Levelling and Rotating


The photo doesn't show much detail, and frankly the details are tedious: I've moved 20-something barrowfulls of earth from the East to West side, and another 12 or so to go.

But look at that beautiful blue sky. Lovely February weather, the ground hard and frosty first thing in the morning, but by lunchtime it's Spring. And I'm beginning to think I'll be ready by Easter if not by St Patrick's day. The crop rotation plan is coming to me as I fill barrows and move them around.

North at the top. Salmon (?) coloured stripe up the middle is the path. Black bit to the north east is mostly pond, to the south unexcavated greenhouse foundations, midden and shed.

The red area is the North West, Blue the Midwest, and Green the South West bed. Beige on the right is the Middle East bed.

To keep it straightforward, and reproducible, I'm going to follow the RHS 4 year system, here, with the beds numbered 1, 2, 3 down the Eastern side, (red, blue, green) and 4 being the Middle East, (beige).

So that's:

  • legumes in the NW (peas and mangetout, mostly); 
  • brassicas in the Midwest, (swedes - we call them neeps -, cauliflowers and pak choi); 
  • spuds of all kinds in the SW bed, (this wants the greenhouse foundations out, and to be levelled, and there'll still be a lot of nettle roots there, so I'm giving myself the deadline of Good Friday to do that - no clover in the tattie bed to keep it sweet until May); 
  • onions, garlic, leeks, carrots and chard in the Middle East.
So the red, blue and beige beds need to be level and seeded with clover by middle of next month, Patrick's day. And the green (tattie) bed to be grubbed up and level by the end of next month, Easter. Nae bother.

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