Apart from the three main plots that I have,  is a small patch, about a quarter of a plot, right beside the top fence. I’ve got a plum tree there, a rhubarb bed and about five lines of raspberries.

They are quite well organised, each double row has a path in between lined with a pond liner ( my friend’s husband was re-lining his little pond and got too much so she kindly gave the rest of it to me). The liner was just enough, all the paths are covered. Unfortunately I didn’t pay enough attention to this area last year and now it looked rather sorry for itself. Yesterday and today was a clear up time. It was quite daunting to start with but as soon as one bit was clean of weeds the rest was easy. I know the raspberries did well in previous years and so did the rhubarb so I’m hopeful that we’ll have a good harvest. The soil looks very good, not at all waterlogged, dark brown and crumbly. I have covered one of the rhubarb crowns with a bucket to force it – there is nothing better than the early pink rhubarb.

I still have quite a bit of work there, all the small weeds in the raspberry lines but the hardest work is done.