It took a local farmer 15 minutes to chop up all the turf and plough it in. (He has also offered to bring a trailer full of farmyard manure for us to rot down for the autumn) The 250sq metre plot is now ready for marking up into beds and paths. Most of the plot will have green manure planted on it for the time being as it will take a while to cultivate the whole plot. The aim is to leave as little soil as possible bare. We are trying out a selection of green manures from greenmanure.co.uk . Some of the plants can be dug in in as little as 2 months, while others like the white clover can be left for up to 5 years. We have also bought some Yellow Trefoil which can be planted around plants like the globe artichokes, courgettes and squashes to keep the soil covered while the plants grow. If the Trefoil is allowed to flower it will encourage bees and beneficial insects to the site to help pollinate the squashes and courgettes. Flattened cardboard boxes will be laid on the beds which we plan to plant up within the next two months.
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