A Bit On The Side - 5

It's looking good, i can't wait to see the next installment.
Seeing as it's a long weekend next week .... you'll be able to put in a good few hours then :))

Yes, I bet the work-in-progress generated lots of interest when your garden was open to the public...
Good luck on the double digging :o)

Its looking brill already Look forward to seeing it planted out. You have done so much work already

Its coming on great Andrew can't wait to see it later when its planted.Well done.

Lots of progress made since Open Day Andrew, I love the layout of the hard landscaping and look forward to seeing what happens next.

I to will follow your progress as it looks really good so far

You have done well and it looks lovely well designed, love the colour of the pathway, I can see my self doing wheelies around that circle in my wheelchair, but shhh dont tell

its looking great andrew, i love the path and the circle with gravel,, i just know its going to look fantastic when its all done, cant wait! well done you :o)

Good progress being made.....keep it up :)))

Lovely! I like the layout! What're you putting in there, Andrew?

Oh dear Andrew, Double digging? I know only to well what that means, Good luck to you fellow. It has the look of a really nice design. May we ask what is going in the middle of that circle? I too like the colour of the slabs. :~))

Madperth - I'm not letting on, but I've got it all mapped out in my head so I hope it looks as good when it's finally completed :-)

Ian - have you noticed how the ladies think double-digging will take five minutes?

Oh yes Andrew, Just quickly double dig that little bit then we can go shopping! ! !

Waiting with bated breath Andrew,looking good so far,we dont all think its a 5 min job,I`ll give you an hour tops,LOL.........

LoL Andrew, I was voted the best double digger on my allotment by one of the top allotment men, and said I could show most of the men up on there as I cleared my allotment but others did nt even start. perhaps its partly why I m in a wheelchair who knows.

No Andrew, we know it will take you ages and involve many aching muscles but that's not the most interesting part of gardening. We like the bit where we can see results! Like Ian's flowery things... :o)

I agree with that fully Lily 2

As a woman who has double dug her garden recently, I KNOW it wont take 5 minutes, smartie!
I was simply looking ahead! LOL!
I know what you mean about getting it in your head & hoping it works; doing the same thing with mine!

Nice to see the basic hard landscaping done so well - so often skimped to get the job done quickly. Will wait patiently for the next instalment. - well, impatiently then.

lol Wagger all come to those who wait.

Brilliant job so far Andrew....:>)

So far so good Andrew.

Cheek Andrew - I know how long double digging takes - only did it once, when I was growing runner beans. Personally think its totally unnecessary, except for veg growing - when I did my RHS course, we were told double digging was something given to teams of undergardeners on large estates just to keep them occupied during the winter... and I've never bothered since. Good exercise though.

Bamboo, that made me chuckle !
I was watching Alan Titchmarsh (i think it was him) once and he too disagreed with double digging.

The whole point of double digging as far as I know, (which isn't very far, by the way) is to open up the ground to improve drainage and to bring the soil from below the surface up and replace the soil that was used last year and is now low on nuitrients. I hope Andrew can put us right?

I was always told by allotment men to double dig for carrots as if they hit hard ground they start to turn up, that s the only reason I doubled dug on allotment.

Allotments need it for precisely that reason, Morgana, root vegetables, really. But here in my part of London, for instance, there's only a spade's depth of topsoil before you hit solid clay subsoil, and that you certainly do not want on the top, it needs to stay right where it is. I break that up a bit for planting with a fork, but that's it. Anyway, it logically doesn't make sense - a self seeded tree or shrub grows perfectly well without the soil being dug at all, never mind double dug.

Yes I agree to that Bamboo lol as I have the same in my garden here in Coventry, just the allotment the carrots were the only root veg I grew the rest was cauliflower and cabbages and salads mainly.

This is my method for double digging:
Dig a trench and remove the topsoil to the other end of the plot. Break up the soil at the bottom of the trench with a garden fork. Add feed (and compost if required) at this depth. Dig the next trench, turning the topsoil in to fill the first one. Repeat all the way down the plot. The topsoil from the first trench can now be used to fill in the last one.

I do all this for several reasons. Firstly any roots and debris can be removed during this process. Secondly, the whole area gets a feed, not just the hole a plnt will be put in. Thirdly, the greater depth of disturbed soil allows roots to penetrate easier. I only do it for an area to be newly planted.

I have found this works best for me but it's hard work and I realise not everyone can, or wants, to do it.

Yep, that's what I know as double digging - fill your boots up Andrew and enjoy it, but I'm tired just reading the description....

omg what a differnce Andrew. so nice to get a new bit of garden...;-))

Hey! Plans in your head?? What happened to a nice piece of squared paper? Or at least a list of plants! Then you can show us as well - we can't see inside your head...yet...lol.

Actually the plan is drawn out on paper along with a list of plants, many of which I'm now tracking down. If you're all REALLY lucky, you might get a blog showing some of the plants I've already bought. But you'll have to be extra nice to me from now on ;-)

I'll send you some liniment or Deep Heat!

Lol Andrew your an addict you cant help but show them to us he he he

We are always nice Andrew ,plus we need to see what you are doing and planning so that sometimes we can copy an idea, that way we all get lovely gardens and good advice as well..........

I can't believe how much that area has changed in less than three weeks.
Looking forward to seeing the planting stages, and of course what it looks like at the opening next year.