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Mossbawn's Profile

 

Mossbawn

About me

I have been gardening since 2001 when I took over a 4 acre garden which had been laid out in Victorian times but had become neglected. I have been enjoying clearing and restoring and putting in features - ponds, formal parterre, pergola, new beds with mainly mixed planting, steps, paths, lots of places to sit - and introducing new plants and trees. All this has had to be done on a shoe-string, but it is looking good. In 2006 I began to make a vegetable garden with raised beds, adding more each year - there are now eleven 20ftx4ft beds. We have a Victorian conservatory on the house and it is full of trays of seedlings at present - mainly vegetables. I am using organic principles with just one exception - glyphosate for very large patches of rampant ground elder, as there doesn't seem to be a viable and practical alternative for this scale of problem. It really goes against the grain to use poison but I am hopeful that I will have it reasonably under control in 3 or 4 years' time and can stop. This year I have been reading up on gardening by the moon and biodynamics. Working with nature, rather than battling against her, really appeals. All the seedlings and also the new fruit bushes and trees have been sown and planted according to the biodynamic calendar. Fingers crossed! Composting is a real passion (I need to get out more ) and the grass mowings are mixed in equal parts with shredded newspapers to make a really wonderful mulch. There are 3 big leaf bins in different out-of-the-way areas of the garden which gave beautiful leaf mould this year. The soil is generally quite a heavy clay and so really benefits from these additions.


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Joined in May 2008

Country: United Kingdom

County: Lancashire