M’s plot, showing happy squashes finally starting to grow! Some are harvest squash (think butternut) and others the white zucchino variety (early July 2020)

Our work at M’s plot has really paid off – she’s back at it, so as the big guy says, ‘Mission accomplished.’  She came up with us after working with the woods volunteers, and returned on her own to go to town on doing some weeding by her beloved roses at the front of the patch.  I really hope she likes what we’ve done: turned over the main annual growing beds, weeded, watered, created a new raised bed, shored-up the higher growing plot, and more…

Newly created raised bed, ready for planting-in of M’s purple sweet potato plants. 

Malink had an epic day recently and managed to create an entire new bed up there, and also shored up the larger raised bed above.

Above that is the main path to her shed (whose door now opens relatively easily) and another bed with rather reedy currant and fruit bushes.  Behind that is a hedge of red currant behind netting.  And then another higher level path at the back of the currant bushes.  Running along the side path that leads up to the next plot there are an abundance of blackberries.  The other side of her plot is bounded by roses and loganberries.  It’s a lovely site and simply needed some intense attention.

It’s been huge progress, and having the plastic and other sheeting removed has made it much easier to remove the pernicious weeds – of which there was lots, including bindweed and worse.  Luckily all the materials (more or less) were at the site, ready to be used or re-used.  And of course, the plants she started on her balcony during the total lockdown at the beginning of this corona-pandemic have been planted by us into her own little plot.

M’s roses and loganberries.  (Early June 2020)

We plan to add lots of light, dark rich compost as mulch, as we also moved one of the several large plastic composters for her – making room for an improved walking path up the side so that she can more easily tend the boundary line of mature roses and very productive loganberry canes.  To enjoy a crop you really have to be able to access it easily.  Or at least that’s our thinking.  And in any case, it’s always an improvement to create pathways that are steady, level and easy to manoeuvre.

Even though, like with every garden, there’s more to be done, we really hope she likes the developments so far.