Update! I have been really busy with the new part of my plot, most of which hasn’t been used for many years. I have been falling into bed at night cream crackered, all I need now is an increase in temperature so that my seedlings actually start growing and I can fill that big space.
The final section of this ‘new’ land was the one that I had been dreading, but it turned out to be the best soil anywhere on our 4 acres that I have found. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before, but the land is beside and behind the old stone privy, still complete with slate slab – with holes for two. So I am extending that area now to take advantage of the little houses bounty, by just covering the weeds with cardboard and weed supressant fabric until I can deal with it later. That will also mean that I won’t have to dig it this time. The little house by the way, is getting a new roof and will be a composting loo for this summer at least if all goes well.
This land is on a slope and there is the same amount of land at the bottom of the slope that will need clawing back from nature and the brambles. I keep meaning to measure it all, but somehow never have. Anyway it will have the twigs/branches/cardboard/horse manure treatment as well. I am hoping to grow Crown Prince squash there.
My soil test was the same, a nice orange 4, so I added lime to all of the new beds and hopefully this storm that is howling outside will be dispersing the lime into the soil.
My one and only compost heap has been made up, turned and layered again with fresh grass cut from the lawn and has a respectable 39c temp today, which I was very happy with.
Sorry for another long post.