One years seed = seven years weed

Well since setting up my blog, when the temperatures dipped in March and I had time on my hands, the temperatures have risen, slightly, and so have the number of customers I have and the number of weeds that have sprouted. Hence a lack of input into my blog as I'm now busier than ever attending to gardens, my allotment and my own back yard.

The allotment has received a makeover to about a quarter of my half plot. Eleven cankerous old currant bushes have been removed, weeds and grass have been evicted. The area has been dug over to remove any remaining unwanted roots and weeds before our raspberry canes were planted this past weekend. Although one and three quarters of a row look like we have planted twigs, we have one and a quarter row of transplanted raspberries donated by our plot neighbour that show more life and promise of produce. But I'm sure the twigs will spring into life soon (",) Here's looking forward to the summer and autumn fruit.

A bit late in the day, I know, to be planting raspberries but I'm getting there gradually. The chill in the air makes me feel that though I'm late, so is the weather!  It appears to have regressed a month. And, as our planting guide states, it is better to plant the canes in good conditions than bad.

Area dug over, weeds uprooted,
ready for raspberry canes.

Planting 'twigs'

Three rows of raspberry canes planted
ready for summer & autumn fruit.

However, what never ceases to surprise me is how quickly weeds appear, irrespective of the weather conditions. How come they can grow so much faster than anything else? I turn my back for a few days and weeds just erupt ... they have sprouted, matured, flowered and seeded in the blink of an eye before they can be be-headed or uprooted. Their sense of urgency is mirrored by me trying to keep one step ahead of them. And I'm only just starting to feel like I'm winning the race on the allotment.

Dandelions seem to be the bane of my life this spring. Many of my customers gardens are riddled, as is my allotment invested, with the jolly yellow flowers and fluffy seed heads. And once they seed there is years ahead of weeding! One recommendation from painful experience is that all evidence of beheading has to be cleared away or it will be to no avail as I have found that the flower can still turn into hundreds of seeds if left in situ! Even when detached from the plant. These seeds merrily blow around and so their cycle continues. The ever constant battle!

But at least these sociable weeds that spread far and wide are non-discriminatory. Even the most manicured of gardens with teams of gardeners have been invaded. And other gardens have just incorporated them into their design. I bet their neighbours love them! Mottisfont Abbey in Hampshire has a meadow field full of tall, proud dandelions that my fellas love running through and sending the seeds bursting on their journey. Whilst Giardino Bardini had them in their steep sloped orchard amongst the long grass.

Giradino Bardini, Florence, Italy.
April 2013

My mission should I choose to accept it, is not only to get the dandelions under control, but to eradicate them from my allotment. In particular the strawberry patch is bordered by dandelions that are now infiltrating the black plastic membrane and intertwining with the strawberry plants. Tough decisions of ripping out and starting again are called for. In fact I am leaning towards a new setup that I think would be easier to maintain. A raised bed to replace the black plastic membrane covered mound that you are unable to weed properly and cannot easily add organic compost to as a fertiliser because of the black plastic. Digging out the plastic for the wooden raised border provides the perfect attack to remove the pesky dandelions completely for a fresh start.

But I fear this could be an ongoing battle. May battle commence ...