Shall I or shall I not?

I've been doing some overdue leaf clearing and digging over the soil before the frosts and really bad weather strike. Not much of a job really in my little space and I don't know why I haven't got round to it before.

Thoughts turned to next year and what to plant as I was working. I had been intending to ditch the space right at the back of the garden where the sun hardly shines. The combination of the leylandii in the neighbouring garden and our shed have combined to make it a dodgy spot for growing anything. The spuds of 2009 were meagre and the beans of this year failed to take off.

My relatively new compost bin now sits in part of this patch, but I was wondering if I should make use of part of the ground. Garlic could go there, I thought. Also, my eye has been caught by a short piece about shallots in the Yorkshire Post gardening column. Both the garlic and shallots could be planted now.

Mmm, I wonder. Should I give this spot another chance? Wouldn't do any harm, I suppose.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

Normal service almost resumed with the hand and arm and have done a bit of digging, ready for planting. It will be a landmark when that finally happens. I've probably been making a bit too much of it, rather than simply getting on.

It occurs to me that there is no sign of the rhubarb I planted when I first started all this last year. I know you're not supposed to eat any during their first year, but it would be nice to at least have a peep. But nothing has appeared above soil level. Wonder why? Has the plant had it?

On the road again

Such a beautiful spring day today, so I was up early to test my hand/arm with a spot of gentle digging. Not too bad.

I'm digging out a new patch and resumed where I left off by giving the ground a good turning over and then dug out a bit more of the lawn towards the point where I am aiming. Very enjoyable.

Feel as if I'm getting somewhere now. Must remember not to get obsessed with ailment.

Any excuse

My mate Steve has sent me a message entitled Trenchant Thoughts, ie bloody get digging. He doesn't actually say that, but that's the gist of his explanation about the science of soil preparation.

Sound advice, which I followed immediately by getting out in the garden with spade and shovel. Ignoring a slight problem with my left hand, I got stuck in with my version of gusto - until a bit of a hiccup followed. Striking down hard with the shovel against an awkward root, a severe jolt went up my hand and arm. The pain!

Four days later and I am still not right despite extensive easing up on using that hand (the left one, not exactly convenient for a left-hander). Yesterday and today I have had to resort to Ibuprofen.

Who remembers now the great Robertson Hare? He would have a phrase for it - Oh calamity.

Amazing finds on dig

Actually, I've been quite disappointed at the lack of broken blue and white china while doing the extensive digging job on the vegetable patch. There's been nothing, just minging weeds.

The one thing I did find, though, was the item in the photograph. At first I thought it was a handy little trowel. Turns out to be a cake slice.

Bon appetit!

A tiring day out in the lower field

Dig...dig...dig...dig...dig...dig...dig...dig...It's a hard job, but I've broken the back of the initial digging now.

Some people may think I'm making too much of it, but it's a big step for me. Bereft of exercise for years, overweight and out of condition, this really is a major challenge for me. It's dead tiring, but I'm happy that I've got as far as I have.

I've cleared all the ground today of weeds and, I suppose, plants, and given it a perfunctory turning over. Tomorrow I'll give the soil a really good going over, removing all the stones and roots I can see. Then I'll sling in some fertiliser laden with chemicals and stick in some of those genetically-modified tomatoes (only kidding).

I shed about a gallon of perspiration today with this unaccustomed work, so I'm off now to have a well-deserved bath.