welcome rain..

7 September 2024

Today the orchard meadow was strimmed and the hay mounded.

Fortunately we don’t rely on the hay as our forbears animals would have done. This evening we had the first ‘proper’ rain for several weeks which the dusty ground drank thirstily. Hay as fodder would have been ruined but ours will be composted, layered in dead hedges or made into piles for invertebrates, mammals and birds.

With ground sufficiently irrigated we can begin applying mulches around Woodland Garden trees, shrubs and perennials as we enter autumn.  The mulches protect the soil, reduce seed germination, retain soil moisture and provide perfect conditions for mycology, bacteria and  invertebrates.

A huge branch had been rent from one of the limes 

(Tilia x europaea) . Our arborist friends logged and chipped to clear the brash mountain. We decided that the splintered and split branches that had been torn from the tree could make an original and bespoke bat residence if fixed to a ‘topped’ Scots pine. But first we’ll let the rain and frost  get into the cavities to weather the wood.

turning sand into fertile soil (3)

Our sandy soil is being improved by the incorporation of well-rotted manure, leafmould and calcified seaweed.

We hope that this work improves the soil's ability to retain water, improves fertility and stimulates invertebrate and mycorhizal fungi.

'No-dig' methods should ensure that vital worm activity is encouraged and that this will allow the worms to bring extra fertility to the soil through the fertile gel they secrete as they pass through their undisturbed underground tunnels.

Growing plants in the newly-improved soil will allow the roots to create a good soil structure and prevent the leaching away of nutrients.

The final job will be to cover the soil with a thick mulch that will surpess weeds, add fertility and condition the soil ... and reduce water loss through evaporation.

This mulch is likely to be of home-produced compost .. and now it is time to build a big compost pile because the baby robins that were living in the pile of dried bracken have fledged and gone.

So, like a true professional I assembled my compostable material: dry bracken; leafy weeds; manure; grass cuttings; cardboard and paper; wood chippings; and wood ash.

I filled one section of our compost bins and will give this several weeks before moving it across into the next section so that air can speed the composting process.

turning sand into fertile soil (2)

It has poured this month, ending the excessively dry spell we've endured since February 2011.

....... which is ideal for establishing plants and our new raised beds, although the cold temperatures have inhibited new growth and the germination of some seeds.

We've removed the network of roots, incorporated manure and leafmould and planted our growing collection of little plants. All of this will help the new soil to establish.


A healthy soil needs a balance of nutrients and a community of invertebrates. We now understand that mycorhizal fungi too are necessary in the soil to enable plant roots to function properly. So, to further stimulate this fungi I have dusted the beds with calcified seaweed (left). Calcified seaweed is considered to be a 'soil conditioner' and is reputed to stimulate mycorhizal activity.

The final step will be to add a thick mulch of organic matter ... but that must wait until the baby robins have fledged. This torrential rain may cause many early nests to fail.

Perhaps, one day, the soil at Cordwood will be as hearty as it is at our allotment (pictured right), about a mile down the hill.

clearing perennial weeds organically

We have removed barren cherry trees from our reclaimed 'hidden orchard' and now want to create a vegetable garden using raised beds.

But the soil is infested with nettles and brambles as well as a network of roots remaining after tree stumps have been removed. How can this ground be turned into a weed free, productive garden?

I will clear a lot of it by hand, but digging perennial weeds from large areas of ground is hard, tiring and unpopular work.

And there are so many other, competing priorities that clearing all of this ground with mattock and garden fork is not an option. And using weedkillers won't be considered.

Some time ago, Garden Organic suggested an alternative method in their magazine.

They showed how an area infested with perennial weeds could be cleared by covering the ground with a layer of cardboard and weighing this down with organic matter.

The light is excluded from the perennial weeds and over time these die, allowing the gardener to plant through the mulch of organic matter into the soil below.

So, I'm embarking on an experiment.

I need large quantities of cardboard but friends are supplying this. More cardboard needed!!

I need large quantities of organic matter - and neighbours with stables are providing this.

Here you see two trailers of manure applied to a layer of cardboard.

The photo shows progress so far. It doesn't show the vast area still to cover!!

But as Chairman Mao told his followers before the long march:
'The longest journey begins with a single step'.

Weed free vegetable garden, here we come!!

promoting microbial and invertebrate activity in the soil

What to do with all those leaves?

When we first arrived on the allotment (over ten years ago now), there was a frenzy of autumn activity as gardeners took the leaves and either immediately dug them into their soil or rotorvated them in.

It is now more usual to see the leaves being stashed away in heaps for a year or two before being used.

We do this. The leaves have time to break down and make an excellent soil conditioner or mulch.

This year (due to my improved productivity!) I have spread the leaves liberally across our allotment as well as expecting to stack some to break down slowly. Over the winter and spring, the leaves will be steadily incorporated into the soil by worms.

I am increasingly interested in promoting microbial and invertebrate activity in the soil and believe that this is the way (combined with disturbing the soil as infrequently as possible) to organic soil health and fertility.

I also believe that this is also a way to increase biodiversity and to support food chains.

We believe that we see evidence of this in increased worm activity and improved organic matter in the soil. What I don't have at the moment is any scientific support for this 'gut' feeling.

Another 'project'!

No dig gardening

We have had our allotment for ten years, and our gardening practice has steadily developed over that time.

Take the preparation of the ground for potatoes as an example. Our soil is a light but fertile loam.

Ten years ago, I would dig the entire bed over, chucking in forkfuls of manure as I went.

Then I moved to adding the manure to the surface and then going over the ground, forking the manure in.

Two years ago we had moved to

our version of raised beds and I only dug over the compacted strips between beds and then mulched the entire bed with compost.

This year I have only mulched the entire bed with compost, leaving the soil undisturbed. The compacted strips between the beds have been mulched with leaves throughout the year, as some compensation to our worm population as we walk over their homes.

When we began, our potato harvest was often badly affected by slug damage. Perhaps the move from rich manure to compost enriched with manure has reduced this damage , or perhaps it is a judicious choice of varieties or - none of the above! Gardening is a complex business!

The reason for the move to mulching and not disturbing the soil is out of respect to our worm population. Worms excrete a gel as they make their burrows that is nature's own fertiliser. By not disturbing the sol and by mulching, we hope to increase the worm population, and therefore the fertility of the soil.

Of course, this is further evidence, if it were needed, that we are in the left field of organic gardening. I get the impression that we are introduced to new plot holders as the oddities!

One clear advantage of not digging is the time saved. I wrote yesterday about the slow start to the season. Two hours of barrowing compost and spreading saw our potato bed prepared and ready to go! I like that kind of gardening!

cover me

Okay, okay! I know that there's insufficient contrast between the broken terracotta pot mulch and the terracotta pot. Yes. And the pot needs cleaning. Will you listen for a minute? I'm making a point here.
The point?
The point is that we want to use mulches to conserve water - and to stop pesky hens! Most gardens use terracotta pots and most gardeners have broken ones. So... smash 'em up and lay them on the surface and presto! A really effective mulch! Weeds can't get in as easily and water can't get out. Sustainable and free!

we hurdle the pruning problem

Our gardens generate tons of organic waste per year. Amongst this waste are the long stems and branches of buddleia, raspberries, crab apples and every other shrub.
I once used to shred this mountain of woody matter, but it was time consuming, noisy and used energy. The shreddings produced were excellent as a mulch or used in the compost bins.
I took pride that I had not sent garden waste away in our 'brown bin'.
Nowadays I use the branches, thinnings and prunings to make low 'hurdles' that act as a natural barrier within borders to retain leaves and other mulches.
I push some sticks in about thirty centimeters apart and then wind the branches into place.
They look very natural and are more fun for minibeasts!

Using leaves in the garden

Fallen leaves are natures bounty given free to the gardener. What a pity when they are burned (a crime!!!!!!!!) or bagged to be taken away.
Our local council sweeps its streets and delivers its leaves to the allotments. They don't stay for long - gardeners know how useful they are.
Used at their simplest they make a great mulch. They cover the earth reducing water loss from the soil and are steadily incorporated into the soil by our minibeast friends to improve soil and increase organic matter content. This minibeast heaven proves a happy hunting ground for predators. Yum!
The deeper the mulch, the better for creepy crawlies. But how do you stop leaves spreading?
Make a low 'mini-hurdle' with interwoven sticks and twigs from prunings. This retains the leaves and uses those twiggy branches that you might otherwise be tempted to burn or send to the tip.

Stored, leaves make a wonderful soil conditioner in a couple of years.

These are being taken away to provide a spongy path between the raised beds.

pruning summer raspberries

The arrival of the autumn equinox marks the turning of the seasons. And we are now preparing for the winter and the growing seasons to follow.
Summer raspberries fruit on this years growth and so woody growth from last year is removed at this time. This pruning takes away unproductive stems, allows air to circulate around the new growth and takes competition away.
New seasons growth is retained between restraining wires.

Any mulches around raspberries and other fruit should be composted since mulches can contain pests: unless you have hens scavenging there!!

The old growth is taken away and may be burned: bonfires are already in preparation although care must be taken not to create hedgehog funeral pyres by mistake. Hedgehogs love to hide inside piles of garden refuse - so be careful!

Another way of dealing with the woody stems is to drive stakes into the ground around thirty 30cms apart and weave the raspberry stems around the stakes to create 'mini-hurdle' barriers and retaining walls. These are ideal for holding mulch back from the lawn. These are very minibeast friendly and therefore excellent ways of encouraging wildlife in the garden. And reducing the need to burn and release carbon into the air.