This involved carrying many full watering cans into the garden to soften the soil so that we could get our spades in to start digging. 
We then dug it over and mixed in bags of well rotted horse manure. Miss Swallow repaired the edges of the raised bed as two had fallen away and on Thursday we started planting.
We dug a trench, using a plank of wood to stand on so that we didn't compress the soil again. We sprinkled some compost in the bottom along with some pelleted chicken manure to give them a good start. 
We then planted four varieties: Blue Belle, Smile, Peach Bloom and Fir Apple. As we were planting on Thursday, it started to rain! That helped water them in nicely! Charlotte, Catriona and Miss Swallow also continued on Friday so now there are just two rows left to plant.
As well as all this hard work, Danielle and Mr MacFarlane weeded the onions planted last November and planted red onions (from the greenhouse) into the same bed. 
Meanwhile, other plants are continuing to grow. Here in the greenhouse you can see carrots on the left and peas on the right. Below, our "rocket" potatoes are coming up nicely in bags.
Here you can see the garlic, the oats behind and at the back is our comfry plant which is now huge - and flowering! We are going to have a go at cutting it back and soaking the leaves for three weeks in water, to make plant food.
Hmmm ... seems as though you folks could make good use of a garden hose. That carrying water about in carboys looks a little tiring, to say nothing of inefficient.
ReplyDeleteA suggestion, nothing more: I would seriously consider placing a few old-fashioned boot-scrapers in various places near that nice new walk; there's nothing like a concrete walk all caked up with a gumbo mud ... especially in my area, where what is jocularly referred to as "soil" is in fact a glacial deposit of rock flour, or clay, known to podolologists as "Greatlakean Till" (I swear I am not making this up). It's deep. It's very deep. most of the states of Illinois and Indiana are actually mountain ranges buried in the stuff. And it is viciously sticky when wet. I have lost shoes in my back yard in the Spring. So boot-scrapers are in order before you step on the walkway, but mind that you mark where they are ... remember poor Moley at Mr. Badger's door!