Then and now

Top photo is of the no dig allotment in February with all the beds laid. The bottom is how it is today with a second layer of mulch applied to the beds that no longer have any crops in them.

All in all, an expensive success. Buying the compost at the beginning of this year was a gamble - we didn’t know if it would work and we would have wasted quite a bit of money.

It turned out well. The amount of weeding had dramatically been reduced. The perennials such are marestail and bindweed still poke through. Annual weeds have been almost zero. Lots of worms in the beds today as I harvested carrots, beetroot and parsnips.

In view of not knowing where we might be next year it was a difficult decision as to whether to apply a top up. We decided to bite the bullet so I’ve sown some broadbeans and protected them under the tunnel.

There will be a transition between here and there, living both here and there over the summer so I think it makes sense to try and grow a few crops for next year.