Hedging prep....

Now we're into the New Year, I'm finding that I'm more inspired to get out in the garden. Last weekend I started my planning for what is going where in the vegetable beds - it's pretty much sorted now, and luckily I've got enough seeds from last year (open and unopened packets) that I don't actually need to buy much. Back in the summer, T&M had a 20% off sale so I ordered my potatoes (Foremost - 1st, Maris Piper - main), red and white onions, and garlic. I'm just waiting for those to arrive now....

So the plan is, for the four beds nearest the house:

1. Potatoes Foremost
2. Legumes - peas, dwarf beans, mangetout
3. Tender - squash/pumpkin, Swiss chard
4. Brassicas - sprouts, broccoli

For the four beds behind the shed, two of which need prepping/rebuilding:

1. Potatoes - Maris Piper
2. Onion - Alpha (white), Red Emperor
3. Soft fruit - raspberries, blackberries, rhubarb - all already planted
4. Carrots and leeks

Today, we've removed the turf and loosened the soil for the trench where the new hedge will go.  This is to create a new vegetable garden area behind the copse and on the bottom half of the slope.  The hedging will be mixed evergreen and shaped to no more than 5' (in quite a few years time!), and create an enclosed area which will house the poly-tunnel and the new veg beds.  Once this is all in we'll probably get rid of some of the beds in other areas of the garden.

I've also finally finished clearing/weeding the left flower bed by the steps and spread the extra soil around. I'm still not convinced that it's deep enough because of the concrete slab base for the wall - there's only 9 rows of bricks on the wall and on the far end of the bed, the soil is only 2 rows deep.