At Windmill, we know we have a reputation as the local branch of the Wombles, but we're pretty pleased with ourselves today, even so!
We knew we needed to weed the bark-chip paths because they have developed a healthy population of couch grass weeds that have grown through the landscaping fabric that is underneath. This should be a fairly quick job - just expose the fabric, pull it back and remove all roots that you find. The fun bit came when we did the work and discovered that the existing bark has now half broken down, so the bottom part of the path surfacing is beautiful moist compost. That was too good an opportunity to miss, so new volunteer Warren, and stalwart Dan got going with the sieves. This does make it a bit long-winded, but they did a very thorough job, so we've ended up with some super compost and a lovely weed free section of path. Now all we need to do is the rest of that path and the other three!
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| Daniel vs couch grass. |
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| Warren gets on with the sieving |
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| Warren celebrates a job well done |
Whilst the compost grab was going on, Alex set to on the sensory bed in the orchard. This should now have dropped all its seed and be ready for next year. Even so, we'll give it a week or two, weed it again and then sow some cornfield annuals ready for next year. With any luck, they will come up and then sit all ready for action when the Spring warmth comes. Alex is our secret weapon here, because he can recognise the leaves of all the plants we want to keep, so weeding is fast, but also ensures we don't loose things we wanted to keep or have forgotten we even have (don't mention the thyme!)
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| Alex tackles the sensory bed. |
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