Saturday, 13 May 2017

Not a weed in sight!

And oh how tidy Veg Plot 3 is looking!
No weeds anywhere!
And with the potatoes up and earthed!
 
 
.... and this is looking at VP3 from the other end.

 
.... and the rows of bush beans, planted directly in the ground by Lester as were the potatoes.
 
 
These little plantlings are my contribution.
They were started off in the mini raised bed greenhouse,
and this is their first day out in the big world.
They look so tiny, and I feel quite maternal towards them.
There are green sprouting broccoli, purple sprouting broccoli, cauliflowers, kale, chard, and tomatoes, but no weeds!
 
 
And along the fence line are the frost battered Barlotti pole beans.
I have planted more in pots to make up for the ones that died though,
and they will be planted out later on.
We have also planted wild flower seeds amongst the beans.
 
 
And beyond the row of beans are Veg Plot 2, and Veg Plot 1.
Both are waiting to be planted out.
It might take a while, as I have not as yet managed the art of succession sowing.
In the past we have planted everything out all in one go. Job done.
But this year we are succession sowing.
So the project for today,
 
So,.... a very tidy and productive VP3.
However,.... this will not last, soon the weeds will peep up, and the battle between us and them will begin. But it has definitely made a difference to the seedlings I planted, because they are up and away before the weeds swamp them, which has happened in the past.
We have just had a couple of days of rain.
We shall have to hoe VP3 now.
The weeds will be on the rise!
 
It is a lovely morning.
The house needs my attention.
But the sun is calling.
So off outside I go!
 
Bye for now
Vx
 


11 comments:

local alien said...

Ftoo ftoo ftoo. Good gardening and much harvesting!

Vera said...

LOCAL ALIEN, I am not thinking about the harvest yet, just the effort of keeping on planting the seeds!

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

Succession planting. We all know we should do it, but we all throw in a whole row of lettuce all in one go, don't we? I am always pleased to hear that others battle with weeds as well. So many times you see beautiful photos of perfectly planted / tended vegetable gardens. Nobody posts pictures of their weeds choking out their plants. -Jenn

Vera said...

JENN, we have never had a tidy and well tended vegetable garden, so this is a first for us. Not sure how long we can keep the tidiness up for, probably not long if it rains!

DUTA said...

The veggie plots look lovely! I can definitely understand your "maternal" feelings towards the little plantlings. It reminds me that I, the urban "girl", keep some indoor plants called 'lucky bamboos' and I feel very maternal about them: gently wipe the leaves, speak to them in soft language, and of course treat them with mineral water which is supposed to prevent the leaves from becoming yellow.

Mama Pea said...

Such a wonderful feeling to know you're on top of the weeds if only for a day! ;o) Good gosh, you have HUGE garden areas. What a terrific market gardening venture! Looking forward to following your adventure all season.

Jenn's comment above gives me an idea for a post: Weeds, weeds, weeds in various areas of my garden that have already popped up. Areas that I haven't even planted in yet!!

Rhodesia said...

Well done, I know just how difficult it is to keep the vegetable garden weed free. Guess you had the same frost as we did, grapes, figs, potatoes all were hit, but the potatoes recovered quickly, not so the grapes or the figs but they will survive. Have a good weekend Diane

Dawn said...

Buttercups are the bane of my life, I think I have them cleared then a couple of days later up they pop again, I feel like I have been weeding non stop for weeks now, I am reading up about no dig gardening and planning to try it out, I am thinking of my back in the future and as I want to start growing food for the livestock I need it to be as low maintenance as possible, it looks like a massive area you have there to tend, I hope the good start stays with you :-)

Vera said...

DUTA, it is good that you have some plants around you, even though you do not have a garden....which reminds me that I really ought to get my houseplants repotted!

MAMA PEA, this if the first time since we came here ten years ago that the weeds are under control in the veg plots! We have two veg plots still not planted, so Lester went over them with the tractor today because recent rain has made the weedlings grow so that it stays relatively weed free. We also looked at Veg Plot 3, everything is doing alright, but the weeds are peeping up! Looking forward to reading your blog!

DIANE, the frost did not do much damage, just the pole beans which were hit although some have recovered and are now planted out. Hope you have a good weekend too.

DAWN, we used to have a lot of buttercups, and very lovely they looked too. Not so many now, due to the regular mowing of the grass in which they were growing.
We are planting a lot of brassicas and other crops this year to help with the feeding of the cows during the winter. I think no dig gardening is a good idea, although I don't like the thought of having black plastic lying on the ground, but straw would make a good mulch. If we didn't have the tractor to plough the land, then I think this is what we would do as well.
As for the veg plots, sometimes they seem too small, sometimes they seem too big!

Cro Magnon said...

Most is planted out up here too. I've just pricked-out a row of Kohl Rabi plants which may be a mistake; I've not grown them before, and am wondering what I'll do with them. Weeding already started here.

Vera said...

CRO MAGNON, I thought about planting some Kohl Rabi as well but also don't know what to do with them if they provided a harvest so I left that project for another year!