Am I the only one to have the weeds monopolising my garden? This time of year, I always feel I am fighting a losing battle. They have been having orgies every night on my plot, and now taking over, so I cant even see some of the veg! Brambles, thistles, couch, dock, mares tail, fat hen.
So I woke at 6.15 this morning, full of vigour, and was on the plot by 6.45, ready to do battle. Decided to concentrate on one area, around the onions and carrots. Four hours later, well and truly exhausted, I felt I had made an impression. At least I can see my onion crop!
The bad news is that this is only one eighth of my plot.
Hope to post a picture to show my efforts.
Well done Derek. It is a difficult time of the year to keep up, especially with weeds. Don't be too downhearted if you can't keep abreast of things. I think everybody is in the same boat. The main focus seems to be on picking crops at the moment as it has been too hot to weed, so the weeds have just gone mad. ;D busy_lizzie
It's a jungle out there :o I have strimmed most of my patch just to make it look tidy as I can't catch up on my own :-[ This is the most recent picture of my second plot and a month on the weeds had doubled in height ::)
(http://img327.imageshack.us/img327/8058/weed18dy.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
I just keep the weeds down with the petrol mower - not round the veg o'course ;D - just on the bits of the plot I've not got round to doing anything with yet. I have been using long strips of cardboard right up to my plants to keep weeds at bay round the peas and broad beans and that worked great. Good to walk on too. I've got to get some more now to put between my brassicas and celeriac as the weeds have been growing as I had no hoe. Now I have one so have no excuse :)
I am the opposite at the moment! The allotment is so dry, even the marestail is having trouble breaking though. The only thing that seems to want to grow is bindweed, but that is slow and controlable. I would happily weed and weed some more, if only it would rain! :'(
Here we go:
Before weeding the onions (500) could not be seen, nor the carrots, quantity the same . . .
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/Derekthefox/weeds1.jpg)
The resultant weed pile, this is three feet high . . .
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/Derekthefox/weeds3.jpg)
About the only good thing to come out of the lack of rain, is the weeds have not grown too well either.
oh well done derek! ;D you are an inspiration!
at least the size of the weed pile is testement to all your hard work.
the sky here (in SE london) is dark and threatening rain. it's so hot and muggy that despite filling the car with tools i just can't face weeding today!
seeing how well you've done though, i promise myself i'll do better tomorrow ;D
Tara xx
d&t, where is your lottie? i am in walworth, just off the walworth road.
hi svea!
we're over in abbey wood. near woolwich/plumstead. the walworth road? east street market? my nan and grandad lived there, on the aylesbury estate.
you've probably got an accent like mine then! (saaarf london) at least, that's the accent i shall apply when reading your posts from now on!!! ;D
Tara xx
Well done Derek, impressive effort!
I too am struggling with the weeds, managed to do a bit in the last few days, but having a complete nightmare with bindweed at the moment, one whole corner of the allotment is taken over with it. :(
sorry to dsiappoint, d&t - i am an import not a homegrown vegetable ;) so the queen's english it is for me ;D
Always amazes me that the things you intend to grow are slow and require much TLC. Weeds on the other hand, would grow on the surface of the moon in about 14 seconds. ::)
True Miers, but as my neighbour points out, they have perhaps over a million years of natural selection on their side!