer of newspaper or cardboard down first to try to suppress the weeds and then a good 4 inches or so of wood chip. I always thought that wood chip was meant to remove the nitrogen from the soil but apparently that's more when you dig it in, also you're meant to counteract it by adding manure to the surface when it's needed. Anyway I doubt it could use up more goodness that all the weeds!

Mulching the blueberries

Blueberries mulched and netted

I can now see what is fruit bushes instead of trying to find them in the weeds.

I'm about a third of the way there with the fruit garden now. There is another couple of loads of wood chip at the farm that I'm going to bring up and lay down on the rest of it. I could also do with finding a source of cardboard as I'm thinking the same system would be good with my willow coppice to keep the grass down.

Anyone else been mulching with wood chip?

Nettle Sting

How do you know your nettle soft fruit garden has got too many weeds?

When your arm looks like this after half an hours weeding! 

Think I need to wear a long sleeves shirt next time. I'm must be used to it though as it I could barely feel them stinging (hence why it happened so much) and just had a warm sensation in my arms afterwards.

Anyone else used to nettle stings?

Carpeting The Garden

I don't keep on top of weeds nearly as much as I should. They have a habit of getting away from me and engulfing what would otherwise be a lovely veg patch.

In the running for the most boringly pointless picture ever - here is a picture of a bit of carpet on some weeds

So these bits of carpet they were chucking out at work have become my new weed matting. I've got loads (and from when I did the living room renovation in the summer) and it's cost nothing. Laid out over the weeds it should stop some of them growing whilst still letting water through to the ground below.

What does everyone else use for weed matting and can you think of any negatives to using leftover carpet in this way?

Summer

As a nation, we Brits do like to moan about the weather.

But I'd like to say, as a man that works outside quite a bit, that this summer has been amazing for weather so far. 

My little helper

We've had plenty of sun and plenty of rain so the veg is looking great (if a little weedy) and everything seems to be growing well, bushes full of fruit and young trees all coming along nicely. All completely different to 12 months ago! How does everyone elses veg garden look this year compaird to last year?

Turn My Back For A Second...

Oh the shame of it!

I turn my back for a second and (with all the rain) the weeds have come from nowhere and engulfed my fruit garden. I can't believe how fast they've come up and I've been working so much I've had little time to deal with them. Because it was grassland before there's thousand of dock and nettle seedlings along with everything else I don't want.

Err, spot the fruit bush anyone?

I decided to take action this week and every night I've been weeding, hoeing and raking. I think with a final push over the weekend I wont be too ashamed of my plot! I need to get some chickens soon - they'd love to peck at all the weeds I pull.

Anyone else let things get too far before they tackle them?