Today was the day to continue with the planned research. I already had a slip of land ready for the no-dig

and just needed an exactly the same strip of ground that has been dug over and covered with the same rich compost as the first one. 

I have also decided what to grow. There will be exactly the same plants in both beds – 1/3 will be sweetcorn, 1/3 mini sweetcorn and the last 1/3 will be dwarf beans. Same plants on both beds and the same amount of them. It will be very interesting. I shall take photos at intervals after planting and record the harvest in the end. Watch this space.

I was pleased to see that the cardboard on the two paths looks perfect, the pieces of wood held it well in place. 

Even though the ground was quite damp the little area with my apple tree wasn’t too wet, it is on a slope and drains well. It was the first bit of serious digging after a number of weeks where I just wasn’t up to anything and I managed quite well. I’m delighted with the result, the soil is free of stones and I might take a chance with carrots next year.