Nearing an end...

...of the first stage.

Energised and excited by being back in my garden yesterday I went out today.  Thankfully E was in so I was able to access the big fork and continue with my ground clearing work.  I got the end section cleared.  It took some work, there were saplings that had been taller than me and  an inch and a half in diameter, brambles with networks of roots running half way along the bed.  I think I'm going to be sore in the morning.  There's a huge pile of waste to be got rid of but there's a limit to how much you can squash in to a wheelie bin.

My plan from here on in is to go back and dig out the final few metres at the top end of the garden (attempting to save her daffodils as I do).  Then it will be a long process of taking a tarp, digging out the soil and then sifting it to remove the stones and roots before adding it back in, mixed with a good deal of compost and some sand to try and improve the quality.  In the meantime I need to head to a garden centre and pick up seed trays and seed compost so that I can start my plants off inside.  That way, by the time I'm ready to start planting, frosts will have passed and the plants -should- be big enough to at least have a slight head start against the birds and the slugs.

Gardening week

It's been a busy week of gardening.  On Tuesday evening I went along to the garden sharers Pub Quiz.  It was a fun night, there were both garden owners and volunteers there.  I'm no good at quizzes but the point wasn't to win it was to go along, meet some new people and have fun, which I did.  Our team lost.

On Wednesday I spent the day planning my garden and researching a gardening method called square foot gardening.  It allows you to maximise the space available in your garden.  In stead of planting in rows, you plant in square foot plots, the amount of produce that can be planted in a square foot depends on the distance apart that seed packets advice planting.  For instance, if plants should 6" apart, you can fit 4 of them in 1 square foot, 4" apart - 9, 3" apart - 16.

After planning and ordering seeds, I decided I better get out and do some prep so Thursday afternoon I headed down (in glorious sunshine) to my garden.  Unfortunately E (the garden owner) was out so I couldn't access the main tools.  I did however spend a nice couple of hours weeding and removing stones from the area of ground I'd already cleared.  I've realised a number of things about my plot.  The soil is clay based (very sticky and wet) and it's full of weeds and stones.


There's going to be a lot of work ahead of me.

First reception shift

I had my first shift volunteering on reception at the Water of Leith Visitor Centre today.  It was only 3 hours and it was a quiet afternoon but it was good to get gently eased in before a school part or working trip all arrive wanting teas, coffees and access to the exhibition.  I had to ring up to the main office for help a few times and I had a phone call asking for directions (I hope they gave them right) which threw me a bit.  Hopefully next time I'll be getting the hang of it.  On the plus side, I think I remembered how to use the till properly.

Organic Gardening Course

Today I went to an organic gardening course at Bridgend Allotments.  It was organised through the Garden Share Scheme.  After a week of bad weather we were blessed with a sunny day, a bit chilly but at least it wasn't raining on us.  The course covered various topics such as getting started in the garden, planning a plot, soil, composting, seeds and sowing.  We've got another session in June that covers planning, pests and diseases, wees and harvest and storage.

Meeting other garden volunteers was really nice and it's got me motivated to get back in my garden again.