This weekend we dug a veg bed and built compost bins

Unbelievably, two sunny, dry and quite warm days this weekend, fantastic! Being me it wasn't wasted. I watered the greenhouse and left the doors open to vent them, it's great once we get to this time of year and they can be open all day. I then did some weed killing, there are lots of dandelions coming up in the borders I created last autumn and couch grass is appearing through the gravel in the drive. I lifted all the bigger sticks off the front lawn so they don't cause a problem with the lawn mower once we start cutting the grass. These went on the bonfire heap which we were planning to burn on Sunday.

Bulbine fruticosa witht eh macro lens

Red cabbage seedling in the greenhouse

Corydalis malkensis with rain drop, taken with the macro lens

Mosses in one of the alpine troughs with the macro
lens

Enjoying the sun

It was lovely to be able to sit out at the table on the patio in the sun without feeling cold, and to absorb the warmth from the sun while eating a creme egg. I also took a chance to photograph some of the plants now coming into flower with my macro lens. Next I started the last job of the day: clearing the area in the back corner where the compost bins are going. It's a pile of stones, bricks, weeds and earth, so needed digging out of stones into a pile, weeds on another pile and the soil will be used to top dress the new veg bed once it is dug over.

The area where the compost bins ans bonfire are going

Glorious blue sky, view from the back garden

 A pile of kerb stones and bricks

Daniel's old bed which is going to become part of the new compost bins

Sunday dawned bright and dry so we got the teenagers out into the fresh air to help. Daniel and I dug over the veg bed to be which was an empty square of soil in the corner of the patio. It is quite stony so we will see how it goes over the year. After it was cleared, weeded and dug over we barrowed the pile of soil down that I found on Saturday under the stones. This was really nice soil, proper soil, so it should make a difference on the veg bed.

Before we started the new veg bed

Daniel helping to dig

While Dan and I were working on the digging, David and Adam were starting to build the new compost bins. These are being build completely from recycled wood; Dan's old bed frame and wood we have lying about. We need the compost bins to do the job while we are here but ultimately when we move they will stay behind. Once the guys had finished the compost bins we got a big bonfire going, always a good thing. So it was a busy weekend with lots achieved, movie night at home and popcorn on Saturday night and french toast for breakfast on Sunday, cooked by Daniel using our own hens eggs. The good life right enough.

David, Adam and Bracken working on the new compost bins

Not bad for a couple hours work and no cost

Bracken keeping an eye on things

The finished veg bed

Filled already

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